Former Rosewood grappler returns to alma mater as Eastern Wayne's head coach

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on December 11, 2015 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Dressed in a bright purple singlet, the camera froze the moment in time when Aaron Lynch -- then a senior at Rosewood -- had his hand raised in victory.

He emerged as the 152-pound champion in his final Eagle Invitational appearance that day.

More than a decade later, Lynch returns to his alma mater -- as head coach of Eastern Wayne's wrestling team -- when the 20th installment of Wayne County's longest-running individual tournament begins Saturday morning.

"The kids laughed when I told them that I won this tournament 11 years ago," Lynch said. "I'm excited. We're excited to return to the Eagle Invitational. We've got some tough kids who I think can do well at the tournament."

Lynch faced two challenges - recruiting and breaking bad habits - when he took over the Eastern Wayne program. The former UNC Pembroke grappler shared his passion for the sport, his success and his short- and long-term goals when he talked with prospective wrestlers.

So far, the kids have bought into his system.

Fundamentals, conditioning and perfecting basic moves have been the centerpieces of most of the Warriors' practices. Of the 28 wrestlers Lynch has on the team, just five have more than two years of experience on the mat. At least 16 are trying the sport for the first time.

Just three starters return from last season -- Mario Harper, Cainen Miller and Jordan Wooten. Chris Barbour transferred in from perennial powerhouse Charles B. Aycock and Ryshon Rodwell is back after sitting out last season.

Harper, Miller and Barbour are the team's tri-captains.

"It's been a good transition," Lynch said. "They're buying into the way I'm running the practices. They're improving daily and that's the big thing. (We're) teaching them the moves, technique, how to compete and get them in good physical condition so they can do well.

"They want to work hard and they want to learn. With that kind of mentality, they will be successful."

Eastern Wayne is currently 3-6 in dual-team competition and placed 15th overall in the highly-competitive Pierce-Davis Memorial, which was contested last weekend. Harper shared third place with Rosewood freshman Timothy Decatur-Luker at 106 pounds.

Miller and Rodwell just missed the medal round by one match.

The Warriors put seven first-year starters on the mat -- Colby Miller, Johnathan Harris, Cameron Martin, Ian Gutierrez, Jacob McCotter, Dilissus Council and Christopher Howard. Each advanced to either the second or third round in the consolation bracket.

"I'd really like to see a top-seven finish (this weekend)," said Lynch, a two-time state qualifier, a regional runner-up and member of Rosewood's Century Club for wrestlers who have 100-plus career wins.

"We've got some guys who can compete ... maybe we can put some things together. There are going to be a lot of tough teams in this tournament, a lot like last weekend. Still, we want our guys to peak at the end of the season and that's really what we're training for (right now).

"I've got a lot of competitive kids. They're scrappy. I see some bright things in the future."