By Ray Hamill — One of the most gratifying things for any coach in any sport is to see their athletes making progress throughout the season.
And that’s exactly what’s happening for the Fortuna Huskies on the wrestling mats this season.
The Fortuna boys are coming off three recent dual match wins, after beating Eureka 48-19 last week and following that with a 49-22 win over McKinleyville and a 77-6 win over St. Bernard’s this week.
“Against Eureka, I feel like the guys and the girls, they’re demonstrating what they’re being taught,” head coach Steven Stockdale said. “It’s starting to come together. The progress is there.”
And that progress has been evident throughout the entire lineup.
The team’s standouts are continuing to improve, while the less experienced wrestlers on the roster are starting to close the gap on their opponents.
“It was a team effort,” Stockdale added. “Collectively the whole team won that dual meet (against Eureka). It wasn’t just the kids who have been wrestling a lot. It was a team effort to do what they did and it was really exciting to watch.”
The victory over a good McKinleyville team was achieved in large part because the Huskies closed out their individual matches strong.
“The kids got after it,” Stockdale said. “They didn’t quit, and that’s what to came down to. And for a coach, that’s awesome to see.”
The longtime local wrestling coach believes this year’s roster is bonding in ways he hasn’t seen from his wrestlers since before COVID.
And it’s making for a great environment at practice.
“They really are coming together and buying into the whole idea of working hard,” Stockdale added. “It’s a pretty cool thing to watch and I feel overall it’s a positive environment.”
Stockdale also praised the parents for their support this winter.
“The parents’ support has been incredible, and they’re encouraging,” he said. “To see everybody like that, it makes it that much more rewarding.”
The Huskies will take a break from league competition this weekend, as they continue to build towards next month’s league championships.
The girls team will travel to compete at the Corning tournament, while the boys will head north to Eugene to wrestle at a tournament at Willamette High School, where Stockdale wrestled.
The Willamette team is coached by Stockdale’s brother Michael.
The boys team will travel with 22 wrestlers for the event.
Next Wednesday, the Huskies will compete in dual meets against Del Norte and Ferndale.
