Lions to compete in NBL Redwood Division this season
The 2018-19 high school wrestling season will feature a new look this season following a radical league realignment that should add excitement and competitive equity to each meet.
The El Molino Lions will join the Analy Tigers in the North Bay League Redwood Division, competing with the likes of Elsie Allen, Piner, Rancho Cotate and Montgomery.
Lions’ head coach Ron Wright returns to lead a small but talented contingent of athletes, looking to move up in the North Bay ranks.
The Lions will feature a solid group of returning wrestlers that include junior Coleman Hayes, sophomores Zavier Grech and Erik Dimond and sophomore Asher Weathersbee.
“Colman and Erik have already proven to be good mentors to our new wrestlers, and I expect exponential growth from each of them this year,” Wright predicted. “We expect good things from Asher as well, who’s missed some mat time to injury.”
Complementing the Lions is a group of wrestlers new to high school competition, each quickly learning to compete at the high school level.
“We have several first-year wrestlers who are learning fast,” Wright noted. “We have several JV tournaments for them to maximize mat time in this important developmental year.”
New to the high school scene this season is the addition of a girl’s league, a welcome development in the continuing growth of the sport.
El Mo sophomore Hannah Ricioli, who took third at the boy’s league JV tournament last season, will be the leader for the Lady Lions in the first season of girl’s competition.
“Look for Hannah to have a break-out year,” Wright said. “She looks stronger than ever, and I have met few wrestlers with her drive. She’s the leader in the wrestling room, and everyone looks to her as the example.”
Ricioli will be busy this season, with 11 tournaments on the schedule.
Joining Ricioli are first-year wrestlers freshman Ardenne “Chevy” Chevrolet, Lynnea Olson and Xitlalic “Lali” Vital.
“I’m excited for the growth in the girl’s team, doubling our numbers from last year,” Wright noted. “Several other teams in our division show similar growth with their girls teams. I think El Molino could put up a team with 15 girls in the next few years, so keep an eye out,” he added.
As in recent years, local teams have battled a numbers game, struggling to fill each weight class at meets. That trend is expected to continue this season.
“Most teams in our division will struggle to fill their rosters with every weight class, so it’s hard to tell how we will finish our league record,” Wright said. “We are concentrated on improving our wrestlers every day and helping them grow as young men and women and look to individual records and accomplishments.”
The Lions will open the winter schedule this Saturday, Nov. 17, at both the Inderkum High School Tournament in Sacramento and NBL Novice Tournament at Maria Carrillo. El Mo will start the league dual meet schedule against Elsie Allen on Jan. 8 and will compete in the NBL Championships on Feb. 8 at Ukiah. The NBL Girl’s Championship tourney will be held in Ukiah on Feb. 9.
Next week, a look at the Analy Tigers.
