By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The Great Bend High School wrestling team moved into its new facility last December. New mats were installed last Wednesday evening in The Lair, located in the east outbuilding of the former CUNA Mutual Complex just off the 281 Bypass. New Panther Wrestling Coach Gannon Reichert hails from Oberlin and is already enjoying the facility.
"As a new head coach coming from a 1A school to that kind of facility, it's almost mind-boggling, honestly," he said.
The mats were already in the building but were officially installed Wednesday evening. Former Panther Coach Nathan Broeckelman, now at Barton Community College, had some Cougar wrestlers there to help out, and Rex Kern with Kern Flooring also helped cut the mats to size. Reichert is ready to put the mats to use soon for the upcoming prep wrestling season.
"We have a lot of talent on the team," Reichert said. "Coach Broeckelman had done a lot of hard work, put a lot of things in place that are looking promising. I'm ready to hop in the car and try not to bump anything."
Panther wrestlers can officially begin practice on Nov. 13, but Reichert said there may be some open mat days prior to that.