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Clifton Springs, N.Y. —
Until this week, Midlakes High School had never had a top-ranked athletic team in New York state. That changed earlier this week when the Screaming Eagles wrestling team was named the No. 1 team among small schools in the New York State Sportswriters Association’s most recent poll.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Midlakes wrestling coach Steve Howcroft said. “It’s a good achievement for the kids. They’ve worked hard to get where they are right now.”
The Screaming Eagles (14-1) have performed well in some big dual meets this month. Midlakes defeated rival Pal-Mac, who is ranked No. 2 in the poll, 40-25 last Thursday. The Screaming Eagles then took down both Phoenix (36-31) and Fredonia (46-25) Saturday, who were previously the top two teams in the state.
“Everything was so close and so competitive, everybody was on their toes the whole time,” Howcroft said. “The final match with us and Phoenix was amazing. We had a packed house and the place was going crazy.”
Howcroft said the wrestlers have been working hard every day in practice and did a lot of wrestling in the offseason. Midlakes Athletic Director Lyle Dixon said the success can be traced back several years to Chris VanGorden’s tenure as coach.
“A lot of these kids wrestling right now are a result of that pee-wee program years ago, these kids have been dedicated for years,” Dixon said. “Their hard work and dedication are paying off. It’s the culmination of the work and dedication of both Chris and Steve.”
The Screaming Eagles are hosting a round-robin tournament this weekend and Howcroft knows the No. 1 ranking puts a target on their backs.
“Our goal is to finish the season healthy, roll into sectionals and have a great showing there with the hopes of winning that,” the coach said. “We’ve never had a wrestling sectional title and that’s something we’re definitely focusing on.”
Until this week, Midlakes High School had never had a top-ranked athletic team in New York state. That changed earlier this week when the Screaming Eagles wrestling team was named the No. 1 team among small schools in the New York State Sportswriters Association’s most recent poll.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Midlakes wrestling coach Steve Howcroft said. “It’s a good achievement for the kids. They’ve worked hard to get where they are right now.”
The Screaming Eagles (14-1) have performed well in some big dual meets this month. Midlakes defeated rival Pal-Mac, who is ranked No. 2 in the poll, 40-25 last Thursday. The Screaming Eagles then took down both Phoenix (36-31) and Fredonia (46-25) Saturday, who were previously the top two teams in the state.
“Everything was so close and so competitive, everybody was on their toes the whole time,” Howcroft said. “The final match with us and Phoenix was amazing. We had a packed house and the place was going crazy.”
Howcroft said the wrestlers have been working hard every day in practice and did a lot of wrestling in the offseason. Midlakes Athletic Director Lyle Dixon said the success can be traced back several years to Chris VanGorden’s tenure as coach.
“A lot of these kids wrestling right now are a result of that pee-wee program years ago, these kids have been dedicated for years,” Dixon said. “Their hard work and dedication are paying off. It’s the culmination of the work and dedication of both Chris and Steve.”
The Screaming Eagles are hosting a round-robin tournament this weekend and Howcroft knows the No. 1 ranking puts a target on their backs.
“Our goal is to finish the season healthy, roll into sectionals and have a great showing there with the hopes of winning that,” the coach said. “We’ve never had a wrestling sectional title and that’s something we’re definitely focusing on.”
