West Canaan
He had been wrestling for eight years growing up in Gainesville, Ga., in a sport that he grew to love for its enticing mixture of individuality and toughness. His family moved to the Upper Valley when he was in eighth grade for work and to be closer to family in Maine. He joined Newport High’s longstanding wrestling program as an eighth-grader but was sidelined with a torn meniscus. Once he got to Lebanon High, wrestling fell to the wayside; the Raiders have never offered wrestling as a varsity sport.
That is, until now. Former Newport coach Chauncey Wood and former Trinity College wrestler Lucas McKittrick have helped get Lebanon wrestling off the ground this winter for the first time in school history, working over the past few months to get approval from the school’s athletic department, fundraising for equipment and petitioning the NHIAA to allow another program into the fold.
Five athletes, including three seniors (Skakalski, Mac Greger and Shane Balise), a junior (Noah Taylor) and a sophomore (David Carvalho) are the program’s first batch of athletes. The experienced Skakalski, at the 126-pound weight class, leads the way. Wood, McKittrick and Erik Braghirol are the team’s coaches, taking over a program that they believe fits nicely into the school’s athletic offerings.
“I think word is getting out,” McKittrick said. “A lot of kids play basketball, play hockey and have been in those sports at a young age. Now, I think there are a lot of good athletes who don’t necessarily fit that mold who want to get into a sport and work hard. Wrestling is great because you just beat the kid in front of you. You’re a varsity kid. There’s no politics involved, really. You just earn your way up.
“It seems like interest is getting out there,” he added. “We’ve had a lot of people, who we didn’t really know, who have been really excited about it. … I think we’ve had a lot of support. We’ve had people at our meets; Caiden and some of the other kids have been winning some matches. It’s been awesome.”
For Wood, bringing wrestling to Lebanon was a process a few years in the making.
“I was talking to Mike Stone (Lebanon’s athletic director) when I got up here from Newport,” Wood said on Friday. “We were throwing it around a little bit, and we had some interest from the kids to get it going. I kind of steamrolled it and pushed the administration. At first, they weren’t so welcoming. But we have the full support of the administration and the AD. It’s starting to take off.
“Once we get our feet on the mat, then we can start moving up from there.”
The Raiders practice and compete with Mascoma High’s squad on an independent basis — allowing, by NHIAA rule, individual athletes to win weight classes without the program getting a team score at the NHIAA Division III state meet. Lebanon participates in Mascoma practices and travels with the Royals to meets but competes in the Raiders’ colors.
It’s a situation that Mascoma head coach Rick Simula can relate to. The Royals completed their first varsity season in 2016 after years of building by Simula. Wood said the Mascoma coach was an important resource during the administrative process.
“They have some awesome young talent,” Simula said after practice on Friday. “Caiden, a senior, he’s been great. I just thought, honestly, it was a way to fill practice spots for me. I wasn’t sure what our numbers were going to be. We just lucked out that we have a lot of kids this year. I think the program is taking off, finally, with the numbers. … For us, it’s been awesome. Their kids and our kids have hit it off and have been buddies, which is great. You never know how kids from opposite schools are going to get along. That dynamic has been easy.
“It’s been cool to see their kids develop,” he added. “And throwing a kid who’s a senior (Caiden) in the mix, with our lighter weights, has been awesome for them. They’ve been able to wrestle every day with years of wrestling experience.”
Lebanon offers basketball, hockey, skiing, swimming and indoor track in the winter season. It’s hoops programs have historically been well-populated; Lebanon hockey, in particular its girls team, has required cooperatives with neighboring schools to survive. Wood said he’s sure the student body can support another winter sports program with consistent interest. The next several years competing independently will serve as a transition period, allowing the team’s coaching staff to help build enough participation to keep it afloat.
“The student body definitely supports the sport itself, as far as numbers go,” Wood said. “We’ve had a lot of kids come up to us after the fact and say, ‘Hey, can we do it?’ Unfortunately, we’re limited to so many kids being independent. … As far as the student body, we definitely have the numbers to do it.
“Hockey players are hockey players; basketball players are basketball players. They’ve done it since they were young,” he added. “There’s going to be the kids who haven’t done them that are looking for something to do. That’s where we’re hoping to open the door and give them another option.”
What Lebanon does have is its standout. Skakalski is shifty and talented, and he has impressed Simula in the early going. The Royals got a significant interest boost over its first few varsity seasons from the success of heavyweight state champ Tyler Bill. The Raiders could be the benefactors of similar talent.
A showing by Skakalski at states, Wood said, could help put Lebanon on the map.
“I can’t tell you, there isn’t a explanation that can tell you how a kid being success at this helps your program build,” Wood said. “When you see success, you want to be a part of it. That was something we were counting on, but we’re definitely happy it’s happening.”
Simula also hopes the Raiders’ emergence could be a sign of rejuvenated interest in varsity wrestling in the Upper Valley.
“It’s very hard to keep wrestling in schools and colleges now; it seems to be one of the sports that goes,” Simula said. “So the fact that (Lebanon) is starting a wrestling team, another team locally for us to compete against and link with up with in the summer … from here on out, when they have a full roster and we wrestle them in the future, they’re going to make our kids better. That’s going to make their kids better. It’s going to build both of our programs. Maybe they’ll be our rivalry, that’s awesome.
“I think people are starting to appreciate it, particularly in the Upper Valley. There are a few other schools, specifically in this area, I think people are starting to appreciate the hard work.”
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.