Multicolored banners adorning a wall in the high school’s new mat room commemorate Auburn’s rich wrestling tradition.

Given that backdrop, it may seem preposterous that several Trojans sense they are not respected by competitors.

But that is how 152-pound Noah McCabe, one of nine returning seniors, feels.

“A lot of people are saying, ‘Oh, Auburn, they don’t have a chance,’” he said. “There is a message board on the Washington Wrestling Report. People talk a lot of smack on there … They don’t realize that we still have a lot of guys that are capable and work hard.”

Jarett Bishop, a 160-pound senior, said some of that stems from Auburn’s graduation losses. The Trojans lost a pair of state champions: Sam Lindsey (182) and Mario Luevano (220). Jacob Apodaca also placed third at 285, while Balteer Rana was eighth at 126.

“I feel like we have something to prove because people are saying we lost too much talent,” Bishop said.

Meanwhile, among the current senior class, only Drew Aplin, who finished seventh at 120, placed. Bishop’s season ended at regionals.

“People, including myself, underperformed last year,” he said. “I think we can really improve on that. Everyone is shooting to win it all.”

Fifth-year coach Dennis Herren said Luevano was a role model for the current senior class because he had never advanced to state before last season.

“He was an example for the entire room that anything is possible if you start being a champion in the present,” he said.

Senior Alex Murray, who wrestles at 182, often practiced against Lindsey, and sometimes Luevano.

“I learned almost everything I know,” he said. “They just beat me up relentlessly, and every time I didn’t do something right, they forced me to do it right.”

The presence of the Trojans’ three state placers in the heavier weight classes meant several wrestlers, such as Murray and Beshawndre Appleton – who plans to compete at 195 once he returns from a torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee – were junior varsity at times depending on whether Lindsey wrestled at 182 or 195 last season. Or, as Herren and junior-varsity coach Josh Girello dubbed it: “the second line.”

“They won the league title and went undefeated in duals,” Herren said. “Those guys also scored a lot of points in the league tournament. They’re all back, they’re hungry, and they’ve had another year of teenage hormones. Strength is on the up and up.”

And motivation.

Herren said this year’s team performed better than the 2014-15 squad during summer camp at Oregon State University.

“These kids have gone to camps on their own – and as a team,” he said. “They want it, and they believe they can get it.”

Scanning the room, Herren said he sees about 20 boys and five girls who could place at state. About eight boys and three or four girls need to accomplish that in February at Mat Classic XXVIII at the Tacoma Dome to win team state championships. The Trojans’ boys team won state titles in 1994 and ’96.

“The perfect dream is to win a men’s and women’s state title in the same year,” Herren said.

Murray shared similar sentiments.

“I feel like we’re going to be a state championship team,” he said. “We have so many seniors this year that we’re all grinding for it. We’re all shooting high.”

While the seniors are expected to comprise the majority of the varsity lineup – Bishop noted that he and a few others have wrestled together since they were 5 – they could receive assistance to reach their goals through the help of others.

“Last year, we had a problem with the lower weights,” McCabe said. “We didn’t have a 113- or 106-pounder really. This year, we have two freshmen who I think will fill those voids.”

For now, when the 60 Auburn wrestlers are not practicing, they are serving as interior decorators. While the banners are in place, athletes are busy making other cosmetic changes, such as posters.

“It’s kind of like moving into a house,” Herren said. “I think if we sweat enough in the room, it will finally smell like us and we’ll know we’re home.”

If Bishop needs a reminder – or motivation – his eyes focus on the multicolored banners.

“A few of us have relatives up there,” said Bishop, whose father, Dwight, placed fifth at 158 in 1985 and now coaches at Olympic Middle School. “It’s a great tradition of Auburn, and this new room is just amazing. We have two full mats, which is way different than what we had before. There’s just much more room for everyone to practice and work hard.”