The beginning of a new sports season usually brings with it discussion of what a team wants or expects to accomplish over the next two months. After finding success last year, the Mercer Island High School wrestling program is looking to pin down a few big goals this season.

“We’re setting as a team goal to try and win KingCo as a team,” said fifth-year head coach Creighton Laughary. “A lot of people think wrestling is an individual sport, but we really try and focus on the team aspects, like good attendance, showing up, working hard in the room, pushing your practice partner — all of those team aspects to make each individual do well, which hopefully results in an undefeated team record.”

The team sent seven Islanders to the state meet last winter, five of whom have returned to the team, and Laughary said this season that he’d like to bump that number to 10 competing on the mat in the Tacoma Dome.

“It’s a huge goal, but the guys really think it’s doable,” he said. The Islanders are returning from an 8-1 season, with their only loss being to Inglemoor, giving the team a second-place finish in the league. In the 14 varsity weights that high schoolers wrestle in, Laughary said Mercer Island has a veteran wrestler in 10 or 11 of those weight classes and a lot of new freshman looking to fill whatever holes the team might find in the beginning of the season.

“We have good depth this season,” said the coach. “I think it is a testament to, first and foremost, a really strong middle school program. We’re really fortunate to have that, especially at a time of budget cuts when some districts are losing them. We probably have 10 or 12 guys who are freshman and nine or 10 with wrestling experience — one, two or three years.”

In order for the team to accomplish its outlined goals, it will first have to get past other big KingCo teams such as Inglemoor, Woodinville and Bellevue.

“Those are two of our closest opponents,” said Laughary of Inglemoor and Woodinville. “Bellevue is another tough team, and we see them early on. The league is improving with the realignment. In our league, we wrestle a lot of 4A schools, and there are a lot of long-term coaches in the league and a lot of schools that support freestyle wrestling clubs, so there are a lot of athletes wrestling all year round. I think this league has been getting better for the last five years.”

Another key for the team to make those goals a reality is that wrestlers will need to continue to get better and work hard. The five returning state competitors are all juniors and sophomores this year, and Laughary said he is looking for the seniors to step up as well.

“Our seniors are a good leadership presence on the team, and we hope they will step up this year in terms of wrestling and have a better win/loss record and have a better postseason run,” he said. “We’re really excited. We’re a fairly young team, so it should be good this year and very good next year.”

Mercer Island will also host the Jack Russell Scholarship Fund Tournament of Excellence on Jan. 16, 2010, at the high school, where teams from across the state will compete in honor of the legendary coach.

“We’re really hoping the wrestling families, and all those alumni will come out and see some good wrestling and support a great cause,” said Laughary.

The team will start its regular season tomorrow night with a home meet against Liberty, before hosting Ballard and Bellevue on Dec. 10.