Monday begins the 10th season of Panorama Panthers wrestling under head coach Jason Kirtley. The Panthers are coming off a successful season in which five wrestlers represented Panorama at the Iowa State Wrestling Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. Gunnar Grunsted, Dalton Holmes, and Dan Jensen made to the Well as juniors and are expected to be in the wrestling room when practice begins next week.

The Raccoon Valley Radio Network caught up with Kirtley this week on the Karl Chevrolet of Stuart Guthrie County PM Sports Page. He says the thing he’s the proudest of in his decade as a coach is getting the student-athletes to by into the program. “We were pretty awful for a long time. Not filling out teams, its hard to win when you’re leaving points out there, giving them six points and not contesting a weight.” Kirtley said, “Having kids buy into the program, realizing that it is hard to work to be a wrestler; getting them through the part where it could be just as easy to have the winter off and instead of getting them to go out and stay out (has been rewarding).”

Another season of Panorama wrestling starts Monday with the first official practice of the season. The Panthers first competition is November 28 when they’ll face Coon Rapids-Bayard, Southeast Valley, and Manson Northwest Webster in dual action.