By Caleb Knudsen
More students are turning up for wrestling this year, as coach Scott Weidemier’s effort to bring Healdsburg back into the ranks of local powerhouse teams gains steam. Some 25 students have signed up so far, including six girls—a big jump from last year’s sole female athlete, Serena Dimas.
She’s only a 10th grader now, a sophomore, but she’s brought five freshmen along to keep her company in the sweaty world of high school wrestling. “This will be the first time we’ll be able to field at least a modicum of a girls team, which is super exciting and is only the beginning to building that team up,” Weidemier said.
On the other side of the equation, the boys list only two seniors, but eight of 19 are freshmen. “We have a number of returners back from last year and are excited about the prospects,” said the coach, “but this is only the second year for most of them and it will still take them some time to find their footing.”
The freshmen aren’t the only thing new about this year. The team returns to a remodeled Frost Hall after several years. “It’s now a state-of-the-art facility that will build excitement, help draw kids in and will be the cornerstone for getting the team back to prominence,” Weidemier said.
The Healdsburg Unified School District trustees will decide this week if they will rename Frost Hall as Drew Esquivel Hall, in honor of the HHS wrestler. The city’s Turkey Trot 5k fun run, which takes place on Thanksgiving Day, is also named for Esquivel.
Given the young, still-learning roster, Weidemier has packed the schedule with a number of small-school tournaments, beginning Nov. 23 and continuing almost twice weekly until Dec. 21.
“We really are going to wrestle a JV heavy schedule early in the year to give them some time to develop further. We’ll see how they progress and then will start to send them to competitions appropriate for their skill level,” Weidemier said.
The team competes in the North Bay-Oak league this year, and counts among its opponents Cardinal Newman, Ukiah, Montgomery, Maria Carrillo and Windsor. The first home meet is Jan. 15, 2025, against Cardinal Newman.
“I really do think we have the nucleus of what could be a pretty good team in the near future,” Weidemier said. “If these kids keep working at it, the future looks pretty bright.”
