The Jamestown Community College wrestling team will open its season today against Penn State Mont Alto. Photo courtesy of Jamestown CC Athletics

It was a successful 2020-21 season for the Jamestown Community College wrestling team, finishing second as in the NJCAA Eastern A Districts while sending eight to the NJCAA Tournament, but the Jayhawks are hungry for more.

“I’m pretty excited for this season,” said head coach Kris Schimek. “Maybe a little more excited than our guys, but I know they are excited as well. We’ve been working really hard and the proof is in the pudding. We are the hardest working junior college wrestling team on the east coast and we’re ready to prove it.”

During the first half of the season, the Jayhawks will be competing away from home with their first dual against Penn State Mont Alto (today) and competing the day after at the King of the Mont Invitational (Saturday). From there, Jamestown CC closes out the month at the Washington & Jefferson Invitational (Nov. 13) and at the New York State Championships (Nov. 20) at SUNY Cortland.

“Having a dual and invitational during the opening weekend of the season is huge,” Schimek said. “The biggest thing with this sport is discipline, especially with making weight. It will be good for these guys to get in the routine early. And when we get to the New York State Championships, these guys will get a better feeling of what college wrestling is about.”

The Jayhawks will close out the fall semester at the Niagara County CC Open (Dec. 4) and at NCAA Division III Hiram (Ohio) College (Dec. 11).

Moving on to the second half of the season, the Jayhawks will be traveling to the National Wrestling Coaches Association National Dual (Jan. 6-7) held in Louisville, Kentucky. There, teams across all levels — NCAA Division I, II, III, along with NAIA and NJCAA institutions — have a chance to compete as a team for bragging rights. Schimek has made the argument that it may be just as good, if not better than, the national championships themselves.

“I’ve told these guys that this is a better experience than nationals,” Schimek said. “You have schools from all levels going all out. It’s like a royal rumble for both days. Everyone gets so into it and emotional. It’s an awesome atmosphere. This is also an event that is more team-orientated and guys will bond.”

After the national duals, the Jayhawks will compete at the Mel Berry Duals (Jan. 15), hosted by Theil College, before returning home for two straight against Gannon University (Jan. 22) and Niagara County CC (Jan. 29). Jamestown CC will have a quick turnaround after the Niagara County CC dual as it will host the JCC Open the next day (Jan. 30).

Competing on the road is something that a lot of wrestlers may lack experience in at the high school level, but Schimek believes it’s beneficial for these guys to wrestle in different environments.

“A lot of these guys have only wrestled in their home states,” said Schimek. “It’s a point of emphasis in the recruitment process is that these guys have the opportunity to see different parts of the country that otherwise they may never get a chance to do.”

The Jayhawks will close out the regular season at Pitt-Bradford (Feb. 11) before returning home to host the NJCAA Eastern A Districts (Feb. 19) for the second season in a row. If they perform well at districts and qualify, they will find themselves at the 2021 NJCAA Wrestling National Championships (Mar. 3-4) at the Mid -America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

A year ago, nationals was treated more like an invitational where anyone could attend due to the rules put in place for COVID. This year, nationals is going back to its original format and wrestlers will have to qualify to compete and Schimek has relayed that message to his guys.

“These guys know that they have to work for it this season,” said Schimek. “At the beginning of the season I have these guys make five goals and I use it as a reminder of why they are here if they get off track. It’s going to be a grind, but the road to nationals literally comes through Jamestown. You have to show up and perform.”

Schimek has a loaded roster coming into the new season with five returners from a year ago, including Eastern A District champions Trenton Donahue (Corry, Pennsylvania/Corry Area HS) at 141 pounds, Ross Abrams (Eden/Eden Central) at 174 pounds and Alex Christy (Fredonia, /Fredonia) at heavyweight. Among the returners is two-time national qualifier Otto Davidson (Congers/Clarkstown North) at 157 pounds and national qualifier Andrew Bungar (Hermitage, Pennsylvania/Hickory) at 165 pounds.

“I’m expecting a lot from these guys this season and they expect a lot from themselves,” Schimek said about his returners. “Trenton has goals of going Division I and Ross is in his final year of competition. These other guys have similar goals and are doing everything possible for them to obtain them. In our wrestling room, we have four coaches who had made it to nationals and know what it takes to succeed.”

Schimek has also been singing the praises of Christy and Davidson this preseason because they are an extension of the coaching staff and they lead by example.

“Guys like Alex and Otto are like roots,” Schimek said. “If this team is a tree, they help hold us together. They do what they need to do and they provide the team life and energy. These guys are the first ones in and the last ones out every day. They go above and beyond, and not only will that get them far in wrestling, it will get them far in life.”

The newcomers this season are De’Aonte Hutchinson (Baltimore/Edgewood) at 125 pounds, Brock Johnson (Falconer/Falconer) at 197 pounds, Joey Pillittieri (Falconer/Falconer) at 141 pounds, Brendon Ramsey (Panama/Panama) at 133 pounds, James Rankin (Cleveland) at 149 pounds, Adam Sanchez (DunkirkDunkirk) at 149 and Bryson LeGrano.

“I expect a lot from our new guys this year,” said Schimek. “I know there will be some struggles at times and I expect some unexpected success from some of these guys. I think this is one of the best teams I’ve had here, on the mat and in the classroom. I’m ready to get it going.”