The Big Walnut High School wrestling team is starting to get healthy and with the start of the postseason three weeks away, the timing couldn't be much better.
 
"I think we'll get just about everyone back (by the Division II sectional tournament Feb. 20), which is good because Division II is probably tougher than it's been in five or six years," coach Luke Moore said.
 
The latest wrestler to return after missing significant time because of injury is senior Matt Brown, a state qualifier last year at 215 pounds who was sidelined for the first half of this season with a hand injury.
 
Brown made his season debut in a 37-36 win over Hilliard Bradley on Jan. 21 in an OCC-Capital Division match. He earned a pin last Thursday during the Golden Eagles' 39-37 league victory over Delaware to push his record to 6-0 with four pins.
 
"He's just a tough kid and a tough competitor," Moore said. "We talk to the kids about going out and competing hard and he does that every time. He obviously has some things he has to work on, but he's still winning matches."
 
Others who recently have returned from injury include Nate Linnabary (112), Aaron Gase (130), Gene Hogg (215) and Zack White (119), who was a district qualifier last season. Hogg is Brown's backup.
 
Braden Hale (135), a district qualifier last season, likely will miss the remainder of the season because of a knee injury suffered in the Cambridge Invitational on Dec. 5. Jakob O'Brien (160) also may miss the rest of the season because of an elbow injury.
 
"Jakob was really flourishing," Moore said. "He was 10-4 when he got hurt. I'm not sure if he'll be back. I'd say it's 50-50 if he can get back before the postseason."
Big Walnut concludes its OCC-Capital dual schedule on Thursday at Mount Vernon before competing in a tournament at Watkins Memorial on Saturday. The Golden Eagles were 3-2 in the league before the match against Delaware.