Another season of high school wrestling began in Iowa yesterday with the first official practices of the season. For the West Central Valley Wildcats and second-year head coach Ethan Calvet, the practice season began Monday morning with 22 young men taking part in a voluntary run before school. The Wildcat wrestlers hit the mat in the afternoon for fundamental work and additional conditioning at the end of practice.

Coach Calvert was a guest on Monday’s Karl Chevrolet of Stuart Guthrie County PM Sports Page and says entering his second season, he’s working on adjusting the pace of his practices. “I feel like, last year, being my first year, I went through things a little too quickly to start off the season,” Calvert said, “So (this year) we are going to focus and hammer down on fundamentals this first week. Those little things that are going to be what wins you matches and gets you on the podium at the state tournament. ”

The fundamentals Calvert and the Wildcat wrestlers will focus on this week include being in a proper stance, circling and creating angles, hand control, shot setups, and ways to use the mat to your advantage. The first competition of the season for the West Central Valley wrestling team is on Thursday, November 30 in a quadrangular dual against East Union, AC/GC, and Nodaway Valley at East Union High School in Afton.