West York Head Wrestling Coach

▪ West York Head Coach Brian Gross (left) with 2010
PIAA State AAA 6th Place Medalist... Billy Randt.
▪ At the right is former Lower Dauphin HS and University of Maryland wrestler...
Randy Umberger - District III Sports Wrestling Chairman.
Photo by Jim Townsley
West York Wrestling Alumnus '88 - Brian Gross Q & A.
• West York's PIAA State Qualifiers • Coaching History •

Coach Brian Gross Bio

Brian Gross Photo by Kevin Drawbaugh of JK Images
  ▪ West York Wrestling's Brian Gross - graduated from West York in 1988...
where he participated in football, baseball and wrestling.  Brian Gross also wrestled for York College (two years) from 1991 to 1993.  While at York College, Brian placed 2nd at the YCP Spartan Invitational and was 5th at the NCAA DIII Regionals.  Brian posted a 17-9 record for DIII York College in 1993.  In 1995, Brian started his coaching career at Dover High School.  Brian was a volunteer assistant until 1997 when he became an assistant coach under Bob Linker (West York Wrestling Alumnus) - who is still the head varsity coach at Dover.  In 2007, Brian was named the head wrestling coach at West York High School.  In 2008, Brian and Wade Ginter started a mat club at West York known as the Broken Cage Wrestling Club.  The club started with just 10 wrestlers and has grown to over 30 athletes with the help of Brad Brosius and Justin Wilkins.

  Brian Gross lives in West York with his wife Rebecca and they have been married for 8 years.  Rebecca works within the West York Area School District and also coaches West York Senior High track and West York Junior High wrestling cheerleading.  Brian and Rebecca have 3 fantastic daughters - Claudia (9), Carly (8) and Chloe (7).  All 3 daughters attend West York Schools and are involved in West York Boys Club cheerleading.

Brian Gross spends his spare time hunting, fishing, enjoying all Philadelphia sports teams and riding his 2003 Harley-Davidson Sportster.  Brian also enjoys spending time with family and friends... and trips to Chincoteague Island, VA.

  I asked West York Varsity Head Wrestling Coach, Brian Gross... to complete an interview for the West York Wrestling Alumni website and fans.  (10-07-10)

Don Lehman
Don Lehman
Webmaster, Archivist & Owner of westyorkwrestlingalumni.com



                  
Coach Brian Gross Interview by Don Lehman

Brian Gross

DL - Brian, before you know it... the 2010-11 wrestling season will be here!  I know you have had sign-ups for both the Junior High and Senior High athletes.  How do the "numbers" look and what are the timelines for practice and parent-coach-booster club greet & meet?
BG - We had 24 kids sign up for Senior High program and more than 40 (including 9th graders) kids sign up for the Junior High program.  We have already started an "open mat" with more than 20 kids attending!  The PIAA official practice starts on November 19th.  We are planning on having a parent meeting October 26th @ 6:30pm in the high school cafeteria, followed by a booster club meeting geared to try to get more parents involved in our wrestling program.
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DL - I believe you are still practicing in the West York Senior High School back-gym area after school.  But, I believe the Junior High Boys program is switching practice venues this year to Wallace Elementary.  What is the current "chat" of getting both programs (and, also elementary) together in one practice area in the future?
BG - Yes, the Senior High Varsity will still practice at the High School.  The Junior High will be switching practice venues and moving to Wallace Elementary School, along with the Elementary Mat Program.  There was talk of having all practices together at one building, but it is just not possible this season.  West York did purchase the Lincolnway Fitness Center and hopefully in the future, we can all practice there together.
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DL - This will be your 4th year at the helm of West York Varsity Wrestling.  What changes have you made in your practice and match preparation throughout your three-year learning curve?  Are there any new strategies that you are adding to this year's practice regimen?
BG - Some of the changes I have made in my practices are running the old course that Coach John T. Toggas used to make us run back in the day... in addition to more weight-lifting, drilling and "live" wrestling.  Our match preparation has changed in my three years.  I now have my kids warm up as to have gone through a six minute match - "before" hitting the mat for their actual match.  Some new strategies that I have incorporated this year are kettle bells and metabolic workouts.  Another facet we are focusing on this year is getting back to basic wrestling.
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DL - Brian, pick a couple high's and low's when looking back to your first three years with the West York Wrestling Boys program.  If you could change something, what would it be?
BG - I would have to say a low over the last three years was not winning matches that I knew we were capable of winning... or, the kids experiencing personal losses that should have been victories.  Another low is not being able to fill a complete team over the years.  It really hurts when you have to forfeit 12 to 18 points per match!  One of my high's over the last three years has been watching kids grow and become better wrestlers.  Another high was watching Billy Randt place 6th at the 2010 PIAA State Championships!  It was a great accomplishment for him and for our program.
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DL - Which do you find more challenging - the coaching or the administrative portion of being a director and leader of three mat programs at West York?
BG - I find the coaching portion more challenging because I am always trying to find ways to make the kids better and give them an edge on the mat.  I really enjoy the challenge of improving the whole West York program... and, there are a lot of coaches and people behind the scenes that are working to make this wrestling program a success.
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DL - Are there any new things to look for this season... i.e. - new mat, uniforms, pre-match programs, booster club promotions, etc. - to try and boost match attendance and support?
BG - Yes!  Last spring, the school purchased the program a "new" 42 x 42 wrestling mat.  You will be able to see it this year at our home matches.  We will also be holding a Breast Cancer Awareness Night on December 16th against New Oxford.  The boys will be sporting singlets for this event and the booster club will be selling t-shirts benefitting this great cause.  The Junior High will also be sporting new singlets this season.  The customary pre-match programs that we will be having are Elementary Wrestler Recognition Night and Senior Night.  Last year, our attendance was up and I hope it continues to rise so we can pull the "back bleachers" out again!  Another new program that we are offering this year is a FREE Elementary Wrestling Clinic in November for all West York kids - Kindergarten through 6th grade!
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DL - Speaking of boosting support - I believe in the adage (and quote from Winston Churchill) that "the farther backward you can look - the farther forward you are likely to see!"  West York Wrestling has had a great history tracing back to 1934.  I also believe that alumni and fan support is an essential piece to the fabric of a successful athletic program.  What are your thoughts on garnering more alumni and fan excitement - and, do you have any plans to get some of the old grapplers together this season?
BG - I agree completely with you Don, on this one.  We had an alumni reunion (1978 Championship Team) two years ago and it was a great time meeting new wrestlers and catching up with the ones I already knew.  I would love to gather the alumni this year. Maybe you and I could arrange another reunion if there is interest.  This website is an essential tool... with the goal of keeping alumni and current wrestlers excited and involved.
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DL - Brian, you are a graduate of West York High School - and, you wrestled back in the mid to late eighties.  What kind of experience was that for you and who were your early mentors and coaches?  Take us through the "good" and "not so good" match bouts that you can remember as an athlete at West York.
BG - My experience at West York High School was a great one.  I still have a lot of the same friends that I wrestled with "back in the day."  We had a winning program and great coaches. My biggest mentor was Sam Toggas (former owner & pharmacist of West York Pharmacy).  I grew up three houses from Sam and he introduced me to wrestling.  I spent many summers working for him and listening to his many speeches.  John Chiappy and Jeff Meckley made wrestling "fun" and they taught me all the basics at West York Junior High School.  A few other mentors that I learned so much from were Coach John T. Toggas and Barry/Larry Gay.  A few "good" matches that I can recollect were winning my competitions against Dover and Dallastown.  The "not so good" match that sticks in my mind was against Chip Fissel from Spring Grove (and former head wrestling coach at West York).  He ended up beating me by 2 points and it was a very tough loss for me.  Another tough loss for me was losing to John Klingaman from Dallastown in the first round of YCIAA Sectionals - by decision, 3 to 2.
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DL - You also wrestled at York College under YCP Coaches Rich Achtzehn and Tom Kessler after graduating from West York High School.  That had to be a great learning experience!  What was the biggest difference between high school and college wrestling?
BG - York College was a great experience!  The biggest difference was that everybody was good in college.  Another difference was that most of the wrestling was done on your feet.  You also had to get used to riding time, if you used it for a point.  That point at the end made a huge difference in many college matches!
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DL - I always ask this question... if you could change some things as you look back on your athletic career, both at West York HS and York College - what would you do differently?
BG - I would have trained more during the off-season and also... wrestled more off-season tourneys.  I do not think the off-season training was as big then... as it is today.
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DL - Which type of wrestling do you prefer - folkstyle, freestyle or greco-roman and why?
BG - I prefer greco-roman and freestyle because the matches are more laid back (from a coaches point of view) and, there are more ways to score.  I also like the scoring and the high amplitude moves in greco and freestyle.  I have even considered competing in the veterans division.  I just haven't done it, yet!
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DL - As you look to the future of West York Wrestling... and finances were not a major obstacle, what would you like to have that would help build the program at the AAA level?
BG - I would love for the wrestling program to have a place we could call "home".  I would love for the wrestling program to have a new single training facility where all of our wrestlers could practice.  No more rolling and transporting mats "to and from" the schools would be nice!
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DL - The 2010-11 schedule has the likes of New Oxford, Central York, Red Lion, South Western, Spring Grove, Dallastown and Dover as dual meet opponents... in addition to the Carlisle and Governor Mifflin Holiday Tourneys before heading to the post-season at the AAA level.  Who will you look to this year for leadership and what names can we look for as the future stars of West York Wrestling?
BG - I think the leaders on this year's (2010-2011) team will be Joe Weaver, Josh Kukorlo and Tanner Landes.  All three grapplers are seniors and have wrestled under me for three years.  I also look to Ryan Randolph, a junior on our team, to add a lot of leadership as well.  Ryan Randolph has done a lot of work in the off-season.  As for future stars, you will have to wait and see... there are way too many potential stars and we are excited about the season.
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DL - You also added the David Constabile Memorial Duals in middle January as a new competition this season.  Why did you add this challenge and who are the teams that will be competing?
BG - One of the main reasons I added this challenge was because the kids get 5 matches in one day... and it is close to home for the parents per travel.  I apologize for not knowing as of right now what teams will be attending.
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DL - I think the West York Junior High mat program has the athletes that could provide an outstanding base for success at the Senior High level very soon.  That has to make you extremely happy!  Are there any plans for a ninth grader or two making the early jump to your Senior High team this year?
BG - I am extremely happy about the success of our West York Junior High program.  Brad Brosius and his staff have done a terrific job with those kids.  There is talk of moving a few kids up as 9th graders, but we have not yet made any final decisions this early in the season.
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DL - For you to be pleased with your overall program this year... what needs to happen?
BG - The first thing that needs to happen for me to be pleased... is to have numbers in the room where my kids are competing against each other.  I would also like to be able to fill all weight classes in both Junior and Senior High matches.  And, as per our Elementary Program, I am hoping the free November Clinic takes off and some kids join the program and get our numbers above 50.  (FREE to all kids - Kindergarten through 6th grade in November)
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DL - Brian, I want to thank you for sharing some great memories and insight with me and the westyorkwrestlingalumni.com website readers!
BK - Thanks for taking the time to interview me, Don.  And, thank you for maintaining this website and supporting West York Wrestling.  I will keep you updated as the season goes on so you can share exciting and factual information with the great fans and proud alumni.
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∙ You can e-mail Brian Gross HERE! & Don Lehman HERE!

WEST YORK HS WRESTLING

∙ 1987-88 - West York's 138lb. Brian Gross tries to reverse his Dover opponent.

WEST YORK HS WRESTLING

∙ 1987-88 - West York's 138lb. Brian Gross (top)... controls his Dover High School mat
opponent in a West York/Dover dual meet.
note: (Referee * Ralph Hartlaub is on left and Dover Coach Randy March is in back)
* Ralph Hartlaub was a 1954 District III Wrestling Champion @ 95lbs. for Hanover!

YORK COLLEGE DIII WRESTLING

∙ York College's Brian Gross (4th from right - standing) at York College Invitational.

WEST YORK HS WRESTLING

∙ 2010 - West York Coach Brian Gross (left) chats with his friend, Coach Bob Linker of Dover High School after a dual meet.
Photo by Kevin Drawbaugh of JK Images

Other Archived Q & A Interviews by Don Lehman:
Billy Randt, Rod Stough, Jeff Wolfe, Keith "KRW" Warehime, Randy Blasdell,
David Maday & Jason Abel Turnbull, Mary Jane & John T. Toggas, Jon Trenge,
Wilmer Pressel, Dr. Bill Welker, Mike Stambaugh, Todd Reynolds, Gary Narber,
Fred & Matt Callahan, K.C. McCleary, Brian Kuntz, Dr. Perry Tallman, Charlie Jacobs.

Coach Gross's Archived Seasons - '07-'08, '08-'09,
'09-'10, '10-'11. (WY coaching career 9-48)

∙ West York Varsity Wrestling 2008-2009 Schedule/Roster
∙ West York Varsity Wrestling 2009-2010 Schedule/Roster
∙ West York Varsity Wrestling 2010-2011 Schedule/Roster
∙ West York Varsity Wrestling 2011-2012 Schedule/Roster