Since then, South Kitsap junior Brandon Forster has had a practice ritial.

The outline of Washington state is as repetitive as wallpaper on the beige cement wall in the back of the room. Each “state” represents past South Kitsap wrestlers who placed at Mat Classic.

“The first place I would go to was the state championship,” Forster said. “I would just sit there and stare at it every once in awhile. Every time after practice last year I would go up there, kiss my hand and slap the state.”

Forster, who placed eighth at 126 pounds in Class 4A at Mat Classic XXVI, is the Wolves’ top returner. Despite that, he called his 2013-14 season a “disappointment.”

“At the state tournament, I got really nervous,” Forster said. “I don’t know why. I’ve wrestled in the Tacoma Dome multiple times. I know I could’ve wrestled a lot tougher.”

At the conclusion of the season, Forster continued to wrestle. He competed in a national competition for freestyle Greco-Roman wrestling in July and said he runs four miles each weekday with a simple goal in mind.

“Skill-wise on my feet and on top I could wrestle with anyone in the state,” Forster said. “My biggest issue last year was I couldn’t get up from the bottom.”

South coach Chad Nass has seen a difference in his pupil.

“He’s gotten a lot better on his defense,” he said. “He’s always been really good offensively. He’s working on getting better on the bottom. He’s trying to become good in all areas.”

Forster has moved up to the 132 weight class, but wants to be at 126 by the end of the regular season.

“Looking at all of the other kids in the state … that’s probably my best shot,” he said.

While six South wrestlers qualified for state last season, only Forster returns. But inexperience never has hindered the Wolves too much. South only has lost one league match — 47-15 on Jan. 24, 2013, at Yelm — since 1992.

“We have a lot of athletes who have not wrestled in a long time,” Forster said. “I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people.”

Nass shared similar sentiments.

“We lack experience at the varsity level, but we’re excited about what we’ve got coming back,” he said. “There’s some kids who haven’t really had a chance to shine.”

Most of the program’s experience returns in the lower weight classes with sophomore Ashton Schessler (106), juniors Deion Anderson (113), Brandon Forster (132) and Isaac Santos (120) and senior Lucas Pervinich (145). Nass said two newcomers, freshman Izaiah Davis (182) and senior Marshaud DeWalt (285) also should contribute.

Those wrestlers will compete in a tournament and regular-season schedule that is similar to the last several years. The Wolves participate in the same six tournaments as last season in December and January.

They conclude their regular season Jan. 29 at Yelm. South defeated the Tornados 36-28 last season, but Nass considers Yelm as the league’s top team this year.

“It’s good that we wrestle them at the end of the year,” Nass said. “Hopefully, we can take our inexperience and get a lot of experience during the season before we go down there and make a run at them.”

But Nass also thinks his team could be challenged by other 4A Narrows opponents, including Bellarmine Prep, Olympia and Timberline.

“One thing about our league is the quality of wrestling is really elevated,” he said. “You’re going to have to be up for a match every night.”