Kaiser Herz cut eight pounds in one day last December, trying to make weight for the Washington wrestling team.

“Stupid,” he says now.

It was a school day. He began the day at 146 pounds and dropped to 138, but still had three pounds to go.

“I skipped two classes and I was falling behind in my work,” he said. “And then all of a sudden I’m downstairs crying, on my knees. ‘Why am I doing this? It’s so tough on my body, I could be at home right now, relaxing.’”

He called his mother, Svetlana, and asked her to pick him up and take him home, but she had other plans when she arrived at school.

“She grabs my neck and drags me right to Coach Hatcher,” he said.

Washington Coach Matt Hatcher wondered why Herz wasn’t at practice that day. He quickly found out.

“We started practice, and about five minutes later his mom stuck her head in the doorway,” he said. “She said, ‘Coach, he’s not going to quit. I’m not going to let him quit.’”

And he didn’t.

“I said, ‘Get your (wrestling) shoes,’” Hatcher recalled. “And from that point on, he’s been probably one of the hardest – if not the hardest — worker we’ve had.”

Herz can laugh about the story now.

“I went right back in the room, wrestling and working hard,” he said. “It motivated me, because this is the only thing I have left going on. This is what I want to succeed in. This is my favorite sport.

“It’s the best sport, in my opinion,” he said. “It’s you against another guy across the mat. And you can show whoever’s watching what you can do.”

Herz was born in the Ukraine and moved to Russia when he was 2 months old. His family emigrated to the United States when he was 6. His father, a doctor, is currently working in Lebanon but plans to rejoin the family in January.

Herz took an unusual path to Washington. He almost quit once, but doesn’t plan to quit again. That’s good news for the Warriors, who are trying to rebound after not qualifying any wrestlers for the state meet last year.

The Warriors held a team meeting at the Class 3A district meet last February, after it was clear nobody was going to state.

“The kids just said, ‘Coach, what do we have to do? What do we have to do to go to state? What do we have to do to get better?’” Hatcher remarked.

The answer was simple: Dedicate yourself to the sport. Work harder. Motivate your teammates to work harder, too.

Hatcher has seen a difference since the end of last season. He said his wrestlers worked hard during the offseason, determined to improve. Herz was one of those leaders, pointing the way.

“It’s exciting,” said Hatcher, now in his ninth year as Wash’s head coach.

Hatcher is accustomed to success in wrestling, not failure. He was a two-time state champion at Prairie, and his teams at Washington scored points at the state meet every year — until last year.

“It’s different when you get shut out,” he said. “It was a little disappointing, a little frustrating, but also definitely motivating for the rest of the kids.”

Hatcher said his top wrestler quit the team last year, robbing the club of talent and leadership. That also hurt.

Washington had 38 wrestlers in the practice room last week, getting ready for the new season. Hatcher expects Herz (140 pounds), Troy Neagle (112) and Tyler Burrell (heavyweight) to be three of his top performers. All three are juniors.

“We think we have what it takes to win a lot more meets,” Neagle said.

Burrell’s brother, Brandon, was the Class 3A heavyweight champion in 2009. He’s currently a sophomore at Central College in Pella, a member of the wrestling and football teams there.

The Burrell brothers did not grow up as wrestlers, however.

“We kind of fought a little bit, like all brothers,” said Tyler, who weighs 265. “But we always played basketball until my brother went out for wrestling his sophomore year (at Wash). And that’s what got me interested in it, so I went out, too.”

Burrell thinks the Warriors could have a good team this season.

“The guys that we had last year that didn’t do so good, we all got better, we all worked in the offseason,” he said. “We’re looking to do a lot better this year.”

Hatcher said he’s getting closer to filling all 14 weight classes this season. He said he’s never been able to fill all 14 during his years at Wash, but might have to forfeit only a few this season, or maybe none, if some of the younger guys are ready to go.

Hatcher said he started a Kids Club when he became Washington’s head coach and is starting to see the benefits.

“It’s looking better,” he said.

SCHEDULE

Tuesday, Nov. 30 — Maquoketa, Marion at Wash, 6 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 2 — Wash, Wahlert at Waterloo West, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 4 — West Delaware Tournament, 11 a.m.

Thursday, Dec. 9 — Kennedy, Dubuque Sr. at Wash, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 11 — Kennedy Tournament, 9 a.m.

Thursday, Dec. 16 — Wash, Hempstead at Jefferson, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 18 — Fort Madison Tournament, 10 a.m.

Thursday, Jan. 6 — Xavier at Wash, 6:45 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 8 — Benton Community Tournament, 8 a.m.

Thursday, Jan. 13 — Wash, Prairie at Iowa City West, 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 20 — Wash, Waterloo East at Cedar Falls, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 22 — Clinton Tournament, 9 a.m.

Saturday, Jan. 29 — MVC Tournament, at Xavier, 10 a.m.

Thursday, Feb. 3 — Iowa City High, Linn-Mar at Wash, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 12 — District Tournament

Feb. 16-19 — State Tournament, Des Moines

Saturday, Feb. 26 — State Duals, U.S. Cellular Center