When Andy Moore walked into the Monticello wrestling room at the start of the 2008 season, he knew he was going to be a vexing winter.
In only his second year as the program's head coach, Moore was prepared for a full rebuild. With a roster nearly devoid of varsity experience and lineup spots up for grabs, it was a foregone conclusion  freshmen were going to see plenty of mat time.
Nine freshmen were featured on that roster and four in particular made an immediate impression – Ramsey Hoss, Luke Dunn, Drew Benson, and Clay Wright.
“I knew they had a passion for the sport,” said Moore. “I knew they were competitors. They just needed to keep a good attitude about it and keep pushing themselves. Anytime you can find a group of kids with that passion and are willing to take extra steps beyond the average athlete. You know they'll keep improving.”

Freshman Frustrations
As expected that first year was anything but easy.
Working with a steep learning curve the freshmen had expected struggles.
The four of them had a combined record of 48-74. Hoss, Dunn and Wright each lost more than 17 matches, while Benson spent the majority of the season at junior varsity with only 11 varsity matches.
“It's tough,” said Dunn. “Your eighth grade year, you have success and think your good. Then you come into your freshman year and you take a losing record. It's hard on you. But, if you stay mentally focused and know what you're trying to succeed. It's pretty easy to bounce back.”
Maintain a long term perspective was the ongoing theme for that season.
As eighth graders, Benson, Wright and Dunn all had qualified for the IESA state tournament and Hoss finished third during the regional, setting up a somewhat precipitous fall for all four at a new level of competition.
“They started off getting thumped quite a bit,” said Moore. “A lot of them were filling spots. They were quality wrestlers, but they just weren't ready for high school varsity.”
“You have to emphasize the fact they are freshmen and they have four years to go,” added Moore. “You have to remind them it will get better and they'll get stronger. There was a lot more patting them on the back and telling them to stick with it. You had to remind them that it the reward would come in the long run.”
The year was an all-around grind for the freshman and the program as a whole.
Monticello went just 8-16 in dual meets with no individual state qualifiers. Only four advanced out of the regional, including Dunn, who took runner up 119 pounds.
“I remember a lot of frustration and a lot of close matches that just didn't go our way that year,” said Moore with a chuckle. “We just didn't understand how to make those close matches go our way. It would get frustrating. I knew we had a bright future and we would improve. It was just hard to deal with as it was happening.”

Turning the Corner
The following year brought much of the same for the team, which went 7-18, but the individual results started to show progress.
Dunn, Wright and Hoss all posted winning records and won 25 matches with Hoss leading the bunch at 28-15. Benson finished 12-25, but logged his first year as a full-time varsity starter.
That's when it became evident a corner was being turned.
“It's just confidence,” said Hoss. “Once you realize you can actually do it, it just happens. For me it happened around the end of my sophomore year. I was still struggling in the same matches I had as a freshmen, then I started winning matches I didn't expect to. From there, my confidence just built and I started winning.”
“There is definitely a mental aspect,” added Benson. “You have to turn it into a mental game. Once you figure that out, then you can start dictating matches.”

Renaissance Realized
There are only three regional plaques with the word WRESTLING in the Monticello trophy case. The first was in 1992, the second came five years later and the latest says 2011.
Three years after winning just eight dual meets and sitting buried in the team standings of the Argenta-Oreana Regional, the Monticello wrestling program stood as one one of the top Class 1A teams in the state.
“It's been a fun season,” said Hoss. “Being with your brothers and with guys you've been working with for four years. Everything has kind of fallen into place as a team. It's been a lot of fun.”
The Sages posted a 17-5 record in duals, including a 5-0 run in the Okaw Duals to claim their second conference title en route to their eventual regional championship on Feb. 4.
“As a coach, it's nice to have that under my belt, but it's more rewarding to see them earn that,” said Moore. “You talk about the tough times and those tough matches, when the record wasn't what they wanted it to be. They pushed through it. It took everybody to accomplish it, but for them to be part of those teams makes you feel good. It makes you believe in what you are doing and the impact you are having. I ask a lot as a coach of my athletes. Not everyone can do it. For them to stick it out and keep plugging away, then seeing it rewarded. It's just very satisfying to see all that work turn into a championship.”
The title was just a culmination of the progress.
As juniors, Dunn and Wright each posted 30 win season, while Hoss went 29-11 and Benson 23-14. Dunn and Hoss both claimed individual regional titles and Dunn pushed through the sectional to take a state qualification at 145 pounds.
During all this, Monticello went 13-10 in duals and claimed their first conference title in five years.

Senior Success
After three years of heavy varsity time, Benson, Dunn, Hoss and Wright entered the 2011-12 season established and set to leave a lasting impression.
All four started the season with a realistic eye on qualifying for state as individuals.
Last Saturday, that goal was realized for Dunn, Hoss and Wright, who all finished among the top-3 during the Robinson Sectional on Feb. 18. Benson remains a possible state qualifier, as he took fifth and will serve as an alternate.  
In addition to those accomplishments and the team titles, all four will join the program's big board of records by the start of next season.
Dunn and Wright cemented their place among the program's all-time elite, as they both recorded more than 30 wins this year and joined the school's 100 win club.  
“One hundred wins is a big accomplishment,” said Dunn. “Only 10 or so guys have reached that. To be one of them is pretty special.”
Depending on how the next two weeks go, Hoss could join them as he enters the state tournament with 94 wins.
Beyond the victories, all will likely find their way into one of the other record lists. Benson finished the season as the team's leader in pins and had wracked up 38 in two years. Dunn will also make the takedowns list after posting more than 70 in back-to-back seasons and the points records will no doubt be touched also.
“You definitely want to make the board,” said Wright. “We also have competitions with each other for  pins, takedowns, wins. One day you want that all to lead to the big board, so people think that kid must have been a good wrestler.”
“I'm kind of big on that,” said Dunn. “I'm always monitoring where I'm at and where I can be on the board. For me it's just the thought of leaving something behind. Trying to make a name for myself, so people can see it in the future.”
With the season at a pivotal moment, none have admitted taking the time to reflect yet on those accomplishments, but it will happen in due time.
With the individual state tournament this weekend and a possibility at team state appearance still in the picture, there is still a lot of wrestling left for this core.
“This is the opportunity,” said Moore. “It's what they've been working towards. They stuck with the sport for four years, which is something a lot of athletes don't do. Seeing the success they are having and the potential success in the state series is very rewarding.”
For Moore there was never any doubt these accomplishments were on the horizon.
Through all those early losses, struggles and individual challenges that first year, Moore knew wrestling would never become a wayward activity for these particular four.
“Honestly, I never was worried they would lose interest,” said Moore. “I did have concerns about how a couple in that class would handle the struggles. But, never with these four. I knew they were dedicated to the sport and were true competitors. No matter how bad it got, they would stay with it and keep plugging away.”
The early struggles actually become a strength for the program this year.
After struggling as freshman with little guidance from upperclassmen, all four stepped into leadership roles.
“We all had to pick up leadership as a role,” said Wright. “As freshmen, we were kind of thrown into the spot. We had very little leadership. Through the years we've tried to build up the program. I think kids look at us now and say they want to be leaders next year. They've been in the same situations as us and they want to pick up those roles.”
Nearly half of this year's roster is composited of underclassman, which means plenty of lessons and reassurances have needed to be pass around.
That's a role embraced by all of the veterans.
“As a freshman, I got killed by people I would probably destroy now as a senior,” said Hoss. “It gets better if you keep working. We never had that example though. We only had one senior that was good our freshman year and he never really talked to us about anything, so we never really had anyone to look up to.”

End of the Line
After four years of patience and perseverance, this core will eventually wrap up their high school wrestling careers at some point in the next couple weeks.
Ideally, that won't come until after a few more wins, maybe a couple state medals and possibly a trip to another state tournament.
Regardless of how the season plays out, next winter Andy Moore will walk into the wrestling room expecting some more struggles and more progress.
He'll do it without this core, but he'll carry on with a renovated program with a sudden history of success.
Success built through the patience and perseverance.