First year Mingus Union High School wrestling coach Kirk Waddle looks more at individual results rather than team results, given that the team forfeits 24 points per match due its inability to fill weight classes.
Despite that, the team went 2-1 in a four-way dual meet with Page High School, Barry Goldwater High School and Sunnyslope High School, defeating the latter two, on Jan. 3 at Mingus.
The meet came the day after the Marauders traveled to the two-day Mile High Challenge in Prescott, where junior Lucas Svoboda [145] took home first place with a 5-0 record and sophomore Trent Miller [138]
placed third with one loss.
“I’m real proud of [the team],” Waddle said. “These guys came in looking pretty tired but once they get rolling the adrenaline kicks in and they were fired up that last match [against Barry Goldwater].”
This season’s team has a mix of experienced and inexperienced wrestlers, all of whom have
made strides under Waddle.
“Since the beginning of the season all of our guys are starting to get their technique down and they’re starting to get where their body is supposed to be compared to when they first came in,” said Miller, who placed sixth at the last year’s Arizona Interscholastic Association State Championships.
Mingus first took on regional foe Page, and both Miller and senior 182-pounder Charles Hardy pinned their opponents while sophomore Nick Lodico [126] earned a 7-2 decision.
Miller finished all three of his matches by way of a pin.
“I think I did much better today than I did last couple days,” Miller said. “Even though I placed third [in Prescott], I think that my wrestling technique was better and just all around I think our whole team was doing a lot better.”
Against Sunnyslope in the following match, the Marauders came away 54-30 winners behind pins from Miller, Hardy and Nick Doerkson [152], and six forfeits by the Vikings.
Mingus won the final match against Barry Goldwater, 31-24. Miller was the only Marauder to pin his opponent, and the rest of the points were won by way of three decisions and one major decision.
In the matches the Marauders did lose, Doerkson pointed out that, all around, there could have been improved takedowns, but it’s something that the team constantly improves upon.
“A lot of our team is really inexperienced,” Doerkson said. “A lot of them are just new freshmen who have never wrestled before and they’re doing really good.”
In what is a rebuilding process for Mingus, who had won five straight state championships in the late 2000s, Waddle pointed out that the hard work is paying off.
“These guys are starting to get noticed, other coaches are starting to notice the program,” Waddle said. “They come up and talk to me and that’s just a matter of these guys working hard.”
Mingus next wrestles on Jan. 11 at Coconino High School against the host Panthers and Chinle High School where they will round out its matches against regional opponents.
