Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Arcata head coach Cass Bell was on hand at the recent McKinleyville tournament less than 24 hours after his Bellator fight on the East Coast.
By Ray Hamill — Now in his second year in charge of the program, head coach Cass Bell is building a solid foundation for the future of the Arcata High wrestling program.
The local MMA legend, who recently won a Bellator fight for the first time in two years, has doubled the size of his team this winter and appears to have the program headed in the right direction with 25 wrestlers on the roster.
One notable sign of that is that all of the new wrestlers have already won at least one match each.
“The kids are all learning,” Bell said. “I have a lot of new wrestlers, but they’re willing to work hard and they’re catching on quickly.”
Four talented returners have also been setting the tone and showing the newcomers the ropes, including last year’s section champion Joshua Hannan.
The senior standout is off to a flying start this season, with two tournament wins already at 138 pounds, and he has been challenging himself at some big tournaments, including the recent Bay Area 59 tournament where he was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler.
“Josh has been killing it,” Bell said. “We’ve been sending him to some bigger tournaments to keep the quality of his wrestling up.”
Fellow seniors Dakota Sanders and Paolo Bosques-Paulet also have impressed early in the season.
Sanders took the 120 title at the season-opening Crescent City tournament, beating an Oregon state champ along the way, while Bosques-Paulet gives the Tigers a potent one-two punch at 138 and has made some huge strides in just two years wrestling.
The coach’s younger brother, Isaiah Bell, also has impressed early in the season at 126.
The sophomore just recently returned from injury but had an immediate impact, pacing sixth at Grants Pass after just two days of practice.
“He’s going to do really well,” the coach said.
The Tigers will return to action immediately after Christmas, traveling to compete at a two-day tournament at Liberty High on Friday of next week.
And Cass Bell believes they will continue to build momentum.
“They show up and they want to work hard,” he said. “It’s a great team atmosphere, which is awesome.”
