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Going for a perfect fourth

Brandyn Kuhn of Hernando will try to cap his senior season in the same place as usual.

By DEREK L A RIVIERE
Published November 24, 2006

BROOKSVILLE - Life as a wrestler at Hernando has been very good to Brandyn Kuhn over the past three years.

In that stretch, Kuhn has qualified for the state meet all three times, placing in both his freshman (fourth in 112) and junior (sixth in 145) years. He was able to learn from some of the best grapplers ever to come through the program, and the county, in Addison Chipoletti, Michael Combs and David Pritz.

He had wrestled under the same constant environment with coach Matt Smith leading the way, but now things have changed. Smith stepped down as coach last spring, opening the door for Hernando to hire former Key West assistant Brian Flanagan to head the program.

Combs and Pritz graduated, and now, as the only senior state qualifier on the team, Kuhn gives guidance to other wrestlers on and off the mat. It is a responsibility that he is still coming to grips with.

"Coming up through here and working with Dave (Pritz) and Mike (Combs), I never really thought about myself in terms of being a leader," said Kuhn, 17. "I am not sure what I need to do help these other kids other than do the best I can on the mat."

Flanagan expects Kuhn will grow into the role. Without adding the pressure of being a leader to what already will be a challenging season individually for his top returner, the new coach feels his star will respond well to teammates looking up to him.

"Leadership in wrestling comes from hard work in practice as well as competition," Flanagan said. "I am not going to thrust that responsibility onto Brandyn, but I really hope that it will be easier for him as the season goes on."

This final prep season is big for Kuhn as he tackles a host of goals. First of all, he is only 40 wins from the Hernando record for career victories, held by his friend and former teammate Pritz.

Second, this could be the season he captures that elusive state title that neither Pritz nor Combs were able to get as a Leopard.

With one common thread around to bridge the gap between the old regime and the new, the transition should not be as difficult.

Assistant coach Bill Combs is still around running drills in practice, as he did under Smith. His presence provides a level of comfort for Kuhn and the other returning wrestlers. Combs and Flanagan both recognize the importance of such a comfort early on.

"It's always going to be easier to have a familiar face around," Combs said. "Brandyn's contributions are going to be especially important because the other kids expect him to be a leader."

Despite his outward reluctance to embrace the role of leader right now, Kuhn gives glimpses of it when he speaks about the team's chances this season and what being apart of Hernando's storied program means to him now and has meant to him in the past.

"We have a lot of new guys who have never wrestled before," Kuhn said. "Before this season is over, we need to show that some of these guys will be ready to take over when we the seniors leave."

Despite all of the losses over the offseason, the idea that Hernando's ship is taking on water is premature. The Leopards are still sound district and region contenders.

If Kuhn can save his best season on the mat for his last, Hernando could have something it has not boasted since Chipoletti graduated a couple years ago - a state champion.

[Last modified November 23, 2006, 22:45:16]