The Chelan High School wrestling team participated in last Saturday’s Connell Invitational, and did well; the Goats placed fifth out of 12 teams and boasted two individual champions.

Thanks to some unfavorable weather conditions, the team had an opportunity to celebrate its success in a unique way. Since the roads from Quincy to Chelan were slick and caked with snow, the Goats were forced to stay the night in Moses Lake.

“I was surprised to hear that we might have to stay in Moses Lake because the weather was so bad, and I didn’t believe it until my wife sent me pictures,” said Chelan coach Jay McGuffin. “Since safety was the No. 1 priority, (we) stayed the night in Moses Lake. I don’t think the kids minded one bit. The hotel had an indoor pool and hot tub.”

McGuffin hopes that the mini-vacation will serve as a bonding experience for his squad, which is filled with young and inexperienced grapplers.

Thanks to injuries and ineligibility, only 22 of the team’s 30 wrestlers are currently able to compete, McGuffin said.

That means that several of the Goats’ new competitors are going to be getting a lot of early-season mat time.

“I have more new wrestlers than I would like to have in the line-up, but that’s what happens when you have to deal with ineligibility and injury,” McGuffin said. “The upside to that is that it will pay off sooner than later. As you throw the new guys to the sharks, they learn to swim quick, making them better, faster swimmers; wait, wrestlers, I mean.

“My biggest concern so far has been filling the weights. I would love to have more competition in the room for varsity spots, but we just aren’t there yet. I am hoping that will be the case come January.”

Coaching a young team comes with its own set of challenges, but McGuffin hopes to see steady improvement throughout the year by emphasizing fundamentals, effort and dedication first and foremost.

“I have a cup-half-full outlook for the season,” he said. “I am hopeful that all the pieces of the puzzle will fit together by the middle of January and carry into February when it all counts. Everything leading up until then is just mat time.

"I think the biggest challenge a coach has with a young team is keeping the kids motivated through the tough times. You have to let the young kids know it’s not about the wins and losses, but about putting the time in to get better. If they are willing to do that, the wins will come. Oh, and you have to make it fun, because if it isn’t fun, kids burn out and don’t make it to the end.”

At the Connell invite, Cole Schwartz (189 pounds) and Jorge Villasenor (160 pounds) took first place in their respective weight divisions. McGuffin will look to those two wrestlers as leaders this season.

“Both Cole and Jorge have high expectations of themselves and back it up by putting in the work it takes to be successful,” he said. “I am fortunate that they have both stepped up and taken a leadership role on the team. Guys on the team notice they are always eligible, respectful during school, hard-working during practice, mentally prepared for competition and physically fit to wrestle 100 percent for six-plus minutes. Like a bad cold, I hope everyone on the team catches it.”

Several other Goats grapplers have shown promise early on.

Jose Aparicio moved up a weight class and placed third at 285 pounds in Connell.

“When I told Jose that morning that he was wrestling 285 he seemed a little nervous, but I knew he could be competitive,” McGuffin said. “Jose is only 200, but strong and quick. I simple told him to wear the big guys out and good things will happen.”

Alex Cortez at 215 and Alby Paz at 171 both came back through the consolation bracket to place fourth.

“Alby and Alex had a long day,” McGuffin said. “Both wrestled five matches on the day, and both went 4-1. The consolation bracket really shows coaches how tough a wrestler is because you have to wrestle so much more. Both Alex and Alby made it through the back door and are bringing home hardware, so yeah, they are pretty tough.

“Alby could be pound-for-pound the strongest kid on the team. He is mean, too. He’s not a mean person, but he’s mean on the mat. He loves to put the hurt on kids, to the point where they just want to give up.

"Alex is a kid to watch out for. He is currently 7-1 on the season and just a sophomore. Alex works as hard if not harder than anyone on the team and he always wants to stay after practice to get better. These days that is exactly what it takes if you want to reach your goals. Kids don’t understand that success doesn’t just happen out of thin air.”

Justin Buyas at 119 placed fifth, and Billy Poppie at 152 and Eric Shannon at 125 both brought home sixth.

“Billy Poppie and Jose Aparicio are two others that fans should keep their eyes on,” McGuffin said. “Both are juniors this year and starting to really see how successful they could be if they continue to work hard daily and learn the system in place here at Chelan.”