Coach Taylor, Good luck on what should be another exciting year for your Raiders. Keep up the great work. Coach Foust

Thank you very much for the support, there are no better fans in the sport of wrestling!! RAIDER NATION

What are the expectations at the Ironman this year?  Top Ten?  Individual place winners?

We have always set the bar very high, our goal is always to finish amongst the best in the nation. I feel that this years group may surprise us with a few place winners. Gene Ringer will lead the way as the only returning medalist, but captains Levi Stoyer and Mason McCollum will be right on his heels along with 2-3 other hopefuls.
 

Do you still go to the Canfield Scrimmage? How did the Raiders do in the preseason?

Due to scheduling problems unknown to us, we did not make it to the Canfield scrimmage this year, however the team did travel to Chartiers Valley and showed South West PA what D-10 has to offer.


What's the lineup to start the season?

106 Gage Bayless 113 Seth Hogue 120 Chaise Hauck 126 Michael Bartolo 132 Joel Leise 138 Alex Digregorio 145 Levi Stoyer 152 Mason McCollum 160 Kegan Miller 170 Mike Millero 182 Trevor Griswold 195 Denton Zeronas 220 Robert Foulkrod 285 Gene Ringer


I hear the practice room has had a major upgrade.

Yes, with the help of a very supportive school administration, we have added wall pads and new wrestling mats to our wrestling room. The team is very much appreciative, and safer.


Nice to see Adam Matthews on the staff this year. Good luck to him and the rest of the Raiders.

It has been wonderful having Coach Matthews in the gym with us this year. He is a great technician, and offers a lot to the team. We are really excited.


A lot of seniors this year, who are the team leaders?

Well, Mason McCollum and Levi Stoyer have been nominated by the team as captains and have been doing a great job leading, but I like to think that all 11 of our seniors are contributing to the leadership role this season.


I see Don Shaffer keeps coming up with new ideas to highlight the Raiders, does he have a day job too?

I know that the Chip N Dales called him a few months ago, but he pulled a hamstring in tryouts and has devoted his time to making the best news magazine and facebook page in all of high school sports in my opinion. He is a true historian of the sport and we are proud and honored that he is ours. Thanks Don for everything and to the Mrs. for allowing you to do it.


How do the local teams match up with the Raiders?

I expect some competition from local teams, most likely from Mercer and Greenville.


How's the elementary program doing? Good to see Kevin Drew helping out with the little guys.

The coaching staff is top notch at the elementary level with years of experience. Coach Drew is certainly a welcome addition and we look to have him float between the 3 programs to have as much impact as possible. Coach D'Urso is still heading the novice and hopefully will be for another 25 years. and Coach Foore is looking to continue the success at the elementary level.


Good to see we are wrestling Greenville again.  Will the match be webcast like the Reynolds and Greenville Football game was?

Yes, we couldn't be happier that we are wrestling our backyard rival again. It will be at Thiel, however I am not sure about the webcast. I hope they do as I believe the seats will get sold out.
 

Reynolds seems to have a lot of volunteers in all aspects of the program. Hats of to them.

Agreed, the wrestling program would not be what it is without all the volunteers that dedicate their time to giving back to the kids. Not just on the mats, but the volunteers that raise money for travel and other expenses as well. We are very fortunate.


How is McDowell looking this year... will they be a challenge to our home winning streak?

They are very strong and are a an absolute threat to the win streak. We are very proud of the boys protecting the home gym, and McDowell has a lot of experience returning.


Hearing a lot of good things about this freshman class, can they live up to the expectations?

Only time will tell, but if their hard work is any indication of the success that this class will have over their careers, then they will do just fine. We have 8 freshmen that will contribute to this team in the future. With more talent to come!!!


Who will be at the Ultimate Duals this year?

Brookville, Boiling Springs, Burrell, Saegertown, and Chestnut Ridge. All of them will be ranked in the top ten in the state in my opinion. We will need to strap our headgears on a little tighter for that day. Our boys feel confident there, so we shall see. It will be a day of great dual meet action.


Why are we not going to the King of the Mountain Tournament this year?

Due to Ironman being moved back a week to try to include heavy weights that are still in football, it pushed the two tournaments into the same weekend. We chose Ironman mainly for the national competition, however we really enjoyed participating at KOM. Hopefully in the future we will be able to do both again.


Who are the top teams in District 10 and in the State? Where do you think the Raiders rank?

In D10 I think the teams to beat will be FLB, Saegertown, and Greenville. As for the state, Beth Catholic is still the team to beat with probably Brookville and Boiling Springs being the others.


Why is the Greenville Match at Thiel? Wouldn't the seating be limited?

Speaking for RHS gym, we are about 100 less than Thiel (from what I have been told) The event at Thiel is also in conjuction with a TAKEDOWN CANCER NIGHT.


What's the outlook for the Jr. High squad?

The junior high team will be strong, not as many numbers as last year, but with state champion Cole Matthews and 2x state champion Beau Bayless I think we will be in good shape.


 Will there be any competitive wrestle-offs with this year's squad?

We had eliminations earlier this week with quite a few close ones. It kind of felt like the old days with nerves, and hard wrestling in our own gym for the starting spots


What's next years freshman class looking like?

We will be looking for big things from next years class as well. Cole Matthews, Noah Fuchs, Ryan Harnett, amongst many others will be there to strengthen the team.


How does this year's squad differ from last years?

Well, anytime you lose a Austin Matthews it is tough. But add in the loss of Jamar Henry, Logan Rickert, Neal Engstrom, Matt Leise, and Cam Cianci that makes it real hard to duplicate last years success. However the talent in the freshmen class combined with the development of the upper classmen is giving the coaching staff a positive outlook for the season.


Heard that your family is enlarging? Congratulations!

Rachel, Griffin, and I could not be more excited than we are to be expecting TWINS into our family.  We feel very blessed!!! Momma is doing very well and all the congratulations and prayers are very much appreciated. May will be a busy month in the Taylor residence. Haha!!


Does Brian ever come home or is he always on vacation now that's he's retired from coaching?

Whenever the Dominican Republic kicks him and my mom out they make their way back to good ol' Transfer. In all seriousness, Brian and my Mom are very helpful when it comes to babysitting and have deserved any trip they go on. They are RAIDER NATION'S biggest fans.


Starting your 3rd year as head coach, great job so far, keep up the Good Work!

Thank you very much, it is appreciated. I absolutely couldn't do it without support from homebase in Rachel, a Strong coaching staff in Joe Reichard, Michael Hills, Mark Bartolo, Marty Taylor, and Adam Matthews. And a school district that is very, very supportive and committed to the development of our student-athletes.


Will Moffett and Nottingham be seeing time this year?

yes, WITHOUT A DOUBT!!!!


For the match at Thiel... Will tickets be sold beforehand or just at the door?

Don't hold me to it, but I am hearing that it will be pre-sale only. It will be announced in the paper in the near future how they are handling it. Each school will be given half the tickets. We are working with Thiel to add more bleachers to accommodate more wild fans!!!


Hi Coach Taylor. Are there ANY significant rule(s) that have changed for this years PIAA wrestling season? Good luck this season from a big fan out of District 7 (AAA).