THE WEEK THAT WAS - Sports Blog by Tommy Orndorff
Some of the more popular blogs through the years have been Question & Answer sit-downs with our coaches. That noted, this week's The Week That Was continues that trend with a Q&A session with wrestling head coach Alex Vergara.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: As the end draws near, I am interested in your thoughts on your first season as head coach of the O'Connell wrestling program and all that it entails. I'm sure that it seemed a bit overwhelming at times and, at the same time, a very rewarding experience when your grapplers performed well on the mats. Share your thoughts.
COACH VERGARA: I would say that the dynamic of being a head coach is vastly different from being an assistant in the respect that administrative tasks take precedence before working directly with the student-athletes. Fortunately, I have been mentored by some great coaches through my years as both an athlete and assistant coach, so I felt prepared. The assistant coaches have been integral contributors to developing our wrestlers.
The most delicate facets of my first year with the Knights wrestling program have been two-fold: (1) culture; and (2) process. Culture entails hard-wiring every student-athlete's mindset to how a dominant wrestler thinks and behaves both in and out of the wrestling room. The process refers to the overall development and growth in the short (weekly) and long-term (season).
TWTW: Give us some background on yourself and your assistant coaches, sharing with myself and the readers the passion you and your assistants have for the sport of wrestling.
COACH VERGARA:I began my official coaching career at St. Stephens & St. Agnes School in the winter of 2011. The coach gave me full autonomy over the training procedures. Over the course of the season, I left the program having helped produce a team record of 17-3, a City of Alexandria Championship title, one IAC champion, five state medalists who finished no lower than 6th, a 6th place team finish out of 30-plus teams (a program best in nearly a decade) in the VISAA, and three National Prep qualifiers. I left to coach in the VHSL at Thomas Edison High School alongside my former high school coach from Bishop Ireton. Over four seasons, I helped produce 11 conference champions, three regional champions, and two state champions. In addition, I am a volunteer coach at the Gunston Wrestling Club, which runs out of Hayfield Secondary School's wrestling room. They run during the Spring, Summer, and Fall and train wrestlers from all over the D.C. metro area.
Coach (Jonathon) O'Brien is a former University of Buffalo wrestler who comes to O'Connell after a year of teaching and coaching in Texas. He produced five sectional qualifiers and one state qualifier in his brief coaching tenure.
Coach (Sean) Haskett is a local native who competed for Lake Braddock Secondary School. He is a two-time conference champion, one-time regional champion, and two-time AAA state medalist (before the VHSL split from three to six divisions). As a coach, he mentored three district champions, two regional champions, and two state finalists – one of which was a state champion.
Coach (Evan) Malone is a U.S. Marine who competed for Case Western Reserve University. He is a 2007 graduate of Bishop O'Connell. Coach Malone integrates his experience as a former competitive wrestler into the room by integrating new systems and processes that serve our student-athletes.
TWTW: Numbers, or rather the lack of numbers, presents problems unique really to wrestling. I think that I understand, but explain further for our readers.
COACH VERGARA: In high school wrestling, there are 14 weight categories that range from 106 pounds to 285 pounds. Presently, we are able to fill 10 of said weight categories on a consistent basis. The lack of numbers present difficulty in being competitive when we go head-to-head with another team. We forfeit the missing weights to opposing teams, which accounts for massive swings before we even begin the competition. This is why I directed our focus on tournaments where individuals only need to focus on their own performances rather than the team aspect. In the meantime, I have been working on tapping into the pools of talent from youth programs around the region to bring in rising freshmen with experience and aid in filling our lineup where it is most needed.
It is no secret that there is a lot of taboo when it comes to wrestling – especially for people who are unfamiliar with all of its intricacies. The big two are weight loss and skin conditions. Firstly, no one in our program is permitted to use any drastic measures to lose weight. We carefully coordinate with the athletic trainers to monitor the BMI (body mass index) of each wrestler and ensure that no one is losing weight at a fast rate. The nature of our training will cause everyone to lose body fat and develop lean muscle, whether it is deliberate or not. Our primary concern is each student-athlete's health and well-being, and any of our wrestlers can vouch for that. Secondly, the issue with skin conditions arises exclusively when student-athletes do not shower, wash their clothes, or if the facilities are not clean. We have strict policies set in place to ensure that all of these points are addressed as a preventative measure. In the event that a skin condition were to come up, I would refer to the habits of the student-athlete's personal hygiene. It is strictly on a person-to-person basis.
TWTW: Who were our top wrestlers this winter, and why were they so?
COACH VERGARA: We still have about a month left in the season, so it is difficult to give a preemptive synopsis until it's all said and done; however, I can speak to the recent results. John Edmond (senior, 138 pounds--pictured right) is currently ranked #4 in the VISAA, whereas Chris St. George (junior, 126 pounds--pictured above) is ranked #3. Both recently earned silver medals at the Commonwealth Catholic Classic, which is otherwise noted as Catholic States. Chris also finished fourth in the 32-man bracket Northern Region Classic.
John Edmond's most noteworthy skill is his methodical approach. He is patient and capitalizes on an opponent's mistakes. He does an excellent job of working through their lines of defense (head, hands, hips) and is a hammer. Chris St. George, on the other hand, likes to implement new techniques and open up his offense. He is increasingly becoming more difficult to scout. He is one of our best technicians on the mat.
TWTW: Looking back on the 2016-17 campaign, give me some highlights on the season.
COACH VERGARA:I will be as transparent as possible and state that we do not have collective highlights on the season at this point, but the least I can do is mention what our results have been. They include the following team finishes: Bishop Ireton Classic (9th); NOVA Classic (26th); Mount Mat Madness (31st); and Commonwealth Catholic Classic (5th).
Individually, I could tell you of all the medals our wrestlers have earned, but they are absolutely meaningless in my opinion. If they need a token as a reward for doing what they are supposed to be doing, then I have taught my wrestlers nothing. The accomplishments lie in building their confidence and developing habits that translate into their daily lives. The medals will eventually end up in a box or dumpster years from now, but the skills they learn will stick with them. It takes a lot of moxie to come in not knowing a single thing about a sport where you will eventually be left alone to face someone who wants to impose their will on you in front of a large audience... In either case, if you still happen to be curious, the following are what our individual wrestlers have earned:
BI Classic: Chris St. George (3rd/126 lbs); Chris Rohan (4th/145 lbs); Brian Sweet (4th/152 lbs); Alan Parker (3rd/160 lbs)
NOVA Classic: Chris St. George (4th/126 lbs)
Commonwealth Catholic Classic: Chris St. George (2nd/126 lbs); John Edmond (2nd/138 lbs); Brian Sweet (3rd/152 lbs); Alan Parker (3rd/160 lbs); Will Jones (5th/113 lbs); Bishan Shourie (5th/170 lbs); Joe Young (5th/285 lbs)
TWTW: Anything else that you would like to add?
COACH VERGARA: I am likely among the most optimistic wrestling coaches you could find. I have faith in what I am doing at Bishop O'Connell and that we will draw (positive) attention. I have done it before at my previous two programs. It will only be a matter of time before the stands are full of people who want to be part of and/or support the Knights wrestling program. That's the dynamic of anything, really. We see it in athletics, businesses, schools, and so forth. In the meantime, I am thrilled to be a catalyst in aiding these men realize their capacity for stellar performances as a student/athlete. As for now, I am highly motivated to embrace the process and get back to work.
This is Tommy Orndorff, and that was The Week That Was.