Every team sets goals and looks ahead to where it wants to be and that is slowly starting to form for Harrison Central mat coach Todd Dunlap after being notified that his squad has qualified for the Ohio Division II State Duals for the 2008-2009 season.

    “We have always talk with our team about you have to wrestle the best to become the best,” Dunlap said in a phone conversation.

   Well the Huskies, while qualifying for the first time in school history, will have their hands full seeing the Goliath’s of Division II wrestling with state champions St. Paris Graham, Hunting Valley University School, Perry, Lexington, St. Francis Desales, New Richmond and Medina Highland.

    However, this is the only thing that is going to take the Huskies to the next level. Many teams in the Ohio Valley are blinded when entering their respected district and state tournaments because they wrestle slugs all season long. Then they get to these big tournaments and cannot understand how they were not prepared to wrestle at that next level.

    The Huskies earned the right to square off with the best in Ohio by doing so well in the the Division II Steubenville District Tournament. The top two teams in underclassmen points in each district are invited to the one-day event.

    “This is where we want to be. Are we at this level yet to compete with the Paris Graham’s of the wrestling world? I am not sure,” Dunlap admitted. “But our program is definitely moving in the right direction. We have been trying to build to this level and continue to build.”

    Dunlap returned to the Harrison County school five years ago as an assistant and has slowly started to build the program from the junior high level up.

    With a talented group of seventh and eighth graders, Dunlap stayed with this group and saw something very special winning a majority of the junior high tournaments they participated in before entering high school.

    “Our numbers were real down early on,” Dunlap indicated about the varsity program, “and these guys got a lot of varsity experience taking their lumps early. But it is starting to show its value now as the kids are buying into what we are trying to accomplish. They are working hard and are believing they can wrestle with guys of a higher caliber.”

    The Huskies mat program lost no one to graduation and will be led by returning state place winner Nick Risdon. He will be joined by state qualifiers Rob Eddy, Darin Heavilin and Jake Mallernee.

    District qualifiers returning to the squad include Ian Howell, Taylor Banks, Trevor Coffman and Jake Emery (2007 qualifier).

    With these eight guys and three district alternates in the shadows Dunlap will have only a few gaps to fill, but he takes the challenge willingly.

     Slated two weeks before the Ron Mauck OVAC Tournament at Hilliard Darby in Columbus, the Huskies will be tuned up for a run at Wheeling Park, Oak Glen and Beaver Local during the three-day conference grind in 2009.

    Look for the Huskies to be in the upper tier on the final day at the WesBanco Arena.

    REALITY CHECK — Ohio Valley wrestling doesn’t compare to Central Ohio where you have guys going year round. Make no mistakes, there are guys who are willing to go year round and they are the best of the best in the valley. For example, Bellaire’s Robbie Chilson just picked up a fifth place finish at Juniors’ National Wrestling Championships in Virginia Beach. Chilson is becoming one of the best wrestlers in the valley because he going that extra distance on the mat.

    Joining Chilson were a handful of other OVAC grapplers, but they were unsuccessful in finding the podium as some of them had over 60 wrestlers in their respected weight classes.