Chickasaws gain valuable experience during ‘gauntlet’

Max Babcock wasn’t a bad wrestler at all last year, after all, he did make the state tournament.
But the New Hampton/Turkey Valley senior is a different wrestler this year, and during a tough three-day stretch for the Chickasaws, it was Babcock who provided one of the best silver linings as he picked up his 100th career win in a meet against Waverly-Shell Rock on Thursday, added another victory in the Crestwood meet the same night and then went 5-1 at The Clash, one of the nation’s best dual-meet tournaments.
“It is a big milestone,” Babcock said about his 100th win, which came on a first-period pin of the Go-Hawks’ Cayden Langreck, “but it’s definitely not my biggest goal. … definitely one of those goals is making the podium at state.”
The way Babcock’s wrestling this season, that goal is a realistic one.
After starting the year at 152, he dropped down to 145 in mid-December and has compiled a 27-5 record, but anyone who watched Babcock a year ago knows he’s a changed man.
Complete Chickasaw results of all eight meets may be found in the Jan. 8 Tribune.