The Palo Alto boys wrestling team opened the season with a strong performance, defeating Lynbrook 53–25 at home on Dec. 4. The Vikings showcased depth early in the year, with both returning wrestlers and new competitors contributing to the win.
“We put in work this offseason and it’s showing,” junior Brian Miller said. “Our new guys are putting in work. Some of them had their first wrestling matches ever and even though they were having their first wrestling matches they competed and they performed.”
Two days later, Paly traveled to compete in the Fehlman Baxter Memorial Duals tournament, finishing fourth out of eight teams. Despite securing several wins, the team felt there were areas where they could improve moving forward.
“I don’t think we performed that well today,” sophomore Reed Hoffman said. “We all seemed a little off but still powered through and got some good wins.”
The Vikings returned to dual competition on Dec. 11 with a road win over Wilcox.
“Things went great for both the seasoned and the new guys,” Miller said. “We went out there to score points and win the dual, so that’s exactly what we did.”
Later in the season, Paly competed in the MLK Duals tournament, finishing with a 2–1 record. The Vikings defeated Milpitas 47–31 and Mountain View 62–17 before falling to Los Gatos.
“Going into the Dual against Los Gatos, we had the confidence to get a win,” Miller said. “We just didn’t have as many experienced wrestlers as they did, and we lost our dual to them.”
During the Lou Bronzan individual tournament on Dec. 29–30, junior Brian Miller secured first place.
“I started off the first day with an early challenge, but made quick work of the rest of the bracket to secure the victory,” Miller said.
Paly also competed in the MIDCALS tournament, where Miller placed seventh with a 5–2 record.
“I think this tournament was good because it exposed a lot of areas of improvement,” Miller said. “It forced us to combat the uncomfortable positions and we got better.”
The Vikings later competed at the SCVAL Finals on Feb. 7.
“The team performed well and everybody qualified for the Northern Regional,” Hoffman said.
