Prior to celebrating the 50-year career of head coach Gaylord Strand, Yelm High School’s boys wrestling program narrowly defeated the Bethel Bison, 37-36, in the “Bad to the Bone” dual on Tuesday, Jan. 23.
Wrestlers Tate Oberhansley, AJ Erickson, Lake Harris and Genesis Finch each picked up victories via pinfall against the Bison, while teammates Wesley Thompson and Kaleb Holman picked up wins by decision. Their teammate Jonah Smith picked up a heavyweight forfeit.
“I’ve been keeping an eye on Bethel,” Strand said. “They’re 11-1 coming into our meet after losing their first match of the season. They’ve won every time since and were on a roll. It could’ve gone either way last night. Those two pins probably made the difference.”
The team’s narrow 37-36 victory was a “close one,” and Strand points at two pinfall victories as the deciding factors in the contest.
“We had two critical pins against Bethel. One of the big pins was Tate (Oberhansley). He went after it. He had a late start this season after dealing with a high ankle sprain. I didn’t see him until after Christmas. We’ve got some time to get him ready,” Strand said. “Another big pin for us was Genesis Finch. Bethel’s 215 pounder that Genesis wrestled may not have looked very good, but I’ve seen him wrestle before, and he wrestles good. I’ve been missing Genesis in the lineup, but we really needed that pin from him, too.”
Erickson and Harris’ pinfall victories were business as usual, Strand said.
“They performed as expected. They’re wrestling really well right now. I have expectations that they’ll pin when they go out,” Strand said. “If they don’t get a pin it’s because they’ve wrestled someone really good or they aren’t feeling well. They’re pinning machines.”
Holman, who won via 12-10 decision, had a good outing, according to his coach. Strand added though Holman wrestled well, he could’ve capitalized when his opponent was reeling early on.
“He started off good, but there was too much separation, and the kid was able to get out of some of Kaleb’s moves,” Strand said. “As the match went on, his opponent gained confidence, and you can’t give anyone that ability.”
Following the conclusion of the regular season, Yelm will compete at Capital High School on Saturday, Feb. 3 in the South Sound Conference championship tournament. The following weekend, on Saturday, Feb. 10, the Tornados’ remaining athletes will compete in the regional tournament. Those who advance to the Mat Classic at the Tacoma Dome will begin their journey to the state championship on Friday, Feb. 16.
“We’ll go back to the basics. That’s what wins matches,” Strand said. “We’ll emphasize conditioning, too, but now it’s all mental. We’ll work on the mental aspect, mental toughness and preparation, what happens if you do lose and how to move on.”
The Tornados celebrated Strand’s 50-year career at the conclusion of the meet against Bethel. The longtime coach said those who attended created a loud and great environment for his athletes.
“The gym was rocking. Last night will be a pretty memorable night for me, but so has everything this year. Last night was my last chance in front of the home crowd, and it was wonderful. To be able to experience that with my family there was amazing,” Strand said. “I want to thank the Yelm community for having my back all of these years, giving me the opportunity to coach their kids and for putting their faith in my program. That means a lot. It’s a lot of responsibility.”
