At the 145-pound weight class, San Marcos wrestler William Hewes nearly pins his Santa Ynez opponent.
The San Marcos wrestling team is in a rebuilding phase after losing 13 seniors.
“We’re only freshman and sophomores,” said first-year varsity coach Ken Mishima, who’s coached at the lower level at San Marcos. “This is my team from last year and we’ve bumped them up to varsity. Nobody on my team has no more than two years of experience.”
The young Royals are taking their lumps in the early season. They were thumped by visiting Santa Ynez 79-0 on Tuesday.
“We wrestled a tough team. I give Santa Ynez credit, they are a tough team,” said Mishima. “Last year, with 13 seniors, we still got beat 65-15. The score was lopsided either way.”
Mishima said he was encouraged by the attitude of the his wrestlers after Tuesday’s loss.
“They took it to heart. “They said, ‘Coach, we got to get better. Let’s work harder.’ I like hearing that. I see the focus in their eyes.”
The Royals (4-8) return to action on Saturday at the Northview Tournament in Covina.
