MARYSVILLE With a sign celebrating Craig Iversens back-to-back state championships hanging above the padded walls of the upstairs gym, the 2006-07 wrestling squad practiced like determined soldiers.
Now in his seventh year, coach Iversen instructed the 60 or so grapplers to run in circles, do push-ups and clap on the count of three.
This is the first season that the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association will formally recognize girls wresting.
M-P currently has one Lady Tomahawk wrestler and Iversen said two more have expressed interest in joining the team.
Hey were jogging here. Lets go, he yelled to the teens running around the padded and sweaty floors with MARYSVILLE PILCHUCK across the walls.
Iversen said last years squad saw about 70 kids turn out and even though they are a few kids shorter this year they still have the same corps of returnees.
We have 20 freshman this year that get bused up from the junior high, but that is the last year of that happening, he said.
Iversen will be joined by Sam Davis, a new assistant with close to 20 years of coaching experience in eastern Washington. Davis said he has been around the sport for most of his life and is excited to be on staff at M-PHS as a biology teacher.
John Hodgins and Tony DelPozo will accompany Iversen and Davis on the side of the mats.
Seniors Jesse Masten (145 or 152-lb.), Richard Templeman (125-lb.), Josh Lee (135 or 140-lb.) and Jeremy Dormaier (140-lb.) look to lead the team with experience.
I am pretty excited about this year, Iversen said. We have some young kids that are really putting a lot of energy into it and that should prove beneficial. We are fortunate in that the Wesco is one of the top leagues in the state. Snohomish and Lake Stevens will probably be ranked in the top-6 in the state.
Lake Stevens has not lost a league meet in a dozen years.
Were together, he told his team between drills. Push. Push. Push.