Scott Nicely returns as the Blanchester High School wrestling coach.
He won 91 matches for the Wildcats as head coach from 2013 to 2019. He also is a BHS graduate who was a standout wrestler in high school and college.
Nicely will be assisted by Jordan Dawson and Andy Musselman at the high school level and James Tissandier at the junior high, hoping to build up the dwindling numbers at that level.
Blanchester was runnerup to Wilmington in the SBAAC tournament last season. The Wildcats edged out Clinton-Massie.
First team wrestlers for the Wildcats last season were Hunter Smith (120), Tristan Malone (190), Cody Kidd (215) and Chasen Allison (285).
Blanchester was fourth in the sectional tournament last season.
There are six returning starters from last season, Jude Huston, Tristen Malone, Zach Musselman, Caleb Sears, Sebastian Smith and Odin Taylor.
Kane Scott is a newcomer to note as a freshman at BHS.
Allison, Kidd, Smith, Dylan Short and Kaleb Tabor will not return to the Blanchester program this season.
Despite losing quality wrestlers from a season ago, Nicely is pleased with what he’s seen thus far at BHS.
”They are young, enthusiastic and are coach-able,” he said of the team.
Nicely said conditioning will be the main area of improvement but also wants to see match and mat awareness improve in 2023-24. He also knows filling each weight class will be one of the keys to contending in the SBAAC and beyond this season.
