After a long offseason of hard work, the Douglas High wrestling team is hoping to begin reaping some of the rewards.
The Tigers have won two Sierra League titles in the past three years and are aiming to add another banner to their gym with 10 wrestlers back from a team that took third in the league last year.
"We had quite a few kids that worked hard with us all summer long," Douglas coach Lamont McCann said. "There was a core group of about eight kids that were there almost every workout."
Of course, there are going to be a number of other programs standing in the Tigers' way. With the realignment of the leagues going into effect this year, traditional wins against North Valleys, Reno and Hug are gone with traditional powerhouses Fallon and Galena, not to mention a solid Manogue program, taking their place.
The new Sierra League now contains every Northern 4A Regional champion since 2000 and the top five finishers at regionals in each of the past three seasons.
"Whoever wins this league this year is really going to have to earn it," McCann said. "There are a lot of solid programs out there that are going to be strong " Damonte Ranch, Galena, Fallon those schools right there are some of the top teams in the north.
"It'll be a battle all year long, every match will be tough."
Douglas already got off to a good start with a close win over Galena Wednesday night.
"The kids really stepped up to get that win and we're expecting a lot bigger things from them as the season progresses," McCann said. "This was the first step of many we need to take to get to where we want to be."
A major positive coming into the year is that Douglas will field a complete 14-man lineup for the first time in McCann's four-year tenure.
Central to that will be the returning core of 10. Senior Nico Barker, who is the team's lone returning state qualifier, will be among the top wrestlers this year after going undefeated in league action last season in the 130-pound bracket.
He'll anchor an experienced upper-middleweight group that includes Eddie Kollar, Justin Freeman, Tyler Cook and Steven Anderson.
Zach Falanga will step in at the 215 spot after limited varsity action last year and newcomer Quincy Grubenman will take the 285 spot.
Grubenman, coupled with fellow newcomer and 103-pounder Nate Verella, have McCann particularly excited.
"Both of those guys are brand new," McCann said. "They stepped up to the team and they are really going to help us. Those are hard spots to fill and they give us a full lineup. We're glad to have them out."
Douglas also returns an experienced core in the lower weights, starting with sophomore Dillon Spates in the 112 bracket. Junior Wes Peterson slides into the 125 spot after spending last year at 112 and Timmy Souza remains in the 119 spot.
"Wes should be real solid, 125 is more of a natural weight for him," McCann said. "Spates should be in for a good year."
Michael Sepulveda will wrestle at the 130-pound class and is an athlete McCann called a dark horse in the region this year.
Nick Prudhomme started the season in the 135 spot and Daniel Lundergreen made a start in the 140 class against Galena.
Douglas did suffer a large blow in the fall when Cody Spates, who went undefeated in league action last year and 20-3 over with 17 pins in the 140 bracket, tore his ACL during football practice. He's out for the year but should be back for his senior season.
The Tigers will host defending champ Damonte Ranch Wednesday in a match with large league title implications at 6 p.m.
"It'll be a battle, just like it was against Galena," McCann said. "We hope people will come out and support the team. I think it really will be a positive year for us. Every night is going to be a war, right through the season-finale against Fallon."
