Maple Ridge Secondary's warriors took foes to the mat late last week.

The MRSS Ramblers wrestling team was well represented at the War on the Floor tournament, held over three days at the Langley Events Centre.

On Dec. 21, Ramblers' coach Bill McCrae said the competition has been "fantastic" for the locals.

"Today," he predicted Friday afternoon, "we have three athletes here and all three should be in the final.

They're all in the semifinals and they should win their matches."

(Results from Friday afternoon's matches were not available due to early press deadlines).

McCrae was impressed by the venue, saying the only thing close to it was the facility at the provincials in Penticton.

"This is a real treat for us," McCrae said.

"Everything's so clean. You can see from anywhere. As a coach you can sit back and watch your wrestlers."

In his 23rd year coaching high school wrestling, McCrae said he has seen a lot of improvement in the quality of matches.

"As soon as we got that gold medal from [Canadian Olympian] Daniel Igali, we've noticed that Canadian wrestlers can win on an international stage," he said.

The presence of two-time Olympic medalist Carol Huynh gave extra inspiration to the wrestlers, especially the girls, in McCrae's opinion.

McCrae said those who haven't seen amateur wrestling up close had a better appreciation at just how competitive it is.

"Man's oldest and greatest sport," he said.

"Four minutes of non-stop action. Every muscle in the body going."

tlandreville@mrtimes.com