The majority of Christmas trees may have come down by now (if not, someone’s probably getting yelled at), but this is still the most wonderful time of year for West Branch wrestling coach Chris Dorris.

The wrestling postseason begins Saturday with sectional tournaments at various high schools throughout Ohio. The Warriors will host a Division II sectional on Saturday, with a win-or-go-home scenario facing all wrestlers.

“It’s my favorite time of year,” Dorris said. “(The postseason) is our message all year, and it’s not to downplay our season, it’s not to downplay our league — looking for league titles and this, that and the other — but the entire season is practice for sectionals, district and state. To me, that’s exactly what it is.”

Many other teams feel the same way, so Dorris knows the Warriors will have their hands full.

Several teams from the area will be at West Branch, including Girard, Canfield, Howland, Poland and Salem. Louisville, the second-ranked team in the state in Division II, also will be part of the field. The top four placers in each weight class advance to the Perry District, which is next Friday and Saturday, and the fight to get there will be fierce.

It’s all part of what makes this time of year special to Dorris and the Warriors, who took the past two weeks off to avoid any COVID-19 scares or injuries.

“I wanted to refresh the kids, make sure they are coming into the postseason well rested and well refreshed,” Dorris said. “… We just had a pretty aggressive practice today, and our kids looked really good. They looked refreshed, they looked focused and they look ready to go. Right now we’re peaking at the right time, which is what you want.”

The sectional will have a little different format this year.

The lighter weight classes (106 to 145 pounds) will wrestle a full tournament in the morning and finish prior to the upper weight classes arriving later in the day.

Dorris expects the afternoon session to begin around 4 p.m.

It’s a unique change, but the simple fact that there is a postseason is enough to satisfy Dorris and the rest of the teams.

“We didn’t have any tournaments,” said Dorris of a season in which numerous teams didn’t have a chance to wrestle in individual tournaments because of the pandemic. “Our only tournament was the (Eastern Ohio Wrestling League Tournament), and when we looked at the EOWL, when we actually had a chance to wrestle (in a tournament), we performed very well because we had a chance to go see other people — and not just in a dual meet. A tournament setting is completely different than a dual meet.”

Leading the Warriors is a pair of brothers.

Senior Kenny Marra (220 pounds) is 29-1, a three-time state qualifier and ranked in the top 10 in the state. Younger brother Steven Marra is 33-4 and another state-ranked wrestler at 195 pounds.

Dorris referred to the duo as “specimens” in regards to their physical build, and they’ve also been wrestling “since they could walk,” he said.

Both are major contenders to win a sectional title after claiming championships at a very competitive EOWL tournament.

“They are fun kids to coach because you can advance their technique, you can teach them just about anything,” said Dorris of the two captains. “They know their body awareness. There’s so much in wrestling that you can’t teach that kids like the Marras have.”

They’ll likely have some teammates at the district tournament, should they advance.

Senior Tyler Hicks, who took fifth at the EOWL, is a contender at 106 pounds, along with Chris’s son, Michael Dorris, a freshman who placed fourth at 113 pounds at the EOWL. The impressive lightweights continue at 120 with junior Alex Courtney (fourth at EOWL).

The middlweights are strong as well with 152-pound Blake Schmidt (seventh at EOWL) and 170-pound Hudson Brink, a sophomore who was sixth in the league tournament.

“We are deep, but we’re also pretty young,” Dorris said. “So, we’re looking for some good experience at the sectional.”

There will likely be some growing pains as well.

There are several other teams with numerous state-ranked wrestlers at the tournament. Teams like Canfield and Louisville have been a pair of the state’s best teams over the past decade. Area teams like Alliance, Howland, Girard and Poland possess quality wrestlers as well.

It’s all part of what makes it so fun.

“Nobody remembers what you did at the beginning of the season,” he said. “It’s how you end the season. Are you a state qualifier? Are you a district qualifier? Nobody worries about your first dual meet. That doesn’t go on criteria at your tournaments that you wrestle in all year long. It’s how you did at the state tournament, the district tournament, that kind of thing.

“That’s how we view it. It’s my favorite time of year, for sure.”