Halfway through the season, the Montesano Mad Dog youth wrestling program has won more than half of its matches by pinning their opponents.

The 23-member squad, made up mostly of Montesano Junior High School students, has 80 pins from 107 wins to just 39 losses..

“It is not unusual for inexperienced wrestlers to win or lose by pin,” coach Darrel White said, “but even by those standards this is an unusual group of kids. They are real pinners and have an aggressive style that consistently puts opponents on their backs.”

He said that makes the Monte kids fun to watch.

White also credits the generosity of some local businesses for inspiring his wrestlers to attempt the techniques he is teaching them.

“Bulldog Lanes, Monte Square and Tracy’s Print Shop are sponsoring some incentive coupons that we give the kids when they are successful in executing the ‘Move of the Meet,’ ” White said. ” It’s amazing what an order of fries or a candy bar can do.”

In their most recent meet with Tumwater and Tenino, they won 25 matches (24 by pin). Both Tumwater and Tenino have large squads that include several accomplished wrestlers, White said. As a result, two of Monte’s top wrestlers suffered their first losses of the season. Both Sean Ryker and Frankie Baltazar lost tough matches but, according to their coaches, it was the small mistakes they made that led to defeat for each of them.

“We tell the kids that they can learn a lot more from a loss than they can from a win. In wrestling everyone losses eventually, so it is really just a matter of time and when it does happen, reflection and corrective action lead to improvement,” White said.

Both Ryker and Baltazar bounced back following their losses to score a pin in their second match.

Despite the tough competition, Monte still has several undefeated wrestlers. Leading the pack are eighth-graders Cole Ekerson 8-0 (all pins), Ethan Blundred 8-0, Hailee Stoken 7-0 and Mateo Sanches 5-0.

Stoken’s first five wins were against girls, but in her most recent outing, she pinned boys from Tumwater and Tenino. She credits “rough-housing” with her two older brothers for her toughness and is proving her mettle each time she steps on the mat, White said.

Ekerson and Blundred, elected co captains by their teammates, continue to be impressive. Ekerson is technically superior in all positions, and Blundred’s strength in the top position has been unmatched by any opponent he has faced this season, White said.

Coaches also pointed to the improvement shown by several first-year wrestlers. In particular, seventh-grader Owen Larsen is displaying aggressiveness, strength and determination, and has won his past 5 matches in a row by pin.

Karson Lane and Jaxson Wilson are also displaying rapid improvement, White said.

The team travels to a match today, Nov. 29, in Centralia. The meet begins at 4:30 p.m. at Centralia Middle School. Wrestlers from Adna and Rochester also will compete.

Wrestlers

of the week

Standouts Mateo Sanchez (eighth-grade), who is undefeated for two seasons, has seen limited action because of an early season injury and because of his size and prowess as a wrestler. His coaches explained that in the junior high system, wrestlers are rated at levels 1 through 4 by their coaches, with a 1 being the most experienced and accomplished. Monte has five 1-rated wrestlers, including Sanchez. “Being a number one and being a big kid, it is hard to find Mateo matches. Many coaches are reluctant to put a number 3 or 4 kid out against him and in the past two weeks he has faced two highly rated wrestlers who outweighed him by around 20 pounds,” White said. In each case, Sanchez dominated, but he is looking forward to high school where he will find a larger number of opponents of comparable weight. In his most recent match Sanchez, at 172 pounds, gave Tenino’s 190 pound Andres Zamudio his first loss of the season, trouncing him by a score of 12-1.

First-year wrestler Enrique Mendoza (seventh-grade) pinned both of his opponents and is improving rapidly. Much of Mendoza’s improvement comes from partnering with Sanchez. “Enrique is a tall, rangy and tough kid, but working with Mateo has helped him learn to position himself more effectively,” White said. As a result Mendoza is improving rapidly and has compiled a 6-2 record.