Talented individuals once again fill roster
The last few seasons have all netted pretty similar results for the Farmington wrestling team. A few individuals have shined, a few more have been solid, but empty weights have led to forfeits that have left the Tigers winless in their Missota Conference dual schedule. Last season, coach Jon Lund’s team finished 4-15 overall, but outscored its opponents in seven of those losses before the burden of three or four forfeited weights per match took its toll.By: Matt Steichen, The Farmington Independent
The last few seasons have all netted pretty similar results for the Farmington wrestling team.
A few individuals have shined, a few more have been solid, but empty weights have led to forfeits that have left the Tigers winless in their Missota Conference dual schedule. Last season, coach Jon Lund’s team finished 4-15 overall, but outscored its opponents in seven of those losses before the burden of three or four forfeited weights per match took its toll.
Lund doesn’t expect all the weights to get filled this year, but he’s hoping a couple of new wrestlers can rise to the occasion and give the Tigers a lift by season’s end.
“We hope to have some kids be able to step up and contribute at the varsity level as the season progresses. We will look to both the new faces and the middle school program,” he said. “By the last half of the season we hope to be at full strength. We should be in the position where every one of our returning wrestlers will compete for all-conference…. If we can do that, our team will be in pretty good shape.”
Among those wrestlers Lund is hoping can fill the holes in the varsity lineup at some point this season are sophomores Tyler Engel and Dakota Louis-Dupay and freshmen Jacob Bauman and Alex LaVictoire. All four are back after competitive JV seasons last year. There are also at least 15 new wrestlers vying for spots in the JV lineup.
The Tigers’ strength lies in the eight letterwinners that are back from last year’s team. Leading that group is senior Nick Albano, who is coming off a 35-5 junior season that finished with a third-place showing in the 215-pound bracket at the Class AAA State Meet. He was joined at Xcel Energy Center by teammate Carl Elmer, who capped off a 28-9 sophomore season with a state appearance at 140 pounds.
A trio of seniors — Eric Adrian, Cody Kary and Will Pauling — give the Tigers a little bit of versatility in their lineup. Adrian went 24-17 last year while wrestling at 160 and 171 pounds, Kary went 27-14 and can wrestle at 119 or 125 pounds and Pauling posted a mark of 29-12 and has wrestled at 145 and 152 pounds.
Other varsity experience will come from Seth Franklin (16-23), Josh Iverson (2-12) and Jake French (1-6).
“We have a very talented core group of wrestlers returning,” Lund said. “They are a driven group. They have high goals for the season.”
Along with finding wrestlers to fill the empty weights in the varsity lineup, Lund’s goals for the team this season include staying healthy and having a positive attitude.
“The No. 1 key to a successful season will be attitude,” he said. “We can compete with anyone in the Missota Conference and in Section 2AAA.”
Lund expects Bloomington Kennedy, Prior Lake and Northfield to once again be the Tigers’ top competition in the section, and for Prior Lake and Northfield to be the favorites in the league.
Tags: sports, wrestling, preview
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