KILLINGLY Rich Bowen has been at this for a long time.

This season marks the 35th for the veteran Killingly wrestling coach.

He smiles when he says that it has got a little easier as the years progress and the athletes are suddenly the sons and daughters of previous athletes that he has coached and the support system is not completely reliant upon him.

But, its still not a piece of cake.

Kids are kids.

Its challenging, Bowen said. Each year is a whole different personality. I didnt know what I was getting when we didnt start out well last year.

That team produced a Class M state championship.

This year?

Who knows.

This team has pretty good personalities, good kids for the most part, and its just molding them into what are we going to be this year, he added.

Its a work in progress.

Killingly (1-0, 1-0 Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II) easily picked up its first dual win of the season on Friday, 63-9, over Bacon Academy but there are still plenty of questions for the defending state champs.

The wrestling room was pretty barren until after the football season ended which for Killingly was not until Dec. 14.

I only had two or three days of practice and that was the same for everyone who was on the football team. We probably had only six or seven guys in the wrestling room before the football team came down, said senior captain Jon Creswell.

And just as the football team was coming in, two wrestlers were on their way out.

One wrestler decided not to remain with the team and another suffered what is likely a season-ending injury.

It means Creswell has been busy in the hallways of Killingly High.

Im trying to recruit some of the football players and we have some new faces out here. Theyre going to come and win some matches for us and its going to be huge for the end-of-year tournaments, Creswell said.

He has managed to convince junior linebacker Evan DeRonsie to try the sport as well as sophomore Alex White and freshman Terrance Allen who could blossom as a heavyweight.

Still, Killingly has only about 20 wrestlers out and on Friday, had to forfeit bouts at 106 and 195 pounds.

But Killingly does have some experience back beginning with David Charron.

The senior is the last of the Charron brothers in a Killingly singlet as his brothers Danny and Mike, who, like him, were Class M state champs last year, have both graduated.

Its definitely different, definitely a little tougher without Danny and Mike here but I just have to worry about improving myself and improving the team, Charron said.

Charron had his work cut out for him Friday.

He had to battle Bacon Academys Braeden OBrien at 132 pounds. OBrien, a two-time state champ and only a junior, was last years 120-pound Class M champ, while Charron took the 126-pound title.

I knew it was going to be a close match, OBrien said. He rode tough on top. We both worked hard and did our best.

It was Charron who pulled out the narrowest of wins, getting to neutral with 1:16 left in the match, for a 1-0 victory.

I lost to him as a sophomore. I havent faced him since. I got a little revenge but he is a really good wrestler, Charron said.

The fastest pin came from Connor LeDuc. The Killingly senior won his heavyweight match in 15 seconds.

Asim Samuel (113), Jack Richardson (120), Cooper Morissette (126), Isaac Bean (138), Ben Richardson (145) and Creswell (182) also recorded pins for Killingly.

We will certainly be good in the lower (weights). Its how our heavies progress and if they get a little better as they go. That will be the tell-tale of how good this team will be, Bowen said.

The one-sided loss didnt faze Bobcats coach Rob Czaplicki who only has 15 wrestlers out for the team.

I think we can do well. If we dont get hit with injuries, like we seemingly do every year, I think I can get six guys into the (State) Open, Czaplicki said. We gave up four weight classes today so were starting 18-to-24 points down. The duals are going to be tough, but we took sixth place last week (at the Wethersfield Invitational) with just seven guys in my lineup. Every single kid took a top four except for one. The potential is there.

Both teams have another change this season.

Killingly and Bacon Academy(0-1, 0-1) have dropped down from Class M to Class S.

Im not so sure if it will be easier, Bowen said. Ledyard is down there, Windham and Montville. Its going to be an ECC battle royal again. I dont think its ever easy. You never know with injuries how things will come out. Were not a big team. Everything has to go right.

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Wrestling: Defending Class M champion Killingly is a work in progress - Norwich Bulletin