3A-14 Preview: Held returning to lead rebuilding Cypress Bay

Notable losses (Graduation/Transfer): Vishal Ramnarine, RQ, D3; Jeremiah Diggs, 13-4, RQ, D3.

Notable returning wrestlers: #18-165 Mateo Martinez, So., 10-4, RQ, DC; Zair Vides, So., RQ, D4; Izaya Baez, So., RQ, D4; Blake Higgs, Jr., RQ, D4; Nicholas Alonso, Jr., RQ, DC.

What they are saying: "The strongest point is our depth. I will have at least 50-60 kids on the team and we are creating a culture of wrestling where practice is not optional. It's somewhere that you want to be. We're not quite there yet, but it's definitely going in the direction I want it to go."

On keeping kids engaged: "We got a really good base and they have fun when they're in the room. We try to keep it light and not that serious. Because you know, they got two more years. And they're not kids that have been wrestling since kindergarten that eat and sleep wrestling. So you know they're teenagers, they got other they've got other things going on. I try not to shove it down their throat because I've seen kids and it's just too much for them."

On scheduling for a young team: "I've got assistant coaches that want us to do much tougher tournaments and we're just not ready for that yet. Mateo might be, but overall as a team, I want to try to keep their win-loss record around 60 to 70%. One or two kids might benefit from going down to Dade County and wrestling those teams, but the rest of your kids are going to say that this ain't fun getting pinned in a minute. So I try to keep the competitions to the point where we are as a team."

On the district race: "I think it's going to come down to whoever's healthiest at the time. You know, I'm lucky in the fact that I've got really good depth."