By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

SALEM, Ore.– A week off doesn’t mean that you can’t work at your craft.

Thursday afternoon, while finals finish up at McKay High School, the Royal Scots wrestling team are hard at work with some live scrimmaging with one another.

Following his match with teammate Andy Rubio, Adam Dryden said that it was important to keep that fire going during what he calls the ‘Dog Days’ of wrestling.

“It’s really important to keep our conditioning up for when we actually go live next week,” said Dryden.  “It also builds up a little fire under the wrestlers butts because these are the dog days, everyone’s spirits are low, everyone wants to go home.  But this kind of builds that fire underneath you to fire you up.”

Before they got going, Head Coach Troy Thomas told his team that he wanted everyone to get at least two matches in during this live scrimmage as other teams in the Greater Valley Conference are dualing other teams and tournaments this week.

But for Julyen Uruo, he knows this is where him and his fellow McKay wrestlers get better before entering back into competition next Thursday versus North Salem and McMinnville.

“This week is kind of our bye and getting these live matches in is really key on keeping us in a competitive state to keep us ready to get back to work next week,” said Uruo.

“This is where you get better, try your new moves, learn how to defend moves.  This is where you get better and improve and it’s a good way to improve and learn something or try something you’ve haven’t tried in a match before.”

Even Matt Jarding, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since the Herrin Holiday Tournament on December 12, 2015, jumped in on a scrimmage with teammate Andy Rubio.

Though he knows he won’t possibly be back this season, the junior pulled out the win as he’s healing up.

“The chances of coming back are unlikely but it feels great that I can still practice and it’s not the end of my career,” said Jarding on his performance this year. “I’ll be back my senior year stronger than ever.”

.Jeremy McDonald is a professional sports journalist in the Salem/Portland area and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalist in Oregon with B.S. degrees from Southern Oregon University in Journalism (2011) and Health/PE (2013).  Got a story idea? Email him at jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com or on Twitter at @J_McDonald81!