A surge of underclassmen are taking the Shorewood wrestling team by storm.
The Thunderbirds return just two seniors, but with 17 freshmen and 11 sophomores on board, the long-term outlook is bright.
“We will be young but not inexperienced,” Shorewood coach Arnie Moreno said. “It will be a season to develop and rebuild for the future. This team will be aggressive and scrappy to make up for their youth.”
Shorewood went 2-7 in the Western Conference 4A South Division last season and 5-11 overall, with three league losses decided by eight points or less.
The T-birds bring back two of their six regional qualifiers from last year in senior Colin Ferris (140 pounds) and junior Brian Jensen (135).
“They’ve both been in the top four in the league the past two years,” Moreno said. “They take the time to work with the other kids, just like assistant coaches. They realize how young we are.”
Moreno also expects Daniel Jensen (130), Luke Wyman (145), Jeremy Passi (152), Simon Evers (160), Shawn Payne (160/171) to make an impact. Daniel Nelson (215) leads an improved crop of heavyweights.
“We’re finally starting to get some bigger kids with good wrestling ability,” Moreno said.
Some of the freshmen and sophomores are already challenging for permanent varsity spots at several weights, which Moreno said is a reflection of the top-notch program at Einstein Middle School.
Einstein has pushed its numbers past 60 wrestlers the past three seasons and captured a league championship last year.
“We’re getting kids with good basics and mat experience,” Moreno said. “They’re ahead of the game.”
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