Last season was a terrific year for the Auburn Mountainview wrestling squad.

After taking second in the South Puget Sound League 3A dual season, with only one loss to eventual 3A state champion and rival Enumclaw, the Lions sent 10 wrestlers to Mat Classic.

Fueled by third-place finishes from T.J. Peretti at 130 pounds and Tyler King at 135, the Lions snagged their best-ever finish, cracking the state’s top 10 with a 58-point, ninth-place effort in the Tacoma Dome.

This year could be even better, according to fifth-year coach Adam France.

“Varsity wise we have depth,” France said. “We’re still a young school, so we haven’t been able to build depth that we want in the total program. But we’ve got depth at varsity. We’ve got nine or 10 weights that we’re pretty pleased with on our varsity lineup, where we can pull out victories at most duals, depending on who we’re facing.”

Peretti and King, returning seniors and team captains, agree.

“We lost a few seniors last year, but we still have a solid lineup,” Peretti said. “We don’t have everyone at every weight. I think we started out our practices more intense than most teams in the state this year. So far I think we’re in the best shape in the state, at least of everybody we’ve faced. We’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing.”

“It was a big step,” King said. “We always trained pretty hard, but I think last year our confidence improved. We had a lot of guys placing like, top three, top four and top five against wrestlers from all over the nation, like at Tri-State. We placed in the top 10 there. I think we’re one of the top contenders in state now.”

In addition to King and Peretti, the team boasts returning state competitors in Matt Anderson, Brandon Perry, Drew Dacey and Patrick Peterson. The team also returns Lilia Gudyzuk for the girls squad.

The Lions are 2-0 in the SPSL 3A, with wins over Franklin Pierce and White River.

This weekend the Lions will compete in the Tri-State Wrestling Tournament at North Idaho College in Couer d’Alene, measuring their ability against the best wrestlers from Washington, Idaho and Oregon.

But for the Lions, their biggest competition will come Jan. 7 when they host defending league champion Enumclaw.

“Enumclaw would be the No. 1 team right now,” France said. “But we really believe that we have a legitimate shot at picking them off if things go right. But things need to go right, and we really need to be able to put away the demons of the past couple years. But I think that if we can do it, it will be this year.

“I’m hoping we can fill the stands with a bunch of orange and blue, and battle, no matter what happens, come out of it feeling good. Then it would be a victory for our team.”

“We’re getting closer and closer to beating them every time,” King said.

“It’s going to take a lot of hard work, though,” Peretti said. “You can’t slack off with Enumclaw.”

Also looming on the schedule for Auburn Mountainview is a Jan. 13 dual at Bonney Lake against the Panthers, who placed sixth in 3A at Mat Classic last season.

“I think this league will come down to Enumclaw, us and Bonney Lake,” France said.

Despite how the team does this year in the win-loss column, however, France said he has a higher purpose when it comes to building the program.

“The wins and the losses are one thing, but really watching the kids mature has been the most pleasing to me,” he said. “There are some who will never be on the front page of the newspaper, but you can see them change from beginning to end as athletes. Even though they might not be the best athletes, they have a better understanding of themselves as a competitor, which I like to see.

“It’s been exciting and frustrating, every emotion you can think of, but very, very rewarding,” France said. “All of those emotions just make everything more enjoyable when you see the positives coming out. Like these guys, leading their own warm-ups. That’s a big deal.”

The Lions will resume their regular-season dual matches at 7 p.m. Jan. 6 at Clover Park.