He was the Wolves’ most decorated returning wrestler 13 months ago.
But when it came to young men with medallions around their necks a few months later at Mat Classic XXII, Michael Neiner was missing.
Two seasons ago, Neiner was the only South Kitsap sophomore who placed at state, finishing eighth in the 171-pound weight class.
But Neiner suffered a torn left hamstring on Dec. 5, 2009, during the Auburn Invitational.
He had surgery 16 days later and missed the remainder of the season.
During his absence, Neiner watched friend and practice partner Conner Hartmann advance to the Class 4A state championship at 171, where he lost against Auburn’s Dylan Rutledge. Despite his success, Hartmann said he would have benefited from Neiner’s presence.
“That’s going to be a big advantage,” Hartmann said of Neiner’s return before the season. “Having him back is really big.”
Neiner said he has been appreciative of Hartmann’s praise.
“He made me feel like I was a big asset to him,” he said. “It was really good hearing that from him.
“Even though he’s a weight class ahead of me, I’m going to do my best to push him.”
South coach Chad Nass said Neiner is not quite back to the level he displayed toward the end of the 2008-09 season, but he is close. Neiner entered this week’s Pacific Coast Tournament with a 10-1 record.
“We’ll get a good chance to see where he is,” Nass said. “It’s going to be good to see.”
Couple the 5-foot-7 Neiner’s athleticism — he averaged 6.3 yards per carry for the Wolves’ football team in 2009 — and toughness, and Nass said those qualities and “great hips” help produce a talented wrestler.
Nass said Neiner’s state performance a couple of seasons ago was even more impressive considering he was sick throughout the tournament.
But the time away from the mat is much more daunting than competing even against the state’s best with a fever.
“It’s not like riding a bike,” Nass said. “You don’t take an extended amount of time off and come back right where you were. The six-minute grind of the match — it takes awhile to get adjusted to it.”
Neiner, who estimated his hamstring is about 80 percent of his pre-surgery strength, said he was not able to begin squatting until a couple of months after surgery and that light jogging did not commence until the summer.
He acknowledges that he probably tried to return to the gridiron “too soon, because I ended up re-injuring myself” in a Sept. 24 game at Shelton.
Neiner finished with just 248 rushing yards on 65 carries as South finished with a 3-7 record.
“On the field, we couldn’t make the big plays we needed,” he said.
That should not be an issue for the wrestling team.
South finished 11th at state last season with 53 points and Neiner expects this group to place in the top 10.
The Wolves, who have not lost a league match since December 1992 against North Thurston, also will look to extend that winning streak to 171 on Jan. 25 at Central Kitsap.
“I think we can keep the streak going,” he said. “There’s no doubt about that in my mind.”
