This year's Vikings wrestling team is leaving quite the impression on Siuslaw coach Neil Wartnik.

"The team is so fun to coach," he said. "They care about each other and support each other well."

They also get in a lot of work, with a current stretch of four matches in eight days.

That includes Tuesday's home three-way duals with Siletz Valley/Eddyville Charter and Toledo, as well as the Vikings' premier annual event, the Nick Lutz Memorial Invitational, at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Siuslaw sent 16 wrestlers into battle at the Sutherlin Wrestling Classic this past Saturday — 12 boys and 4 girls, a day after competing in the Sky-Em League Dual Championships at Junction City.

"We looked tired and a bit run down last week," Wartnik said. "Sickness is going around. Nonetheless, we saw a number of positives."

Among those, he notes:

"Many of our guys took some lumps Friday, but Riley Jennings had a stellar outing, going 4-0; Elijah LaCosse and Christian Newlan were both 3-1.  JV wrestler Ricky Loza was 3-0 on the day.

"The boys team rallied Saturday and had a solid showing.

"Elijah LaCosse place second at 132. His 19-4 victory over Chance Ralston from Cottage Grove was particularly impressive given that Ralston had beaten him 12-4 just the day before.

"Matthew Horrillo wrestled well, placing third at 285, after a pair of disappointing losses Friday.

"Brothers Ryan (152) and Riley (170) Jennings wrestled tough both days and responded well when pitted against elite opponents.  Both placed fourth in their respective weight classes.

"JV wrestlers Antwan Ho, John Corser, Zekiah Hunt, and JC Gentry showed marked improvement.

"On the girls' side, Bailey Overton and Adriana Edwards wrestled very well both days. Both placed second in their brackets Saturday.

"Hayden Muller and Kinga Bugajska both wrestled tough against tough competition."

Wartnik, a man of faith, has invested a lot of it in this group.

"They listen well and respond to the coaching staff with great maturity," he said.

"I'm excited to see their continued progress."

VIKINGS SCHEDULE

• Tuesday, Jan. 15 — Siuslaw 3-way with Siletz Valley, Toledo, 6 p.m.
• Saturday, Jan. 19 — Nick Lutz Memorial Invitational, Siuslaw, 9 a.m.
• Tuesday, Jan. 22 — Siuslaw at Philomath/Alsea, time to be announced
• Friday-Saturday, Jan. 25-26 — Cottage Grove Invitational, time to be announced
• Thursday, Jan. 31 — Siuslaw Senior Night Duals with South Eugene, South Umpqua, 5 p.m.
• Saturday, Feb. 2 — Siuslaw at OWC Duals, Philomath, 10 a.m.
• Friday-Saturday, Feb. 8-9 — Special District 2 Regional Championships, Junction City

VIKINGS ROSTER
Girls
Freshmen (2)

• Hayden Muller
• Bailey Overton

Sophomore (1)

• Adrianna Edwards

Junior (1)

• Kinga Bugajska, exchange student from Poland

Boys
Freshmen (3)

• Rohn Butler
• John Corser
• JC Gentry

Sophomores (8)

• Hector Garcia
• Louis Gentry
• Zekiah Hunt
• Ryan Jennings
• Elijah LaCosse
• Brady Libby
• Christian Newlan
• Isaiah Seeley

Juniors (5)

• Antwan Ho
• Matthew Horrillo
• Pedro Infante
• Ricky Loza
• Logan York

Senior (1)

• Riley Jennings