Helias to wrestle at Kinloch Tournament

Nick Carr and the Helias Crusaders will be taking part in the Kinloch Holiday Tournament in Springfield starting today.
Nick Carr and the Helias Crusaders will be taking part in the Kinloch Holiday Tournament in Springfield starting today.

The Helias Crusaders are ready to get back to seeing someone else on the wrestling mats.

The Crusaders, who have not wrestled in competition since wrapping up the Missouri Duals more than two weeks ago, are heading to Springfield for the Kinloch Holiday Tournament starting today at Parkview High School.

"As many days as we've been practicing, I think it's good to get some competition," Helias head coach Bryant Gaines said.

Gaines believes the two-day event, featuring 24 teams, is a great way to get back at it.

"It's not the nails tournaments we've been wrestling," he said. "There are going to be good teams down there, but there are a lot of teams there that we should be able to complete with and we're looking forward to it."

Helias went to the tournament for the first time last year, finishing 15th. The Crusaders are looking to do a little better this time.

"I hate to say the goal is top 10, but it is," Gaines said. "To do that, the veteran guys are going to have to come through and the younger guys are going to have to step up."

The tournament will have the 14 weight classes divided into pools, then bracketed to decide individual champions. Wrestlers can get as many as seven matches.

Helias will have nearly a full team at the tournament, filling 13 of the 14 weight classes. The Crusaders will only be open at 152 pounds.

"We have almost have a full team, which is great," Gaines said.

Gaines is pleased with the progress of the Crusaders in his first season as head coach.

"I wish we would have wrestled better at the Missouri Duals, but the heart is there," Gaines said. "For most of the guys, they are wrestling through things and working hard."

And that hard work may decide if the Crusaders get this week's holiday off.

"We'll see how we do before I decide if we're taking off New Year's Day," Gaines said.

Action begins at 10:30 a.m. today and 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.