Fountain Hills High School wrestling coach Luke Salzman said that the roster of competitors has slimmed down this season, but that doesn’t mean that the Falcons will hit the match with any less heart.

The team is down in numbers, sporting a lineup of about a dozen grapplers. But Salzman said he’s looking forward to helping the local guys progress through another tough season of competition.

“We have a lot of new faces in the room,” Salzman said. “A couple of new guys to the sport and a couple that moved with wrestling backgrounds who are ready to wrestle.”

Last year’s senior class was a big one, but the Falcons still have quite a bit of experience returning to the mat in 2017-18. Salzman said that should provide a nice foundation of experience for the program to build on.

“We have some juniors and seniors that have been around for a long time and are hungry and ready to lead the squad,” he added.

With a roster about half the size of what it has been in recent years, Salzman said that some seasons it can be difficult to find young athletes that mesh well with the sport. Those that he has found, though, are willing to put in the work necessary to be successful.

“Wrestling takes the right kid to buy in,” Salzman continued. “Those kinds of kids are hard to find nowadays. We have a small team, but these guys are great kids and all are hard workers.”

With that in mind, Salzman said his goals for this season are the same as they’ve always been.

“Our goal every day in practice is to work hard and get better,” he added. “Same thing goes when we compete. Constantly get better and peak in February.”

And while a smaller roster means the Falcons might not be able to fill every position at every match, there are some advantages to this kind of team makeup.

“We have a small team, and that means these guys get attention and coaching from a great, dedicated coaching staff,” Salzman said. “We have some guys on our team that will turn heads. They are tough and ready to compete.”

The high school wrestling season is set to begin this Friday, Dec. 1, with a road trip to Buckeye Union High School to take part in the 45th Annual Jerry Benson Invitational Wrestling Tournament. Matches are set to kick off at 9 a.m.

The Falcons will only host one match this season, so local fans are encouraged to mark their calendars for Wednesday, Dec. 13, when the team will welcome opponents to the high school gym beginning at 2 p.m.