MOSES LAKE — The Big Bend men’s wrestling season started off fast, said head coach Daviaire Dickerson.

“This year (we have) a lot of recruits,” he said. “We just had a couple of duals and we started all freshmen … We wrestled the No. 1 team in the nation, (North Idaho College). At the time they were No. 5 but in the last two weeks they went to No. 1. We won one match from there … got some extra points, competed in a few others.”

The Vikings lost the match against North Idaho, but stepped back up at the Mountaineer Open at Eastern Oregon University in LaGrande, where they faced some heavy hitters including not only North Idaho but also Clackamas and Umpqua community colleges, as well as several four-year schools. Dickerson’s guys gave a good account of themselves, he said. 

“Hunter (Tibodeau) ended up … pinning the kid he’d lost to two days ago (at NIC) for third place,” Dickerson said. “So that was a good feeling. And we had a couple of fifth-place finishes.” 

BBCC’s first program win as part of the National Junior College Athletic Association came Nov. 16-17 on a road trip to Oregon. 

“We beat Umpqua – we forfeited 12 points, and then we were still able to win,” Dickerson said. 

The Vikings lost the second dual, against Southwest Oregon Community College, 32-21, Dickerson said. 

Dickerson said his squad is working on its focus on details and technique. 

“That's the biggest thing,” he said. “We’ve got the eye test; our guys look tough. They look the part. Now we’ve got to focus on the details and the actual technique. We’ve got big, physical guys that are ready to fight against anybody, but it's not about fighting. It's about wrestling.” 

Tibodeau lost in the dual against NIC due to an error, but he said he and his teammates are learning a lot from Dickerson. 

“We don't like losing, but I think Coach has put me in the right positions to learn from all my mistakes, and I haven't regressed at all.” 

Tibodeau said he’s concentrating on speed.  

“It's a little tough to move around sometimes and stay light on my feet,” he said, “but being faster than most other heavyweights, if I can just move, then that's a huge advantage.” 

The heavyweight bracket includes wrestlers anywhere from 197 to 285, a range of almost 100 pounds, which means Tibodeau is going to the mat against some big fellows. 

“There's some tanks up there who are cutting from 300 to get to 285,” he said. “Those guys are never fun to see.” 

One thing Tibodeau has learned is that however the beginning of the season goes, the important thing is to keep their eye on the endgame. 

“Coach is always saying these tournaments don't matter as much,” he said. “It just matters how much you do at the end of the season. So that's where we need to perform.” 

    Big Bend Community College sophomore Mac Laird of Ephrata hurls a WSU Cougar wrestler into the mat.