2016-17 Moapa Valley Wrestling Capsule Preview

Head coach: Tyson Houston, second season

Returning lettermen: Five

Top wrestlers: Trevor Van Vliet (Sr.), Christian Riordan (Sr.), Gavin Henrie (Jr.)

Outlook: Van Vliet, who likely will wrestle at 170 pounds, was a third-place finisher in the Division I-A state meet last year. He is one of only five returning lettermen for the Pirates, who start the season with only 17 wrestlers on the roster.

“In the second year of our new coaching system, we look to improve on our performance from last year,” Houston said. “We lost a lot of experience in the upper weight classes. On the upside, we have a large freshman influx this year and quite a few younger wrestlers. We are looking forward to finding out which of those younger wrestlers is going to step up and take on leadership roles.

“Trevor Van Vliet has put a lot of work in during the offseason, and we look forward to seeing what he can accomplish this year.”