Tucked away in the southeast corner of the Loyola Center, the Rockhurst wrestling team is back on the mat. The wrestling Hawklets returned to practice Nov. 11 with high spirits and higher expectations.
Leading the charge is senior Anthony Totta, one of two Hawklets to qualify for last year’s state competition.
“I think our program’s looking good,” Totta said. “We’ve all been practicing over the summer. So even in the first practice we had [Nov. 11], I feel like we look a hundred times better.”
A hundred times better is no small improvement. Last year, the team experienced arguably its most successful campaign since the 2022 return of program stalwart Rich Wikiera. Wikiera, a former science teacher and longtime wrestling coach, is in his third stint with Rockhurst.
“This is my third time coming back. People were calling me Brent Favre,” Wikiera joked about his latest reunion with Rockhurst.
His most recent return has been instrumental in building the program up again. Wikiera’s presence has been a boon for all wrestlers.
“He knows so much stuff. He’s been in this sport for decades,” Totta said of his coach. “Just little things he can point out and help us out with.”
Junior Xavier Clemons also had high praise.
“He’s taught me everything,” Clemons said. “He’s motivated me, and I’m just glad that I’ve had him as a coach.”
Wikiera, for his part, is focusing on growth and habit formation early in the season. Wikiera revealed that the team does barely any live wrestling to begin the year.
“If you’ve got bad habits, and I let you wrestle, that’s only going to reinforce those bad habits,” said Wikiera. “I want you to work on your skills, work on the execution. And once you get it, then we do the live [wrestling].”
Wikiera believes that this approach takes some of the pressure off of performing well right away.
“I just want them to think about their process, their technique, and the wins and losses will take care of themselves,” he said.
The new season will not be without its challenges. Coach Wikiera’s outfit lost two top performers to graduation in Bobby Clemons and state qualifier Robert Purcell.
“It’s definitely sad not having [Purcell] and Bobby back,” Totta said of his former teammates.
However, Wikiera expressed optimism about returning to the state stage stronger than the year before. He highlighted Xavier Clemons as a Hawklet to watch this season.
“Xavier Clemons, what a great find,” said Wikiera of the junior. “He is working hard … I expect him to go through [to state].”
Clemons reached the district meet last year and came within points of being Rockhurst’s third state qualifier.
“That’s really motivated me through this season so far and through the offseason,” he said.
Despite a quick turnaround from playing football to wrestling, Clemons made his goal clear:
“My goal … is to try and place at state and try to bring my teammates with me.”
Wikiera named senior Kade Tholen and junior Cooper Clemons as other members of the team on state-watch. Those two, in addition to Totta and Xavier Clemons, could be the quartet to fulfill Totta’s team goal of sending four wrestlers to state in February.
As the team’s top returner, Totta embraces the role of a leader. He hosted team members for a Chiefs watch party the day before official practices began. Wikiera compared his athletes’ relationships with each other to a fraternity.
“I’m doing my best to take [Purcell’s] spot as a leader … just doing stuff together as a team, trying to get us tighter as a community,” Totta said.
Wikiera emphasizes the importance of team culture often. He takes the first part of each practice to talk to the team about mental aspects of the sport. Wikiera, who has a masters in psychology, covered topics like positive self-talk and the self-fulfilling prophecy.
The community Wikiera has built over the years has begun to draw increased attention. Wikiera, with the help of assistant coach Adrian Rinas ‘98, founded the “Stateline Storm,” youth program. Rinas, a former collegiate wrestler at the University of Oklahoma, also works closely with the freshmen members of the team.
The Class of 2028 yielded a promising crop of freshmen wrestlers. The 10 newest members of the team received praise from teammates and coaches alike.
“I think we got a good group,” Totta said. “I think they’re willing to work hard and do what’s needed to develop as wrestlers.”
“We’ve only had two practices. They’re already picking things up,” Wikiera added.
As for Totta himself, he has his goal pinned: state glory.
“I believe I’m going to win state. I’ve worked hard all summer long. I believe I’ve worked harder than all my opponents. So I feel like we’ve got a big year coming.”
