2010 State Championships – Norwood Maverick wrestler Brent Harris (left) took fourth place in the 145 pound weight class at last year’s state championship at Denver’s Pepsi Center. One of his competitors was Donnie White (right) of Fowler. (Photo courtesy of Kathryn Westcott)
The Mavericks are coming off a successful 2009/2010 season, where six of its seven wrestlers made it to the state tournament in Denver. Harris said last week he believes he should have anywhere form seven to nine kids wrestling for Norwood this season, four of whom made it to the state tournament last year, including his son Brent Harris, Tyler LaFramboise, Jaron Ragsdale and Weston Rasmussen. The team will lose only two graduating seniors.
The season will get under way on Dec.3 at a dual in Hotchkiss and will be followed by the Hotchkiss Tournament on Dec. 4.
“I have high expectations of these guys,” Coach Harris said. “The kids that are returning and placed in state last year have all been in the weight rooms all summer and have gained close to 20 pounds. All of them have been getting big for football and have worked hard all summer. I expect them to come out strong.”
Once again Harris will have the help of assistant coach Brandon Morris, who brings a knowledge of college-style wrestling to the team.
“Since Brandon has come here to coach, the team has definitely gotten more advanced in its technique,” Harris said. “He’s a real intense coach and he brings out the best in our kids.”
While much of the success the Mavericks may see this year will come from the team’s previous successful season, Harris said Norwood wrestling has a foundation in place that garners aggressive wrestling on the mat.
“In Norwood, we have an attack-style philosophy,” he said. “We want our kids to be aggressive and attack all the time. We are always one of the top conditioned teams in the state year in and year out, and those two things combined is why Norwood wrestling is always tough.”
The Mavericks will travel as far as Kremmling, Colo., for the West Grand Tournament on Dec. 18 and to Uintah, Utah, on Jan. 7-8. The San Juan Basin League Tournament will be held at Nucla High School on Feb. 4-5 with the state tournament closing the season out on Feb. 17-19.
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