After placing 6th at state last season, Arlington wrestlers have high expectations

Published 7:18 pm Thursday, December 3, 2015

ARLINGTON — Rick Iversen hears the questions everywhere he goes in Arlington.

“Is this the year Coach?”

“We’re winning it all this year, right Coach?”

High expectations are the gift and the curse that follow success, and after the Eagles flipped a switch following a .500 regular season and won districts, regionals and placed sixth in the Class 3A team standings at last season’s Mat Classic, the buzz surrounding Iversen’s program is palpable.

“We have a real surge around the sport right now — maybe to excess — in our community,” said Iversen, a 30-year coaching veteran and member of multiple coaching halls of fame. “We’re starting the year with over 70 kids in our room, and since I’ve been here, we haven’t had more than 50. There is pressure on us to produce. Everyone expects us to be world-beaters, and I don’t know if that’s a good way to go into a season. My outlook is that we want to be the very best we can be.”

On paper, that could be pretty good.

The Eagles return all five state placers who contributed to that sixth-place finish last February, and Iversen has aspirations of sending 10 or 11 kids to Tacoma this year.

“I believe that there are six (3A) teams that could win the state tournament, and one of them will,” he said. “North Central, Mount Spokane, Bonney Lake, Enumclaw, Edmonds-Woodway and Arlington.”

For Arlington to leapfrog defending champion Enumclaw and the rest of Iversen’s contenders, they’ll need similar contributions from returning state placers Trey Swanson (fourth at 103 pounds), Gavin Rork (fourth at 126), Jeremy Nygard (fifth at 126), Cooper McAuslan (fifth at 145) and Ruben Crew (second at 160), along with steps forward by the wrestlers who, as junior-varsity competitors a year ago, provided the team points crucial to the Eagles’ district and regional victories.

“Last year’s JV wrestlers have really stepped up,” said senior quad-captain Riley Oakes, who gave the team a boost by turning out late in his junior season. “I think the biggest difference in the room right now is last year we were focusing mostly on districts and regionals. This year, focusing on state has brought a different mentality to the room.”

The Eagles have altered the most basic aspects of their daily practice routine to coincide with their championship aspirations, pounding out sets of 11 push-ups and sit-ups in between drills.

“Everyone else does 10,” Oakes said.

In addition to its regular-season slate of dual meets, Arlington will travel to a host of Saturday tournaments to test itself against the state’s best.

After the Edmonds Invite this weekend, the Eagles should be favorites at the Olympic Duals in Bremerton.

Arlington also will compete at the Everett Classic, Panther Classic (Snohomish) and the Matman Classic in Silverdale during the regular season.

For one final test before districts, the Eagles plan to travel to Edmonds-Woodway for a dual with the Warriors on Jan. 29.

“We want to be undefeated going into Edmonds-Woodway,” senior quad-captain Parker Spady said.

It is projected to be a battle between Wesco 3A’s two best teams, and even though Arlington and Edmonds-Woodway will square off as part of a double-dual at Glacier Peak on Dec. 15, the January matchup should feature both teams’ best lineups.

“I think it will be one of the premier dual meets of the year,” Iversen said.

The Warriors believe they have equal claim to the area’s best 3A program, and with a lineup boasting three returning state placers plus a pair of impact transfers, it would be hard to argue.

Edmonds-Woodway coach Brian Alfi raves about his group, which he describes as virtually 100 percent self-directed.

“These kids made a huge commitment to freestyle in the offseason and went to five different camps,” he said. “There’s strong leadership pushing for some really strong goals. They’re fun to be around because they invest so much time in their team and are very focused and goal-oriented. It sets the tone for the entire room.”

To go along with returning state placers Ebrima Fatty (seventh place at 106 pounds), Sidat Kanyi (fourth at 113) and Spencer Schultz (eighth at 195), the Warriors have added a pair of transfers in Mason McDaniel (Juanita) and Riley Seward (Inglemoor).

McDaniel was the 3A state runner-up at 170 pounds last season, falling to Marysville Pilchuck’s Killian Page via decision.

Seward placed eighth at 145 pounds in 4A.

“They’re incredibly hard-working, great kids,” Alfi said of McDaniel and Seward.