For The Vidette
It was a challenging week for the Montesano Junior High wrestling team. In meets Tuesday and Thursday, Monte’s seventh and eighth grade wrestlers met opponents from eleven different schools: Oakland Bay, Marshall, Adna, Jefferson, Washington, Reeves, Tenino, Toledo, Elma, Bush and Raymond..
When the dust settled, however, the “Bullpups” could still hold their heads high after scoring 45 wins and pushing their early season record to 98 wins and 42 losses.
Coach Darrel White indicated that the team has also continued to pin their opponents at an extraordinary rate.
“We won a few tough decisions this week, including two nice overtime victories, but 89% of the time, when our kids win, they are doing it by pinning their opponents,” White said. Almost 90 of the Bullpups 98 wins have come by fall.
When the week began, seven members of Monte’s team were undefeated but after the meets in Shelton and Elma only two, eighth-grader Enrique Mendoza and seventh-grader Thomas Flink, were able to keep their unblemished records intact.
White explained that as the season unfolds it is incumbent upon coaches to advance their wrestlers to a higher level of ability.
“Our kids have been doing an extraordinary job so we have elevated several of them to a higher rating,” he said. “It shows in our win-loss record but, overall, it just serves to motivate them.”
In the junior high system, coaches are required to rate their wrestlers for competition. A rating of 4 is for a novice or wrestler who is just learning but can compete with a 3. A 3 is an emerging wrestler who is learning and can compete with a 2. A 2 is not as good as a 1 but can compete with a 1, and a 1 is a skilled, experienced and knowledgeable wrestler.
WRESTLERS OF THE WEEK
Two Bullpup wrestlers who responded well to an advancement in their rating, eighth-grader Jaxson Wilson and seventh-grader Caleb Bruland, pushed their records to 7-1 and have been named Wrestlers of the Week for their efforts.
Wilson, a team co-captain along with Mendoza, has pinned 4 of his opponents so far this season and Bruland, a first year grappler, has pinned six. Both Wilson and Bruland have shown rapid improvement and their coaches expect to see more of the same from them in the weeks ahead.
On Tuesday (Nov. 26) the Monte wrestlers will participate in a meet in Hoquiam. They will travel to Toledo on Dec. 3 and toTumwater on Dec. 5.
