Preview: Young, enthusiastic wrestlers return to mats

Scotts Valley
Third-year had coach Jared Norman knows his team is young and inexperienced, but the enthusiasm and work ethic of this year’s wrestling squad at Scotts Valley High has him chomping at the bit.
“These guys are all workhorses,” Norman said. “We are really young, but potentially this team matches up very well with any team in the league.”
Senior Chris Youmans (9-4), wrestling at 152 pounds, placed fifth in his class at the weekend’s Coast Classic Tournament.
At the same tournament, teammate David Nice (7-4), a 160-pound junior, won four of his matches but lost by decision to Oscar Hawkes of Los Gatos, placing fourth in the Coast Classic.
Grant Margerum (119 pounds) and Kevin Edington (103 pounds) both hold 5-5 records thus far and look to win their weight classes in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League.
“They are smart,” Youmans said. “We are all good wrestlers, but it is a tough league.”
San Lorenzo Valley
SLV has boasted great wrestlers in the past few years, and the legacy appears to be in good hands.
Senior Logan Kellogg (189 pounds) is the returning SCCAL and Central Coast Section champion. Ranked fifth in the state and first in the CCS, his dominance at the Coast Classic solidified those standings. Kellogg, who is undefeated on the season, gave up only one point in the five rounds of the tournament.
Coach Ken Pollastrini has a number of weapons going into league this year.
“We’re good,” Pollastrini said. “We have studs all over the place. Kellogg, Michael Kraft and Ben Landauer (215 pounds) — all these guys can be great.”
At 112 pounds, Kraft (10-3), a sophomore, is a returning league champion. He won the SCCAL tournament last year as a freshman in the 103-pound weight class and has bumped up to 112 pounds, where he seems to be dominant again.
After the tournament, Elliot Doran (7-2 at 125 pounds) and Karl Johnson (3-2 at 171 pounds) both hold winning records for the Cougars, as well.