After their third overall finish in the final MCAL standings for the 2012-2013 season, Redwood wrestling, powered by an influx of new players and returning athletes, is hoping for a first place finish in the Marin County Athletic League this season.

Last year, the majority of Redwood wrestlers qualified for the MCAL playoffs, and a few wrestlers qualified for the NCS playoffs. Nathan Morris was the lone wrestler on the team who qualified for the state championships.

According to junior Karl Menzel there are significantly more wrestlers on the team this year, which will help their chances of winning MCALs.

“We have a lot more people, so we will probably have a full lineup this year,” Menzel said. “It was something we didn’t have last year that would have helped our chances.”

Redwood’s wrestling team will also benefit from more assistant coaches this year, according to Menzel. Along with returning head coach Alan Morris, the Redwood wrestling team welcomed new assistant coaches to their staff, including first-year coach Wesley Simmonds.

Menzel also said that Redwood’s wrestling team switched training regimens over the summer, with the intention of improving their place in MCALs.

“We did preseason lifting at Redwood with a new coach and in a more organized fashion,” Menzel said. “We tried training at The Cave for a while, but we switched this year.”

Menzel said that even though it looks like the team has improved from last year’s third place finish in MCALs, it’s hard to be sure so early in the season.

“It’s hard to tell if we’ve improved that much since the start of the season, but I think we have,” Menzel said. “We’ll have to play some matches first.”

Redwood Wrestling plays its next match December 21st at Northgate High School.