To continue its run of recent success, the Oak Harbor wrestling team will need to depend upon unproven talent.
The Wildcats finished among the top three teams, including winning two titles, in conference action the past four seasons. And although Oak Harbor had its “worst” year in the run last winter, placing third in the Wesco North, it was loaded with top-end talent that lifted the Wildcats to eighth place in the boys state 3A tournament.
Graduation robbed Oak Harbor of most of that lineup, so new coach Larry Falcon will build his boys team around five returning letter winners: seniors Garrett Stahl and Dymond Piper, juniors Zach Aketch and Sam Zook, and sophomore Michael Lym.
On the girls side, senior Amber Cramsey-Behnke and juniors Caitlin Woodworth and Meredith Bain are back.
Stahl and Aketch each placed fifth at the sub-regional meet in 2015. Zook was ranked 12th in the 285-pound weight class last winter but did not compete in the postseason.
Cramsey-Behnke was third in the subregional, fourth at the regional and qualified for state last winter. She placed third in the state meet in 2014.
Bain finished fifth in last year’s subregional.
Falcon welcomes “a great group of freshmen,” including Blake McBride, Caleb Fitzgerald, Michael Fisken and Blake Servatius, and he expects the ninth-graders to fill some of the varsity spots at the lower weights.
Another key newcomer, according to Falcon, is senior transfer Grant Gerber.
“With the young experience at hand,” he said, “we are focusing on ensuring we have the best fundamentals for the postseason.”
Falcon expects his returning athletes to “step up” and the freshmen to “pick up solid fundamentals for continued growth and leadership in over the next four years.”
Oak Harbor’s youth could cause some growing pains, Falcon added, but the Wildcats will “reap the dividends” at tournament time.
Oak Harbor heads to Shorewood to meet the Thunderbirds and Lynnwood in a double-dual meet beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3. The home opener is a double-dual with Glacier Peak and Edmonds-Woodway at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8.
