Arcata High graduate Brycen Collinson was one of the big stories of the weekend for the Corsairs, as the College of the Redwoods men’s wrestling team kicked off the new season.

Head coach Brandon Benvenuti and his grapplers traveled to compete at the Dave Pacheco Invitational at Sacramento City College and placed ninth out of 11 teams.

But there were plenty of bright spots and reasons for optimism, none more so that Collinson.

The former Arcata Tiger just joined the team on Monday of last week and had less than a week of practice before traveling to compete.

At first Collinson was reluctant to make the trip, but Benvenuti convinced him he should travel and compete for the experience, and the decision paid big dividends.

“He went out there and competed after just four days of practice and went 2-2 in the heavyweight division,” the coach said.

Another former Arcata Tiger, Dakota Sanders, also impressed on his way to a third-place finish in the 125-pound division.

Sanders lost a tough matchup in overtime in his semifinal, but would respond with two big pins on his way to placing third.

“He rebounded really strong,” Benvenuti said.

Eureka’s Paul Walker also had a good showing and finished 2-2 while wrestling up a weight class at 157.

“He wrestled really hard,” Benvenuti said of Walker. “It looks like he’s got a lot of promise.”

Overall, the coach was more than happy with the performance of his team, which is looking for another good fall after the program competed last year for the first time in four decades.

“I thought the tournament went good,” the coach said. “I thought the guys really competed well and fought hard.”

Benvenuti believes the experience will benefit the young grapplers, as they continue to learn how to compete at the collegiate level.

“They’re a young group and I think they’re putting too much pressure on themselves,” said Benvenuti, who added “They just need to control what they can control and have fun.”

Benvenuti also paid tribute to his new assistant coaches Benn Rieder and Isaac Weaver, each of whom is already having a big impact with the team.

“My assistant coaches are doing a great job,” he said. “I’m very pleased with the work they’re putting in.

“We’re working hard and the team is starting to come together. It’s a team that wants to learn.”

Next up, the Corsairs will host Sierra College in a dual meet on Wednesday Oct. 2 at 5 p.m.