Orting wrestling reaping rewards of youth program. Is a dynasty coming?

As consistently successful as the Orting wrestling team has been, the Cardinals believe they may be on the precipice of a truly special run.

Orting teams always seem to find their way into the Top 3 in Class 2A when Mat Classic comes around in mid-February. And the Cardinals have finished as the runner-up in four of the past five state tournaments held.

“That just seems like what is expected,” senior Owen Cline said. “We’re Orting. We expect greatness.”

Yet, the Cardinals haven’t managed to win a state team title since they won the 1A championship back-to-back in 2009 and 2010.

The “Little Monsters” may change all that.

“This is the start of the Little Monsters,” Orting coach Jody Coleman said. “This is the first wave of that group. It’s been fun to watch them grow.”

The “Little Monsters” are the wrestlers that have come up through Orting’s junior program, from the fourth grade on. And they will be coming now in a steady stream for the next several years.

Already, those who have now arrived – freshmen and sophomores – have announced their potential. Orting’s middle school program has won the Pierce County Junior Wrestling League each of the last three years.

“The Pierce County junior league is a pretty good indicator of what they might do in high school,” Coleman said.

But Orting took it to the next level.

“Orting has won it by 200 points or more the last three seasons,” Cline said. “They’ve been dominant forever. Those guys will be our next front-runners. They are literally building a dynasty.”

“That gave us a lot of confidence,” freshman Quentin Harding said. “That we’d be able to do it (in high school).”

Cline, who is trying to accomplish a couple of goals of his own in his final go-round, said he is just happy that he gets to be a part of the emergence. The 145-pounder is the favorite to win his first individual state title at Mat Classic on Feb. 18 and 19 at the Tacoma Dome.

It’s a goal Cline has pursued since he was little and learned that his grandfather, Dan Cline, won the 1971 championship – also at 145 pounds.

“In the sixth grade, I quit football and focused down on wrestling,” Owen Cline said. “And winning an individual title would be amazing. But winning state as a team would just be awesome. I really want to get Coleman a state championship. There’s no reason that anyone is better than us.”

Cline, of course, can’t win a team title all on his own. For that to happen, the “Little Monsters” must continue to reap benefits they started building in elementary and middle school.

“Years ago, we put a lot of energy into our junior club,” Coleman said. “So, this team probably was put together about 10 years ago. We’ve tried to focus on making it fun, doing goofy things, to keep the little kids out.”

Just a few of those goofy things include secret Santas, a little kids poster that mirrors the high school team template, and making sure to have the high school kids always around to show the younger guys what they can be.

“I’ve grown up with them,” Cline said. “They are more than just teammates you meet when they get here. We’re like family. This is going to be the start of something special.”

Cline has wrestled club on Team Aggression with several of the Little Monsters, including sophomore Apollo Cruz (126 pounds) and freshman Quentin Harding. Cruz is the younger brother of four-time state winner Alex Cruz, who was one of the older guys as Cline was coming up.

“We’re all young but we’re all pretty mature and willing to do the work,” Harding said. “And we have a great leader in Owen. He’s always pushing us to be better. He knows what it takes.”

Harding, a freshman, is the Cardinals guy at 113 pounds this season, and he has his sights already set on being a champion, both as a team and individually.

“Just being a four-timer is a very big goal I’ve had since the sixth grade,” Harding said. “Ever since I watched Alex (Cruz) do it, I’ve wanted it so bad.”

Another of the Little Monsters, freshman A.J. Salguero, has quickly established himself at 106 pounds.

“He’s just tearing kids up,” Coleman said.

With just weeks to go until regionals and state, Coleman said he is looking forward to having the full complement of weapons ready. The Cardinals have won all season, and are the top-ranked 2A team in the state, despite the setbacks created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We’ve been quarantined three times,” Coleman said. “So we haven’t hit any of the tournaments at full strength yet. So us winning, I think, has caught some people off guard. But they see it happening. I think the kids are ready. They’re certainly talented enough. If they stay together, they will be champions.”

And that statement could carry over for a lot of years to come.

“These kids are going to be insane,” Cline said. “They’re going to win state for the next however many years. I’m just glad to be a part of it at all.”

This story was originally published February 6, 2022 at 5:00 AM.