Redwood wrestling has officially started its season, and early practices are already filled with energy. With a stronger and more prepared team than last year, wrestling is on track for a strong season.
This year’s roster features a mix of experienced returners and a large group of newcomers. Second-year head coach Brittley Tringali and captains, junior Dylan Morton and senior Hayden Schepps, believe the new combination of newcomers has created a productive and competitive training environment and team.
Morton thinks the team’s focus is already paying off.
“I’m feeling really excited. The season’s only four months long, and the off-season is eight months,” Morton said. “All eight months are just working towards the next season. So I’m really excited for it to have finally started.”
Morton also emphasized that the team has been improving technique, conditioning and mental preparation. He hopes to qualify for state and perform well in the individual matches, while the team aims to have a complete lineup in every weight class to win more overall matches and duals.
Schepps highlighted the team’s new depth as a key strength that they will be utilizing.
“We probably only have two empty weight classes,” Schepps said. “It’ll put us in the mix.”
As captain, Schepps leads warmups and organizes drills. He praises Tringali for adjusting the practice structure to better benefit the wrestlers academically.
(Owen Scheeline)
“He cut practices from three hours to two hours, giving us more time outside of school to do our own work,” Schepps said.
Both captains also mentioned that preseason training plays a key role in the team’s success. Schepps said that they benefit from practicing on the club team, not affiliated with Redwood and the spring season practices. Morton explained that much of the preseason practice involves rolling through positions, working on certain moves and lots of cardio.
“We’ve been doing a lot of runs preseason, and now we’re doing morning workouts on Tuesdays and Thursdays, trying to improve our cardio. So I’ve noticed a big improvement from that from last year,” Morton said.
Looking ahead, Redwood will compete in duals and tournaments, with its first home dual against Tamalpais High School.
“It’d be great to get a big crowd. Duals are always really fun,” Schepps said.
With high-profile winter sports like soccer and basketball typically garnering more student attention, wrestling can get overshadowed and underrepresented. Schepps and Morton both agreed that fan support can make a difference. So, as they enter the year with large aspirations for the team and for themselves, they will look for “Giant” support pushing them down the stretch.
