Northgate coach gets 300th victory
Published 2/9/08 in The Times-Herald
By TONY JONES
Tony@newnan.com
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Northgate coach gets 300th victory
Published 2/9/08 in The Times-Herald
By TONY JONES
Tony@newnan.com
Northgate wrestling coach Adrian Anderson was once a pretty good pole vaulter. Good enough to compete in the sport for Auburn University. Pole vaulting afforded Anderson an opportunity to soar high in the air to a level few ever get to experience.
On Friday night, inside the Old Viking gym, his wrestling squad vaulted Anderson to a milestone few coaches ever get to reach. Anderson is officially a member of the 300 club. Northgate's 66-15 win over Landmark Christian gave Anderson the title of being the first wrestling coach in Coweta history with 300 wins.
There was cake and a banner. And some smiles. But little celebrating. Anderson is a humble man, always praising his kids instead of focusing on his own glorious achievements.
Long-time Viking assistant Chris Kimes addressed the crowd following the win. Kimes was prepared to say what should have been said.
But Anderson walked over and requested his very good friend to please keep it short. Kimes obliged and after a standing ovation from the Viking faithful and a few celebrative hugs from his team, Anderson was greeted by the mat official, Doug Jordan.
"I just want to give you a big hug," said Jordan, who with his wife Chris, have seen the majority of Anderson's wins.
Several of his kids and spectators also came over to congratulate Anderson, who smiled in appreciation of their thoughtfulness. Anderson was already thinking about today, a day Northgate will meet three opponents. He was thinking about how he could make his team better.
And they need to be better. Northgate failed in the first attempt to reach 300.
Sandy Creek, led by former East Coweta coach Scott Smith, pushed Northgate around in the opening match of the night, 39-15.
Sandy Creek has a fine team, but Northgate did little to challenge them. "I'm pretty disgusted with how we performed. We made a quality team look like world-beaters," admitted Anderson.
Sandy Creek, on the other hand, came to compete. Amazingly the away team won nine of the first 10 matches.
Only Viking Bret Eady (125) netted a win, 9-6.
"We were flat which is unacceptable.That's what happens when the focus is on Senior Night and 300. It takes the focus off wrestling. We had guys that quit tonight, which can't happen," emphasized Anderson.
Northgate came on late, with D.J. Arnold providing a pin at 171, cutting the deficit to 36-9. Thomas Brady (189) and Austen Martin (215) followed with minor decisions, closing the deficit to 36-15.
Sandy Creek heavyweight Jesse Deyo then wrapped up the match with a hard-fought 4-2 win over Blake Turner.
The final score didn't even look right:
Sandy Creek, 39-15.
While Anderson was the most frustrated man in the gym, Smith seemed the most pleased. "We knew coming in Adrian was on the verge of 300. Our guys read the paper, too. We didn't want it to come against us and I told them that he had once coached at Sandy Creek. We were motivated," explained Smith.
Motivated and well-coached. Sandy Creek looked like a team peaking at the right time. A team that could potentially qualify 12 for the state tournament.
Anderson, who has been at Northgate 13 years, won 38 matches in two seasons at the Tyrone school, came close to not accepting any of the forfeits Landmark Christian was forced to surrender.
But in typical Anderson fashion, the legendary coach, thought again of his kids. "I hate the way we competed. But to double-forfeit would just punish our guys. And although I'm not pleased, our guys did put the work in at practice. They deserve to be rewarded for their hard work and to get the win."
Anderson thanked his senior class of Arnold, Brady, Turner, and George Kelly for four great years. As he introduced Kelly, who plans to study Mechanical Engineering at Auburn, Anderson remembered his roots and offered an encouraging "War Eagle" for the future Tiger.
While Kelly won't be a varsity athlete at Auburn like Anderson, he and the other seniors can carry the lessons of commitment and perserverance learned from Anderson through the next step of their academic careers and beyond.
