After graduating a senior-laden team, no one could blame Tomahawk wrestling for struggling out of the gate.
But with a glance at M-Ps performance against Meadowdale and Mountlake Terrace Nov. 30, it appears thats the last thing theyll be doing.
Granted, Marysville had nine wins by opponent forfeits in those 28 matches. But in the Tommies 72-6 rout of Mountlake Terrace, neither of the teams co-captains varsity veterans heavyweight Michael Pfeiff and 160-pounder Mitch Johnson faced an opponent.
Among the new faces, the Tomahawks have three freshmen starting their high school careers against varsity challengers, and M-P coach Craig Iverson said hes pleased with their progress.
The three Demitri Robinson wrestling in the 103 weight class, Brandon Blevins in 119 and Matt McChesney in 140 didnt have challengers against Mountlake Terrace, but Blevins beat his Meadowdale opponent with a pin around the four-minute mark.
Thats a big jump when theyre going from junior high wrestling to varsity 4A, but we were really happy with their appearance, Iverson said after the match.
Coaching at the high school level offers its challenges, Iverson added. The sport of wrestling has suffered some notoriety in the past for pressuring its athletes to dramatically drop weight. Combined with high school athletes propensity to gain height and weight, it can be tough for any team to place all their best athletes on the roster.
But the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association has put new restrictions in place intended to protect wrestlers from harmful dieting.
The state doesnt let anyone go below 7 percent body fat. It takes out some of the negatives the sport used to hold. Every wrestler had to do a body fat test, and that determined what weight they could go, he said.
But despite the challenge of assembling his best team, Iverson describes the sports egalitarian nature with appreciation.
I think its a wonderful sport to watch, he said. Its a different energy. Its a unique sport that wrestlers are matched up by weight, so for guys who might not be big enough for football, they can wrestle someone their size.