A few holes in the lineup may cost Helias some wrestling dual victories this season, but the Crusaders are looking to have more success in the postseason.
"You always want to have somebody to fill out the weight," Helias coach Bryant Gaines said as the Crusaders prepare for tonight's opening tri-dual with Warrenton and Hannibal in Warrenton. "When you give away 30 points like we are going to do at the start of the season, it makes it difficult to win."
Helias will start the season open at five weights due to injuries or inexperience.
"We've got some kids that could fill those open weights, but they are really JV kids right now and they're not ready for varsity," Gaines said.
Helias does return several varsity veterans, led by Evan Winder.
Winder, a sophomore, was undersized at 106 pounds last year. But he was sixth in the Class 3 state tournament, finishing with a record of 50-10.
"It was an excellent freshman year, he was great," Gaines said. "Now he's ready to take that next step and get into the finals.
"Evan put on some weight and grew. He will be a true 106-pounder this year. A lot of the matches he lost last year was because the other guy was taller or physically bigger."
Winder was the lone Crusader wrestler to advance to the state tournament last year.
Gaines figures Helias will send more than one wrestler to state. He's looking for at least four Crusaders to make it to Columbia in February.
"We have a stronger team when it comes to individuals," Gaines said.
Helias has just a handful of upperclassmen on its roster.
"We have a lot of sophomores and freshmen," Gaines said. "The future looks pretty bright, it's a matter of getting those kids up to speed on what it takes to be a varsity wrestler."
Aleksey Salaz, a freshman, will start the season at 106. Winder will begin at 113 before dropping to 106 in the next few weeks.
Jackson Schrimpf, a sophomore, will start at 120. Randy Salaz, who started at 113 last year as a freshman, will begin at 126 before dropping to 120.
"He's stronger and faster, he is going to have a good season," Gaines said.
Zach Carr, a junior, will start at 132.
"He's our workhorse," Gaines said.
Dustin Luebbert, who saw varsity time last year as a freshman, will start at 138.
Nick Gaines, a senior, will get the nod at 145.
"We thought Nick could have finished in the top five at state last year, we're hoping he can get that or better this year," Bryant Gaines said.
Nick Schnieders, a sophomore, will start at 152, while freshman Garrett Schnieders will begin the year at 160.
Helias will be open at 170 and 182, with junior Zane Pezley starting at 195.
"He's inexperienced, but he's a strong and athletic kid," Gaines said.
The Crusaders will be open at 220 and 285.
Will Farmer, a senior, will miss the start of the season with an injury. He will step into the lineup at 160 when he returns.
"Practice is going great, the guys are working hard," Gaines said. "We have some guys who are still a little out of shape, so we're working with them on that."
One schedule change for the Crusaders is they opted out of returning to the Capital City Tournament to go to the Platte County Invitational the same weekend.
"I set the schedule around the district we were in, we had to drop it to add Platte County to see more of our district opponents," Gaines said. "But then we changed districts. It's a shame to get out of the Capital City, that is a great tournament."
The road to Columbia starts tonight.
"We're looking at two close duals," Gaines said. "It's going to be tough to give up the points with our opens, we're just going to have to find a way to make up for those with the guys we have out there."