Thursday and Friday the Mustangs held wrestle offs to determine the varsity lineup for the dual meet scheduled at Yokota on Dec 4.
The coaches put out a notional starters list earlier in the week and allowed the boys not on the list to challenge for a varsity spot at their weight class. They wrestled in a simulated match environment, with the winner taking the varsity position. In weight classes where there were multiple challengers, the challengers wrestled each other first, with the winner then taking on the notional starter. The challengers also needed to be within a couple pounds of the target weight class. Challengers Leon and Shaun wrestled each other at 115 to advance to the next round. Leon's experience overwhelmed Shaun's weeks-old wrestling knowledge for a somewhat predictable first period pin. Leon later wrestled Katsumi, last year's 4th place Far East finisher and notional starter, for the varsity position. The match showed quickly that Leon's got a bright future as the freshman took a brief 2-1 lead on Katumi, but the returning sophomore showed the importance of varsity experience and conditioning as he methodically took back the lead and stretched it to an eventual 9-2 win. 135 was another weight with multiple challengers, so Kai H and Kaz wrestled to move on against the notional starter. Kai's experience was evident with his first period pin of his new-wrestler opponent. His next opponent was Michiru, the returning 4th place Far East placeholder at 129. First impression when the two Mustangs shook hands before the action started: Mich is giving up pounds (i.e. weighs less than the max allowed) and Kai looks strong. The match lasted the whole six minutes, with neither wrestler demonstrating a clear advantage over the other. Mich pressed the action several times, only for Kai to defend successfully. In the end, Kai came out with a close 2-0 win and the varsity spot at 135. First year wrestler Alex challenged second year wrestler Ricky at 141. It was plain to see that Ricky had not only added to his already impressive strength but also had improved on his technique, as he dispatched the challenge from Alex with a first round pin. Matthew is a new wrestler with a lot of promise and was the notional starter at 168, but his challenger, Shawn, had one more year of experience. Despite looking a little undersized compared to Matthew, Shawn turned a fireman's carry takedown into a West Point that generated a few exposures and a first round pin for the varsity position. In the most exciting of the wrestle off matches, Karson was the notional starter at 148 and Connor was the challenger. Connor strung together a series of takedowns and aggressive wrestling for a near-tech-fall 9-0 lead (10-0 is a technical pin/fall) at the end of the first period. In the second period, Karson got a takedown to start the period and begin his come-from-behind effort, but Connor resisted going to his back. They returned to wrestling on their feet, and in a scene that left you thinking "How did THAT happen?!?" Karson put Connor on his back quick-as-a-flash for the second period pin. Barring injury, sickness, getting too fat over Thanksgiving, etc. the varsity lineup at the Dec 4 dual meet against Yokota will be as follows: 101: Gregor 108: Bryce 115: Katsumi 122: Ira 129: Take 135: Kai H 141: Ricky 148: Karson 158: Rin 168: Shawn 180: Liam 215: Dani HWT: Nathanial
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The team held a special practice on Saturday, December 16 at the ASIJ wrestling room. Parents were invited to attend and get a feel for what their wrestler does on an average day after school (i.e. see sweaty teenagers bend each other into unnatural positions in a sauna-like environment). After practice the wrestlers and family members heard from the coaches, Adam Carlson and Rei Suzuki, about the upcoming season, their coaching philosophy, things to encourage and to look out for, and so forth. The affair ended with a dinner of excellently-grilled burgers and high-end hot dogs along with delicious dishes provided potluck by the parents.
Some observations: - There were at least 27 wrestlers and over 30 family members (lost count after that, so we'll say "well over 60") in attendance for some or all of the festivities. That's a really good showing, and hopefully it's a harbinger of things to come. I'm thinking the gym will be rocking for our one home dual meet of the season on January 15. - The influx of freshman wrestlers is incredible. Some even appeared to have potential for near-term varsity success (which we'll need, especially at the lower weights). In addition to that nice feeder crop from the middle school program, there are many boys, ranging from freshman to junior classes, who are new to wrestling altogether. Sprinkle a few move-ins on top, and there's a lot of new talent in the wrestling room this year. As demonstrated in a previous post, fresh wrestlers, both experienced and new, are the lifeblood of the future and contribute tremendously to the present as well. - Rin and Ira looked like leaders - they exude confidence and have the "it" factor about them. They led the warm-ups, taught and demonstrated techniques, gave tips and corrections to underclassmen, and put their money where their mouth was during "live" sessions. This experience as team captains will prove valuable to them as leaders well beyond their time in wrestling and long after high school. - It looks like there will be some immediate opportunities to take varsity positions at several weight classes. I'm thinking Nathan, Dani, and Liam have the top weights locked down (think Princess Leia's urgent message: Help me Nathan-Dani-Liam, you're my only hope!). 168, 158, and 148 will likely see Rin take one of the weights, but opportunities for someone to step up to the varsity plate at the other two. The 129-141 range has a plethora of good options, but not necessarily spread out ideally weight-wise. I'm projecting Ira at 122 and Katsumi at 115, with a couple good looking freshmen at the lowest weights. We'll see how everything sorts out for the December dual meet at Yokota after wrestle-offs later this week. - The coaches have this team humming. We'll see how the season plays out, but there's no question in my mind about the value the boys receive from their interaction with these men. The way they imbue the boys with good sportsmanship, solid values, effort (dare I say, grit?), and so many other things that are useful both on and off the mat - that's what separates this team from any other in the Kanto Plain and in the entire Far East. |
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