United South Central wrestling head coach Marcus Eytcheson was a pinner in his high school days, in fact, he still holds the school record for pins in a season at Madelia-Truman with 25, and he’d like to see the Rebels adopt a similar approach.

The school record for falls in a season at USC is 24 and the Rebels have a number of wrestlers within reach of breaking that record as they get set to wrestle in the Section 2A individual tournament Friday and Saturday at Blue Earth. But in order to break that record it will mean advancing to the state tournament, something Eytcheson and the team believe is well within reach.

“Twenty-five pins in a season, that should be something a lot of kids are shooting for,” Eytcheson said. “Is it common—no. A lot of kids don’t get there, but I think you’re going to see that a lot more in the next few years. You’re going to see a lot of kids from USC with big numbers in the fall column. That’s something I really preach, I really push that.”

Staloch, Herman, Dylla and Thisius were all counted on to pick up the falls this season and they came through more often than not. They took quickly to Eytcheson’s philosophy and it’s shown as the team set a new school record for team falls in a season, besting the previous mark of 143 by eight.

Last season the Rebels sent just Preston Staloch at 145 pounds and A.J. Dreyer at 215 pounds. Staloch went 1-2 and Dreyer placed sixth.

This year Eytcheson expects more than just Staloch and Dreyer to advance. Dylan Herman, an eighth-grader ranked 10th in Class A with a 28-4 record, has a strong chance to advance to the state tournament and a shot to break the school record for pins in a season. He stands at 20 falls now and has beaten every opponent in the section except one who recently dropped down to 103 pounds.

Herman pinned Blue Earth’s Travis Hagedorn, who was ranked seventh in Class A to start the season, in the first period.

“That really helped my confidence a lot,” Herman said. “It really showed that I thought I could beat anyone.”

Junior Dustin Dylla at 130 pounds has 18 falls and is another candidate to advance to the state tournament, along with Staloch who has 16 falls and a 29-5 record, senior Dylan Thisius, has 19 falls and is ranked ninth at 160 with a 30-5 record.

In all the Rebels have a chance of sending five wrestlers to the individual tournament.

Thisius finished third at the section individual tournament and is itching to make a splash at state his senior season.

“If I don’t make it I’m going to be really disappointed,” Thisius said. “I’ve been putting all these years in wrestling and just for this one time I want to go up there (state) and place and do really well.”

The season has been especially fun for the Rebels and the seniors, who are starting to see what their hard work reaps. USC came within a match of knocking off top-seeded Jackson County Central last weekend in the team tournament, but that disappointment has left the team hungrier for the individual tournament.

“Some years … I’m just ready to get over with it,” Staloch said. “Now you keep going up and you just want to keep going. You don’t want it to end.”

The confidence is evident in the wrestling room at USC. There’s an upbeat attitude and an energy to the wrestlers whose confidence drips from their bodies much like the beads of sweat during workouts.

“It’s been fun getting them all to believe in themselves,” Eytcheson said. “That’s probably the biggest challenge in wrestling. It’s a very physical sport but there’s just so much mental strain and punishment that goes with it. The kids have to believe in themselves and you gotta find a way to make them believe in themselves.”

If the group reaches the state tournament they won’t be done there, Staloch said.

“We’re at our peak. We just want to keep going,” Staloch said. “We’re hoping to get a medal at state. We all want to be on the podium at state and we know we can be.”