Flynn in tune with in-state talent
Jul. 22—When Independence wrestler Noah Adams was on the recruiting trail, the three-time state champion probably could have gone anywhere he wanted. He originally committed to Virginia Tech before changing directions and deciding to wrestle at West Virginia University.
Before then, Patriots head coach Cliff Warden wanted Adams to at least get a look at wrestling powerhouse Edinboro, where Warden wrestled from 1994-99.
"Noah Adams was heavily committed and leaning to WVU, but I convinced Kevin (Noah's dad) to let me take Noah to Edinboro," Warden said. "I didn't drive Edinboro down his throat. I wanted him to see another place and meet another coaching staff."
The Fighting Scots were led by the same man who recruited Warden nearly 30 years ago — Tim Flynn, who ironically found himself in Morgantown not long after Adams' Pennsylvania visit.
"I, of course, am glad I didn't drive Edinboro down his throat," Warden said. "A year later Flynn takes the WVU job and brings his staff with him."
Warden and Flynn still keep in touch all these years later, and it helped Warden land an accomplished teacher to impart his knowledge to area wrestlers this week.
Independence wrapped up the Young Guns Wrestling Camp on Thursday. Flynn participated on Tuesday, squeezing in a lot of teaching in a span of 2 1/2 hours.
"It's really important not just to work with all age kids but kids from around our state," Flynn said. "It's something that, quite frankly, we don't get to do enough because we're so busy coaching our team. It's nice to get out and work with the next generation and certainly the next West Virginia studs."
Flynn is in tune with the talent level among the state's youth and prep wrestlers. He's had several on his roster since taking over at WVU in 2018, including Adams. Many are excelling not only in-state but also on the national stage.
"Every year I think you see more and more good kids (in West Virginia)," Flynn said. "Obviously one of the best kids on our team is Peyton Hall, who is a West Virginia kid (Oak Glen High School). And a couple of classes before that we had Noah Adams from right there at Independence. So we've done well with local kids, in-state kids, and certainly we want to keep that up."
The camp was well attended throughout the week. Flynn's appearance certainly didn't hurt.
Before coming to Morgantown, Flynn spent 21 years as the head coach at Edinboro, where he amassed a career record of 223-95-5. He led the Fighting Scots to 15 Eastern Wrestling League championships and 16 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tournament championships.
"It helps get a few more guys here," Warden said. "Probably the most helpful thing is he showed a lot of stuff (Tuesday), and these guys have seen a lot. Of course, Flynn coached me at Edinboro and I have carried those things with me the past 25 years. It reinforces what I teach, like, 'Hmmm.'"
"The more viewpoints you have for wrestlers, the more coaches they have to work under, the better they get," Independence assistant coach Mark Ward said. "And, again, it grows the sport. There might be some kids that wouldn't have come out but saw WVU and that's all it took for them to come out. Maybe they love it. Maybe they go to college because of it."
One of the advantages to the camp is that it was not geared to one specific age group.
"When you do one for all ages, it gives the bigger guys, the more experienced guys, the older guys a chance to do some things with the younger guys," Warden said. "It's always good for bringing the program as a whole together."
"I think the best thing about these kinds of camps is wrestling is community," Ward said. "You bring in kids from other schools, they make friendships. They're going to travel with these kids. They're going to see them in Huntington, they're going to see them in Charleston, they're going to see them in Wheeling.
"The best thing about this sport is you have those relationships that you don't have in other sports. A sport like this brings communities together and kids together. It's good for every team. It's not just good for Independence. It's good for Independence, Shady (Spring), Woodrow (Wilson), Oak Hill. All the schools."
As for Adams, the 2017 Dutton Award winner put together one of the greatest seasons in WVU history in 2020. He went undefeated and was at one point the nation's top-ranked wrestler at 197 pounds. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic led to the cancellation of the NCAA Championships, denying Adams a shot at a national championship.
It's easy to wonder what might have been, but Flynn points out that the tournament being canceled put everyone on an even playing field, meaning Adams accomplished everything that was in front of him.
"Yeah, if you sit and dwell on it. I just look at it like an injury or something else. Things that are outside of your control I try not to dwell on and worry about," Flynn said. "Hey, he did as well as he could that year. He finished undefeated.
"If you look back, the best he could have done that year was win the Southern Scuffle (a prestigious national tournament), win the Big 12 (championship) and go undefeated, and that's what he did. From that standpoint, it was a perfect season."
Accomplished on the mat, and wise off it.
Email: gfauber@register-herald.com; follow on Twitter @gfauber5
