PREP WRESTLING: Drive for the title

Cimarron-Memorial looks for fifth state championship

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Cimarron-Memorial High School's drive for a fifth-consecutive state wrestling title will be a bigger test than the others.

Despite losing many of their top wrestlers to graduation -- including individual state champions Gabe Suarez, Zeth St. Clair and four-time champion Randel Aleman -- the Spartans do have state second-place winners Anthony Morales and Neil Spencer returning to the squad. However, the team primarily will look to younger talent this year.

Head Coach Tim Jefferies says while losing so much talent from a championship team will be a challenge, the younger wrestlers will be ready.

"Our history of having tough individuals has helped the younger wrestlers as an example of what it takes to reach that next level," he said. "It will be difficult because we lost three state champions, but teams lose individuals every year, which is part of the game."

Recently, the Spartans got the chance to see how they stack up against the rest of the country as they participated in an eight-team dual tournament in Cleveland.

The Cimarron-Memorial team went up against nationally-ranked schools such as third-ranked Oak Park from Missouri and sixth-ranked St. Paris Graham from Ohio.

Jefferies was glad his young team could participate.

"It was a great experience," he said. "We got some real tough competition and a real bird's eye view of what it's like to wrestle tough competitors."

That experience will prepare the Spartans for the rest of the season as they look to win a tough Sunset region which features the likes of Palo Verde and Mojave, the latter of which beat the Spartans in last year's regional tournament.

The Rattlers have most of their talent from last season returning and are expected to be a top challenger.

Jefferies knows it is tough to continue succeeding with such formidable opponents.

"There always is pressure," he said. "We believe that we can use that pressure to our benefit and motivate us to succeed."

Despite losing the Sunset last year to Mojave, Cimarron did rebound to win the state championship, its fourth in a row and sixth in school history.

But this year's team has little similarities to last year's squad.

"They (last year's team) had to really come back and work really hard to make it happen," Jefferies said. "This year, however, is a new group and a new challenge, so we're up against it."

Jefferies feels the expectations for the team's success are no different than any other year.

"Our goal every year is to win the state tournament regardless of how many strong people we graduate the year before," he said. "We think we have the manpower to do it and that's our expectation."