Villa Angela-St. Joseph wrestling coach Bob Mullin was extremely enthusiastic after the performance of the Vikings at the season-opening tournament on Dec. 12-13.
VASJ had four placers at the very competitive North Coast Classic hosted by Normandy at Independence High School.
Joey Tromba and Mar-Cel English earned fifth place, Kevin Mullin finished sixth and Daniel Cervenik finished eighth despite having to take the ACT on Saturday.
“I am very pleased and extremely happy for these guys,” Bob Mullin said. “It’s a good group who works hard. This is a very good start for us and should hopefully carry over to the next tournament at Waterloo.”
Cervenik was 5-0 on the first day of pool wrestling while Tromba, English and Mullin were all 4-1 on Friday.
Coach Mullin said the competition level at the North Coast Classic will give the Vikings an idea of how difficult the field will be at the Division III district tournament later this winter.
The upcoming tournament at Waterloo is for Division III teams only, so that will also serve as a good measuring stick for VASJ.
Mullin also said several wrestlers gave up several pounds at the North Coast Classic and he expects them to drop a weight class moving forward.
“Our guys did very well at Independence against a very good field. Some of the kids that came in and soe of the teams were very impressive,” Mullin said.
“There is a lot to be positive about and a lot to look forward to after the first tournament. I am happy for the guys and I know they are going to work hard to improve.”
