Prep Wrestling: Langley gets career win No. 400
Perhaps lost in the shuffle of what was just another night of wins for the Harrisburg High School wrestling team was a special moment for its head coach, Greg Langley.
The longtime Bulldog coach picked up career win No. 400 Tuesday night as Harrisburg picked up a pair of wins over West Frankfort and Benton and FCHS.
Harrisburg defeated the Redbirds 47-24 and knocked off Benton 54-18 on the mats.
Langley, fully admits that never once has he had to get out there and wrestle a match, but reflecting, all of his wrestlers past and present did the work for him to reach 400 and as a coach, he knows the dedication and sacrifice that went into it.
“Four hundred wins is not something that I have had on my mind at all,” Langley said. “When I started as the head wrestling coach in 1989 here at Harrisburg, I saw myself as a football coach that did wrestling as a tool to condition for football. Almost immediately, I became hooked on the sport and the numerous lessons that it teaches. From wrestling, I learned that nothing comes easy, the practice time you put in will dictate how well you will succeed when it counts in competition. I read a quote from Dan Gable many years ago that has always stuck with me, ‘Once you have wrestled, everything else in life is easy.’
“Wrestling is by far the most demanding sport both physically and mentally that I have ever been involved with. I have always wanted to see our kids succeed no matter the sport, but I have had the pleasure to think back about guys that have went through the wrestling program here knowing that they have made themselves better beyond sports and better prepared for what life throws them.”
As far as the matches, Langley felt his club came out flat against West Frankfort, but were able to hold it together for the win.
“There were a few forfeits in the Benton match but felt we wrestled a little better in the matches that were contested,” he said. “I’m not sure why we were off in the beginning but, as I told the kids, we can not have that happen if they want to be successful. Wrestling is a sport that a person just can not come back from when you get down early, the first take down scored is so important. “
Harrisburg now turns it attention to the always tough Litchfield Tournament, starting Friday and running through Saturday.
Harrisburg (HBG) 47.00 West Frankfort (WF) 24.00
182: Ryan Ragsdale (HBG) over Peyton Overturf (WF) (Dec 9-6); 195: Jake Upton (WF) over Hunter Jackson (HBG) (Fall 4:38); 220: Greg Cooper (WF) over Alex Johnson (HBG) (Fall 4:47); 285: Chase McDaniel (HBG) over (WF) (For.); 106: Shane Smith (WF) over Autumn Millis (HBG) (Fall 3:24); 113: Double Forfeit; 120: Landon Hicks (HBG) over Jacob Sileven (WF) (Fall 4:26); 126: Kyle Cavender (HBG) over Jordan Brewster (WF) (TF 18-1 4:29); 132: Kody Cavender (HBG) over Micah Julian (WF) (Fall 1:12); 138: Chandler Bowling (HBG) over Elijah Roman (WF) (Fall 1:08); 145: Jimmy Hicks (HBG) over Caleb Gaylor (WF) (Fall 5:12); 152: Abraham McClelland (HBG) over Jacob Novak (WF) (Dec 11-6); 160: Michael Jaster (HBG) over (WF) (For.); 170: Connor Eaton (WF) over Jared Schmook (HBG) (Fall 3:15).
Harrisburg (HBG) 54.00 Benton (BHS) 18.00
195: Hunter Jackson (HBG) over Daniel Richardson (BHS) (Fall 2:56); 220: Alex Johnson (HBG) over (BHS) (For.); 285: Chase McDaniel (HBG) over Carston Sanders (BHS) (Fall 1:09); 106: Seth Padovic (BHS) over Autumn Millis (HBG) (Fall 0:48); 113: Tyler Carroll (BHS) over (HBG) (For.); 120: Landon Hicks (HBG) over Trey Hosick (BHS) (Fall 3:03); 126: Kyle Cavender (HBG) over (BHS) (For.); 132: Kody Cavender (HBG) over (BHS) (For.); 138: Chandler Bowling (HBG) over Isiah Doty (BHS) (Fall 0:52); 145: Double Forfeit 152: Jimmy Hicks (HBG) over Andrew Martin (BHS) (Dec 6-1); 160: Ian Mcmahon (BHS) over Michael Jaster (HBG) (Fall 2:57); 170: Jared Schmook (HBG) over Jaron Picklesimer (BHS) (Fall 1:46); 182: Ryan Ragsdale (HBG) over Jordan Garbo (BHS) (Dec 6-5).