POULSBO — Wrestlers from North Kitsap and Kingston high schools kicked off the 2009-10 season Tuesday with a takedown tournament at the North Kitsap High gym.
The teams — along with fellow participants Bremerton, Chief Sealth and Peninsula — used the one-minute matches as a warmup for the new season.
“It’s basically just to get kids on the mat and give kids a little bit of practice,” North Kitsap Head Coach Joe Amick said of the round robin tourney. “It’ll tell me who’s pretty good on their feet.”
Both schools will have their first full matches Saturday at Chief Sealth High School in West Seattle.
Amick said right now four wrestlers stand out on the Viking squad, but others will have a chance to prove themselves as the season progresses. For the time being, North Kitsap’s top wrestlers include senior captains Donny Stamaris and Allen Dunlap, as well as senior Michael Coulter and freshman Jake Velarde. Stamaris, who wrestles in the 119- or 125-lb weight classes, returns after qualifying for the regional tournament last year.
Amick described the talents of his other wrestlers, but of Velarde he said simply, “Jake speaks for himself.”
Velarde, who competes in the 112- or 119-lb class, made a name for himself last summer, when he won a gold medal at the FILA Cadet Pan American Championships in Managua, Nicaragua. He has also competed at the nation’s premier youth wrestling tournament, the Junior and Cadet National Championships, in Fargo, N.D. In July, he placed fourth in his weight class at the tournament.
Wrestlers to watch at Kingston include last year’s state tournament competitors Travis Schriner, in the 189-lb class, and Alex Lambert, in the 125-lb division. Head Coach Bobby Reece said he also expects last year’s regional tournament participants, Freddy Rodolf, Daniel Talmadge and Michael Johnson, to do well this season. Reece added that he expects every one of his wrestlers to work hard, even if they are not standouts.
“I expect us to compete every time we step on the mat,” Reece said.
Noticeably absent from the mat Tuesday was Kingston’s defending state champion, Kiana Witt, who watched the action from the bleachers. Witt sustained a shoulder injury in practice last year and re-aggravated it two months ago when she fell off a skateboard, she said. Witt said she hopes to wrestle this season, but is waiting on a recommendation from her doctor.
Reece added that the takedown tournament is just a warmup for his experienced wrestlers, but can be a good first test for the newbies.
“We’ll see next week how many of these guys are ready to go,” Reece said.
The Kingston and North Kitsap high school junior varsity squads will compete in a season-kickoff tournament of their own Saturday at Kingston High. Competition begins at 10 a.m.
After Saturday’s invitational at Chief Sealth, the two North End varsity teams will meet again Dec. 16 in a double dual match at North Kitsap.
