You should excuse Mountlake Terrace High School wrestling coach Kanoe Vierra if he seems a little distracted heading into the 2012-13 season. He not only coaches the Hawk wrestlers, but is busy preparing end-of-quarter grades in the English classes he teaches at Scriber Lake High School, where, by the way, he is the Dean of Students too. Vierra also took some time off for the sudden death of his brother earlier this month.
“I have been rather busy the last two weeks,” Vierra confided.
As for the MTHS wrestling team, Coach Vierra has some work ahead of him there too. He is busy tending to a number of first year wrestlers on the team, and is still recruiting among the student body to plug some holes in the roster.
“I am looking at filling a full line-up of wrestlers,” Vierra said. “Currently we will not fill all the weight classes.”
That’s not to say there aren’t some bright spots on the team. Vierra returns three wrestlers who qualified for the post-season regional tournament last year: senior Trung Banh, junior Syd Springberg and junior Brett Potter.
Potter, wrestling in the 195-lb. class, has his sights set higher this year. “I’m looking forward to a great wrestling season this year and I’m hoping to make it to state,” Potter said. He believes better conditioning, a stronger mental focus, a different wrestling style and learning some new moves will help him earn a spot to the state meet in February.
Vierra is conducting strenuous practices, hoping hard work now will pay off as the season progresses. “Former USC head coach and current Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll once said, ‘Practice is everything,’” Vierra explained. “So (our) goal is that we work hard during practice and that we continually work on our takedowns, escapes, pin combinations and the like as though we were wrestling in the state championships.”
The Hawks’ conditioning will be put to the test this first week of the season, as the team opens with a double dual meet Friday, Nov. 30, at Edmonds-Woodway High School against the Warriors and the Lynnwood Royals. The Hawks then head to Cascade High School in Everett the next morning for the Big Dog Tournament beginning at 9 a.m.
A high point of the 2012-13 season will be a trip to the Sierra Nevada Classic in Reno Dec. 27-28. Wrestlers from more than 70 West Coast high schools will be competing in the double elimination tournament.
The Hawks catch a break in the 3A Wesco schedule, as they won’t face the division’s top teams — Shorewood, Meadowdale and Glacier Peak — until the last three weeks of the regular season. Two of those final three meets in January will be at home. The T-Birds, the Mavericks and the Grizzlies are expected to battle for the Wesco League championships and all have state championship contenders on their rosters.
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