In his fourth and final year with the Interlake wrestling team, senior Luke Manchester has added new pinning combinations to his arsenal that he hopes will pay off at the Mat Classic in February.

Manchester, who normally wrestles at 113 pounds and occasionally at 120 pounds, said he has focused on getting more points in his matches, rather than just looking for pins. At the Mat Classic last year, Manchester went 1-2, with both of his losses coming by decision.

“That was one of the areas that I wasn’t the best at,” Manchester said about collecting points. “So that’s something I want to work on.”

Manchester said his goal for the season is to get back to state and to improve on his performance from last year. He said he will continue to improve on his wrestling and cutting out any mistakes.

In his four years of high school wrestling as well as seeing his older brother wrestle at Interlake before him, Manchester has picked up a handful of different moves, which comes in handy.

“Each person has their own style, so you get to see that and work with that,” Manchester said. “Over the years, it builds your own personal plethora of moves.”

Manchester said his biggest strength on the mat is his collection of moves, along with his conditioning.

“With so many different types of wrestlers, you have a bunch of different situations, so having a lot of moves really helps with that,” Manchester said.

At the Island Invitational wrestling tournament on Jan. 11 on Bainbridge Island, Manchester won the 113-pound division by defeating his teammate and wrestling partner Carson Fricke in the finals.

Manchester said he uses his experience to help out his teammates as much as he can.

“I try to help others progress as much as I have,” Manchester said. “Being here four years, I’ve gotten to see my partners progress so much. (Fricke) has really progressed from the previous year. He has a great future ahead of him and he can go really far.”

As he heads into the postseason, Manchester said his favorite memory as a wrestler at Interlake actually took place off of the mat.

“Every year, we take a ferry to Bainbridge Island early in the morning,” Manchester said. “It’s a great time. You can see all the water and the city from the ferry.”

Manchester said the trip to Bainbridge Island is important because it helps everyone get to know each other.

The Reporter asked Manchester a series of questions to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into his life:

Favorite book:

The Harry Potter series. They’re very fun.

Favorite subject in school:

Math and science.

Hidden talent:

I actually fly planes. I want to be an aerospace engineer. I’ve always loved planes since I was very small and when I was 14, I took a flying lesson and I’ve loved it ever since.

Favorite food:

Not during the wrestling season, it’s definitely brownies.

Your perfect off-day:

Playing video games and eating brownies and a bunch of other junk food. Not worrying about my weight.