The wrestling team placed second in MCALs with a record of 5-1 this year behind Redwood (5-1). Redwood has the tiebreaker, therefore they are league champs. The season came down to the final tri-meet between Drake, Redwood, and Tam. Going into the meet, the wrestling team was 4-0 tied in first with Redwood also 4-0, and Tam was 3-1. Against Redwood, the team had little energy, and they lost a couple of key matches that changed the momentum of the meet. The team was down after a crushing defeat to Redwood but out of no-where, the underdog Tam beat Redwood.

That was the spark the wrestling team needed, that helped them rally back to beat Tam. “We banded together as a group and were able to gain the momentum we lost and get back. Many of our freshmen worked really hard to help us win.” Senior Mathieu Isanove said. Fellow Senior Sam Knight also played a huge role in the team’s victory. Knight avoided getting pinned clinching the victory over Tam. The wrestling squad placed first in MCALs last year and second this year.

This has been a huge turn around for the program, and they are looking to build on these last two seasons, and be consistent contenders for years to come. “The program has grown in recent years and we will continue to look towards adding strong talent,” coach Johann Gerlach said. The team has a handful of returners this year, including senior captains Isanove, Thomas Faville, Knight, and junior captain Mason Ball. Other key players Sebastian Molineux, Aylo Corshen, and Andre Lopez helped them have a lot of success this season as well.

Faville placed first in Redwood Empire Classic in Ukiah. In the tournament, the team placed 12th out of 32 teams. Knight and Isanove both placed 4th in the tournament as well. In the home tournament, five different pirates were in the finals. Isanove and Molineaux both won their finals matches. Knight, Faville, and junior Andre Lopez also fought hard in their respective finals matches.

“We are doing pretty good we have a really young team and things are looking good,” Isanove said. On top of the teams strong league results, Isanove is ranked fourth in NCS and Faville is ranked sixth. The team has had success this season but they look to build on it in NCS. The team is done with league competition, and are looking forward to this next round of playoffs. Knight in an exciting match, at the outdoor home tournament.