West High’s varsity wrestlers started their year with a 41-31 win Wednesday at Lodi.

Coach Ed Carlos said it is an encouraging start to the year because he now knows that the Wolf Pack has good wrestlers through all of its weight classes.

“We’ve always been good at the lighter weights, and for the middle and upper weights to step up bodes well for the rest of the season,” Carlos said.

West won eight of the 14 matches, and got a critical win in the 10th match. Jacob Beihl, wrestling in the 145-pound weight class in his first varsity match, scored a pin one minute, 51 seconds into the second round.

West was ahead 31-18 as the teams approached the heavier weight classes where Lodi had the advantage. Beihl was behind 6-2 in his individual match in the second round when he put a reversal on his opponent and turned it into a pin.

“For him to come out and give us a 19-point lead made it tough for Lodi to come back,” Carlos said.

Lodi won the next three matches and had a one more chance to tie it up in the last match of the night in the 189-pound class. West had a 37-31 lead as a team, and Jonathan Cabral-Ramsey, also in his first match as a varsity wrestler, took an 11-4 decision.

“He just came out and wrestled tough and got the win for us,” Carlos said.

Other West wrestlers to win their matches include Justin Martin Del Campo (119), who won by pin 1:58 into the second round; Trevor Manaois (125), with a pin 35 seconds in to the second round; Dan Aflague (130), with an 8-1 decision; Daniel Austin (140), with an 11-3 decision; and Ulysses Juan (103) and Kris Merrill (275), who won their matches by forfeit.

West’s Daniel Mora (135), Tyler Higaki (171) and Michael Anguelo (215) all lost by pin; Daniel Banuelos (152) and Adam Crandall (160) both lost by decision, and West lost the 112-pound match by forfeit.

West goes to the McNair High tournament on Saturday, and on Wednesday will host Tracy High in West’s gym in the annual cross-town dual match.