The North Callaway wrestling team has its challenges before districts in about two weeks, but it will face them together.

North Callaway Senior Night Photo Gallery

The Thunderbirds were certainly strong as a unit on Tuesday, Jan. 30, by winning three duals at home for Senior Night, defeating Mack's Creek 72-5, Mexico 40-33 and California 63-16. Seniors Lane Kimbley and Tristan Young were among several Thunderbirds with multiple match victories.

Head coach Ronnie Kimbley said the boys have just needed to gain focus after not wrestling many duals this season. State-ranked North Callaway wrestled a meet at Fulton on Dec. 7 before hosting state-ranked Father Tolton on Jan. 11 and then a quad at Macon about two weeks afterward.

"In our past duals, we haven't had a whole lot of focus," Kimbley said. "We didn't dual for quite a while because it was nothing but tournaments. We just didn't have a whole lot of focus so that was a lot of buildup going into tonight. We’re here to do a job, and let’s enjoy it afterwards.”

The feel of tournaments is different from duals, Kimbley said, because not every wrestler is allowed on the floor at any given time. Once it’s time for a match, that wrestler alone is on the floor in a gym while everybody else waits somewhere else to clear space. Kimbley said the Thunderbirds make sure their teammates are aware of the support.

“The team cheers everybody on,” Kimbley said. “It’s awesome to see all of the support they have for everybody. You see that in all of the tournaments too, even though they get run off the side. They’re all down there all the time cheering everybody on. It’s a great place to be at.”

That togetherness is what has meant the most to Lane Kimbley and Young as they each stepped on home mats for the final time. Kimbley has been wrestling for 13 years while Young has been going for three high school years, but both of them highly value the North Callaway program.

Kimbley has won three state medals and has won over 170 matches for North Callaway. However, his ties to the program can be traced back to its beginning in 2016.

“It means a lot because I was in the room all the time helping and doing stuff,” Kimbley said. “It’s sad it’s coming to an end.”

Young came to the program as a sophomore after being recruited from cross country by founding grappler Carson Safranski. He said it has benefitted him in many ways, among them providing him with another family.

“The program here has taught me a lot,” Young said. “Everybody on the team are not friends, they’re family. I’ve learned a lot from wrestling at school and how to control my anger.”

Young said he has grown on the mat by the way he attacks and operates in the neutral position while Kimbley said he “caught on pretty quick” in his career due to his approach of thinking simple, like focusing on scoring points.

Coach Kimbley became choked up a bit when he was talking about his son competing in his final home meet and while discussing what he has meant to the program but is happy that it will be easy to attend Lane’s college matches when he wrestles at William Woods University in Fulton. Both he and Young have meant much to the Thunderbirds in terms of leadership.

“For (Young) to take that and be voted captain his senior year, that was something special. He drills hard and yet he also teaches at the same time,” Kimbley said. “Lane is just something special because of the work he puts in studying, the drive he's got, and the passion alone for wrestling for this school is just awesome."

Among those that won multiple matches on Tuesday after bringing in youth club experience prior to high school is freshman Collin Moore; sophomore and first-year varsity wrestler Wyatt Haden, who showed his experience on Tuesday by making a previously undiscovered move second nature; and junior and returning state qualifier Casper Safranski. Kimbley said they have consistently produced good results for North Callaway this season and have a good outlook for districts. 

Kimbley said North Callaway had one more tournament that weekend before districts happen two weekends after that. He said the Thunderbirds have the toughest district in the state — including state-ranked schools like Centralia, Tolton, Brookfield and Marceline — but they can’t let that faze them.

“It’s going to be a war,” Kimbley said. “Being focused both days, taking care of business, focusing on all the little things, getting in good positions, and all that good stuff is what’s going to see them through.”

Ladybirds winless during home quad

The North Callaway girls, meanwhile, have districts one weekend after their final weekend tournament.

The three Ladybirds — Addison Fansler, Abigail Schmidt and Brooke Giboney — each wrestled and lost a match during North Callaway’s home quad. Some even bumped up a weight class to compete.

“Addie Fansler is brand new this year and is working her tail off,” Kimbley said. “She gave up a bit of weight but wrestled pretty tough in the first period and got caught and pinned in the first period.

“Abby (Schmidt), this is her first year, so she is studying the sport. She is focusing on all the moves and all that good stuff. She’s wrestling tough in all these matches, and once it becomes a feel, it’s going to be a huge step for her.

“Brooke is already a year in. (California’s Camryn Wingate) is a top girl in the state. To hurt her shoulder in that match and then watch her fight through that and not get pinned, that was awesome.”

There isn’t a lot of combined experience for the girls, but Kimbley said they should do their best.

“It’s just wrestling with confidence,” Kimbley said. “It’s hard to do because they haven’t wrestled a whole lot. They have nothing to lose so open up and see what they’ve got.”