Gaylord Strand, member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, has coached the Yelm High School boys wrestling program for 50 years. After leading Yelm to numerous league championships, a plethora of state champion wrestlers and one state championship team throughout his tenure, Strand will retire at the conclusion of the season.
Strand said there’s still a lot of work to be done until then, however, including improving upon the team’s eighth-place finish at the Mat Classic in the 2022-23 season.
“The team goals are to place higher than we did last year at state. We placed eighth, and I felt we could’ve done better. We’re projected to do better than that this year by certain coaches, and if all holds true, we can do that,” Strand said. “Personally, since it’s my last year, I want to leave this team better for next year than what it was when I got it this season. I have a really young team, and there’s a lot of numbers this year. Whoever I leave the team to, I want them to be successful with the athletes that are coming back. It looks like they could have more success next year than I could have this year.”
Strand said the foundation of the team this year is built upon younger athletes, including junior Lake Harris, who placed second at the 2023 Mat Classic in February. He anticipates strong seasons from a trio of sophomores, Jonah Smith, Wesley Thompson and AJ Erickson, who each appeared at the state tournament, as well. Smith placed fourth as a freshman, while Thompson placed eighth. Strand said Erickson didn’t place at state due to competing in an extremely tough weight class, but he believes his athlete can do so this season.
He added that sophomore Ashton Carreto, former YHS wrestler William Carreto’s younger brother, has improved in the early stages of the 2023-24 season. The coach said freshman Ethan Venuto will wrestle in the 106-pound weight class and has grown as a wrestler a lot in little time.
Strand also hopes for junior Tate Oberhansley, who wrestled in the state tournament as a freshman, to return from injury around Christmas. Oberhansley will wrestle in the 126-pound weight class, and Strand believes his return to the lineup would toughen it up.
The Owens brothers, Ethan and Hunter, have stood out to Strand in the early season, as well. Ethan, a junior, will wrestle in the 138-pound or 144-pound division, while Hunter, a sophomore, will compete in the 132-pound or 138-pound division.
Junior Kaleb Holman, his freshman brother Hunter Holman and junior Genesis Finch round out the team.
Strand said he’d ideally like to send 10 wrestlers to the Mat Classic in February 2024.
“We have a couple holes right now in the lower weights, and I’m trying to get those filled in,” Strand said. “We’re young, and a couple schools in our league look to be tough in Capital and River Ridge. My goal is to finish out the season undefeated again. It’s been many, many years since we lost a league match. It’s going to be hard holding on to that this year.”
This year’s wrestling team features 52 wrestlers, and Strand said that’s about the same roster size as the previous season. He said the team’s key tournaments this season include the Pat Alexander Invite at Tumwater High School, the Lake Stevens Invitational and the Gut Check Tournament, which Strand described as the biggest tournament of the season.
Home Tornado wrestling meets this season are on Dec. 21 against Gig Harbor, Oak Harbor and Nathan Hale, Jan. 11 against North Thurston, Jan. 16 against Peninsula, Jan. 18 against Central Kitsap and Jan. 23 against Bethel.
“It’d be great to get as many people as possible out to the meets this year,” Strand said. “There’s a four-way tournament coming up on Dec. 21, and a former wrestler from Yelm is coming down with his team from Oak Harbor. I also have a teammate I wrestled with in college that coaches at Nathan Hale, and he’ll bring his team down to wrestle us, too.”
Yelm’s wrestling program invites the community to celebrate Strand as he coaches his final home dual as the program’s head coach. The event is set to begin at 4:45 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 23, when Yelm wrestles the Bethel Bison. At the conclusion, community members can join former wrestlers, coaches and current athletes to celebrate Strand’s career with speakers, presents and food.
“You reflect every day when you know it’s your last season. Every time you step on a bus to go to a meet, you realize it’s the last time you’ll be at that meet,” Strand said. “It’s heartwarming. I’m kind of happy in one sense. I’ve got a lot to look forward to the rest of the season, and I’m really looking for my last dual meet on the 23rd of January. We’re putting together some former wrestlers from that meet as a goodbye. I’d like to thank the community and all of my wrestlers for supporting me, but that time will come. But I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
