MONTAGUE — Montague doesn't have as many athletes to put on the mat this year as some other teams - seven Wildcats are set to compete - but that isn't stopping the team from setting ambitious goals.
"We're going after the conference championship," Montague coach Penny Grinage-Guy said. "I wouldn't say it otherwise. Every year we've creeped up a spot. Last year we ended up third. We'll take second, but we're going for first. We know Hart is the
defending conference champion who also puts out a small team, so it
might be a little easier for the judges to compare apples to apples."
The small roster means Montague can't throw several stunt groups on the mat for the pivotal third round, but also alleviates the difficulty in synchronizing those stunts among large groups.
"They're great kids and we love having them," Grinage-Guy said. "We just wish there were triple of them."
Montague ended last season just below the cutoff line for regional qualification, too, so there is no shortage of motivation for the young Wildcats' roster, which only includes one competing senior, Paige Ramthun. Kiley Miller, another senior, is out for the season due to injury, but has been coming to every practice, Grinage-Guy said, and serving as a de facto assistant coach.
"She's been very valuable to us as a coach, because she
can relate to the kids and approach them differently than getting yelled at by us," Grinage-Guy joked, referring to herself and fellow coach Ally Scott.
Although Ramthun is the only competing senior, five of the athletes from last year are back, counting Miller, which provides some continuity from a year ago. The newcomers bring great skill to the team, with first-time competitor Selina Pruitt being a strong tumbler and freshman Kaitlyn Leatherman a flyer. Grinage-Guy said Leatherman "knows no fear" and the coaches are working with her on being more assertive with her teammates when needed.
"We are just trying to get her
to be a little more vocal about when she needs something corrected,
because she's just a great kid who enjoys everybody," Grinage-Guy said.
Rounding out the roster is fellow daredevil Allee Eppard, who also competes in motocross, as well as Emma Trevino, Lauren Wright and Novalea Cannon.
The team has great chemistry, say Grinage-Guy and Scott - "If you see them attacking each
other, that's a love attack," Grinage-Guy said - which should help it achieve its ambitions.
"With a lot of female sports, you get petty drama,
and we don't have that," Scott said. "It's a really great group."
