Patch's Robert Call wrestles Wiesbaden's Matthew Hall in the 132-pound title match at last season's DODDS-Europe wrestling championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
A season-long struggle on the DODDS-Europe wrestling mats begins Saturday at Stuttgart. This weekend’s four-team meet, hosted by defending European champion Patch, is the first time this year the Panthers will face off against the Ramstein Royals.
Patch and Ramstein have dominated the DODDS-Europe wrestling scene over the last decade. The Royals won team gold every season from 2004 through 2008 before finally yielding to rising Patch. The Panthers took over with a years-long streak of their own lasting from 2009 to 2012.
Over the last two years, however, those alternating dynasties have morphed into a season-by-season battle for supremacy.
The Royals broke through in 2013 behind a deep roster of points-winning wrestlers. The Panthers used the same formula last February in taking back their crown.
Patch holds the apparent edge this year based on returning talent and overall experience, but those aren’t the only factors that determine wrestling success. Well-worn ideas of seniority and hierarchy don’t neatly translate into the visceral language of the sport, and a sufficiently talented new contender can supplant an established champ if he or she is the better competitor.
That’s what Ramstein is banking on this winter. The Royals return just seven wrestlers from last year, including just three who placed at the European tournament last season, in contrast to Patch’s corps of 22 returnees.
But last weekend’s season-opening meet gave Ramstein cause for optimism. The Royals thumped a five-team field that included Division I rival Kaiserslautern and a strong entry from Baumholder. Six Royals, ranging from 106-pounder Josh Garcia to heavyweight Erik Gerena, won their weight-class pools.
Whether it needed it or not, Patch got similar validation in its opening meet, a runaway win over Division I rivals Wiesbaden and Vilseck along with Hohenfels and Ansbach. The Panthers too won six classes, including a win at 138 pounds for reigning 132-pound European champion Robert Call.
While the Royals and Panthers renew acquaintances this weekend from the first time since last February, they’ll have plenty more opportunities to get familiar. The teams are slotted into the same meet three more times after the holiday break, including Jan. 10 and 31 at Ramstein and Jan. 17 at Patch, before meeting at the European championships Feb. 13-14 at Wiesbaden.
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