Garrett Bell is hoping to lead the Vikings to a Three Rivers Conference championship in 2013-14. (File photo by Nick Goralczyk)

AKRON – The time is now for Tippecanoe Valley wrestling.

A total of 23 young men have put in countless hours since last February preparing for the start of the 2013-14 season. Expectations are high but the Vikings are up to the challenges that the new season is sure to bring.

While other local programs have struggled to put players on the mat, head coach Scott Smith has seen an improvement in his number this season after losing just one senior from last year’s team.

“Our numbers are good, we’re actually picking up kids still,” stared  Smith. “We only had 16 last year so this has been a great improvement for us in terms of roster size. We are not sure who is going to really standout at this point and we won’t know until we see them in other competition outside of practice.”

Though Smith will not see his guys go against other schools until Saturday’s duals at Culver Academies, the confidence and anticipation that radiates from the players at practice show that the Vikings are more than ready to put their skills to the test.

In fact, the team has already set its sites high for the upcoming season.

“I told the kids that if all the stars line up with the planets and if every goes as it should, then we should send nine guys through to the regional. After that I really think we have the ability to send five of those guys on to semi-state,” Smith stated.

Three wrestlers that are hoping to be in that semi-state meet, and perhaps even further, are the three Vikings seniors, Keaton Bell, Jaron Kidd and Arron Heller.

“We have put in a lot of work for this season,” began Bell, a 2013 regional qualifier. “We have had guys in here all season getting ready for our first meet. Whether it has been for open mat or just for lifting, we have consistently had guys showing up and putting in the time.”

Bell noted that his individual goal is to make it to the state finals. That goal fell right in line with what Heller and Kidd are also aiming for on the individual level. As for the team? The seniors know their team has the numbers and talent to bring home the Three Rivers Conference crown.

“We expect to win conference,” began Heller. “It will be tough, Rochester and North Miami will probably be our two biggest competitors for the TRC but we are capable of beating both.”

The final piece to the TRC puzzle comes from the intangibles that the Vikings seem to have.

Kidd offered his thoughts on what he thinks sets Valley aside from other programs, “We just have an awesome bond. Everyone gets along with each other and a lot of the time before or after practice we just sit around talking and hanging out. Its a great bond, its like a brotherhood.”

Hearing that from a senior leader can only be encouraging to a coach and is a great first step in getting the stars to align over a special season.

The Vikings will start the season in the Early Bird Super Dual at Culver Academies at 8 a.m. Saturday morning.

Jaron Kidd, shown in the 2013 Plymouth sectional meet, is hoping to get the VIkings and himself to higher heights this season. (File photo by Nick Goralczyk)