It's time to strap on the head gear, pull up the knee pads and lay out the mats because wrestling season has arrived! The Bruin squad is ready to rumble and tumble their way through the San Joaquin Athletic Association competition. With key returning athletes such as seniors Elias Ponos, Chris Thatcher and Steven Ness as well as juniors Aric Stone, Jessie Servin and Jules Plaisance, the Bruins hope for a top three finish in league competition. "I see them as an encouraging group of wrestlers; the only thing we lack is a solid group of heavyweights," wrestling coach Merlin Kolb said. "Right now we have no varsity wrestlers in the heavier weight classes." The 171, 189 and 215+ weight classes are in need of wrestlers but Kolb is happy with the rest of his team. "All of our athletes that left last year have been properly replaced by their wrestling partners, so we didn't lose any team talent from last year," Kolb said. Another bright side to this team is the female wrestlers. For the first time since 1998 graduate Diane Aso, two female wrestlers have made it through the first month of wrestling practice. Junior Amanda Torres and sophomore Nancy Tran remain on the team after two months and have no plans of quitting anytime soon. Tran decided to join the wrestling squad after wrestling her brother at home and enjoying it. "I love the rush wrestling provides," Tran said. "It's like I can't feel any pain. At my very first competition I got a big black eye but I didn't feel a thing." Other wrestlers do no tmind the female competition but rather focus on the struggle of the sport. "Wrestling is a sport of pride," sophomore Gerardo Garcia said. "You work and sacrifice so much to do the sport you love." Ringworm continues to be a problem for the team but by using new chemicals to clean the mats Kolb hpes to hold the virus back. "There is always going to be a problem with wrestling teams and ringworm," Kolb said. "But we are taking every precaution we can." Wrestlers feel safe from the ringworm problem and do not worry about it. "The ringworm problem isn't as big as everyone says," Tran said. Wrestlers look forward to their first competition and have high hpes for their team. "We're going to do good this year," Garcia said. "We keep on practicing hard and working toward our goal and we'll do good." Every day after school, the wrestling team meets in the cafeteria to perfect their moves and prepare for the season. The wrestlers began their season last Saturday at the Bronco Roundup in Sacramento's Belle Vista High. Though expected to finish low among the stiff competition, the team managed to place fourth overall. The first league match is on Dec. 16 against St. Mary's at Bear Creek.