In every measurable way, this year’s Bainbridge High School wrestling team is lean. Both on the scale and the roster sheet, it’s clear that the 13-Spartan-strong squad is going to have to do more with less to stay competitive this year.

But sometimes, BHS Head Coach Dan Pippinger said, being the underdog is the perfect place to start.

“It’s a small group of guys, but that’s pretty typical of us,” he explained.

“We’ve got a pretty diverse group with this group. I’ve got a lot of kids that are brand new to the sport and I’ve got a few kids that are coming back who have some good state-level experience, so it’s a bit of a balancing act making sure everyone’s getting what they need.”

Of course, this early in the season, what everyone needs is fundamentals. Something Pippinger and his coaching staff rigorously address at the start of every year, he said, regardless of the team’s overall experience level.

“We’re so much about fundamentals and doing those things right that it really doesn’t matter,” Pippinger said. “My captains especially are really setting the tone.”

Filling the role of co-captains of the baker’s dozen-sized team this year are star returners Hague Bush and Aaron Jumpa — the squad’s only senior, who brought home an eighth-place finish in the 160-pound division at last season’s Mat Classic State Wrestling Tournament.

Rounding out the roster are junior Michael Malone; sophomores Clay Wren, Cade Topham, Nathanael Michaels and Jared Gray; and freshmen Abraham Muldrow, Oleg Maguire, Alexander Loleas, Akio Hansen, Sloan Gibson and Rachel Longridge.

The team’s guiding philosophy this season is three-fold, the coach explained.

“Our theme this year is ‘Giving Great,’” Pippinger said. “Giving great effort, giving great support and giving great focus.”

Pippinger said he did not know which schools were shaping up to be greater rivals this year, so he is focusing instead on getting as much training done early on for his predominantly young team.

Though perhaps not as great a season overall for the BHS team, he said, this year was shaping up to be a great one for many of the more experienced members.

“I haven’t really heard much about anybody at this point,” he said. “As a team, we’re not going to compete for the league title this year. But I always pretty much feel that if we’ve got a kid that’s been in the program for a couple years, they’re going to be in the finals in the league tournament and a couple of my underclassmen will get there, too.”

The coach said the team expected hard lessons early on for the newbies, but quick improvement later in the schedule.

“With these young guys, the great thing is that most of them are picking up really quick,” he said. “They haven’t developed things that you have to correct or break them out of.”

Though historically a successful winter program at BHS, wrestling received the least number of potential members during season tryouts last week, a result which Pippinger chalked up to a general misconception about the sport and his squad’s notoriously demanding requirements.

“I think there are several factors,” he explained. “Some of it is that kids don’t understand the sport and it’s intimidating.

“The other part of it, the reason why we’re successful, [is] we give more effort than anybody,” he added. “Kids know if they’re coming out for wrestling it’s going to be really hard.

“It’s just tough. And the reality is there’re a lot of easier things to do.”

The Spartan wrestling season begins Saturday, Nov. 28, with the Kingston Jamboree at Kingston High School, a sort of unofficial team preview event where wrestlers can get on the mat against someone from another school in a real-world situation while coaches can scope out the competition.

The Spartans’ main host event, the annual Island Invitational, is slated for 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 9 at BHS.

For now, though, the island squad is focused on the nitty gritty details. The first week of practice, Pippinger said, is all about establishing habits.

“The details are important,” he said, for the coaches as well as the wrestlers. “It’s also, for us, trying to remind ourselves, coming into a new season, of what our philosophy is. Making sure that the kids know they’re cared about, that they know we’re going to say a lot more positive things than we are criticizing. We’re going to make sure that when they’re successful they get a lot of affirmation for that kind of thing.

“Your ability shouldn’t matter as much as your character and who you are as a person and what you give to what you’re hoping to accomplish,” he added. “There’s enough about wrestling that doesn’t feel good.

“Wrestling, quite frankly, is more often painful than not, so there’s not a lot of intrinsic reward.

“Wrestling tends to be rewarding, not fun.”