Edmonds-Woodway wrestlers focus on process
Published 1:30 am Monday, December 19, 2016
The Edmonds-Woodway wrestling program’s culture revolves around two simple rules: Be on time and work hard. The Warriors don’t focus on wins and losses, necessarily, but believe winning and losing are the byproducts of the effort that’s given.
That culture has been forged by a tradition of winning. Edmonds-Woodway took fourth place in the Class 3A ranks at last February’s Mat Classic, and the Warriors hope for a similar finish this season.
“We have 11 kids that bounced between varsity and junior varsity last year that are on varsity full-time this year, so we didn’t know what to expect,” Edmonds-Woodway coach Brian Alfi said. “But to this point, they’ve admirably stepped up and filled roles. There’s a set of expectations that come with being on the varsity team, and the kids have taken hold of it and jumped into the culture.”
The Warriors return four state participants from a year ago — Mitchell Martinez (fifth place at 106 pounds), Abdoulie Jatta (eighth place at 170), Salihou Fatty (120) and Anthony Lindamood (152). Alfi said he also believes in the potential of Jingsung Lee, whose postseason run was cut short last season by a broken arm.
“We have a lot of upperclassmen stepping in for the first time — we had 14 seniors last year, so some of these guys are chomping at the bit to earn a varsity spot,” Alfi said. “I think we’re figuring things out. I feel like we have a good handful kids, maybe seven or eight, that could place at state.”
