'The hair had to go': Lebanon wrestling coach makes good on promise

Jeff Falk
·3 min read

Lebanon wrestler Griffin Gonzalez is a man of his word. He doesn’t take his commitments lightly, but when he does make them, he executes and follows through on them.

Lebanon head wrestling coach Vaughn Black is a man of his word. When he gives his word on something, he does what he says he’s going to do, to the best of his ability.

In the middle of December, Black paid off a promise he had made to Gonzalez in the spring. At Salon Element in Lebanon, Gonzalez took some scissors to Black’s long, flowing locs and gave his coach a haircut, his first in 12 years.

Not necessarily a bet, but the promise was that if Gonzalez medaled at the PIAA wrestling championships in Hershey last March, he would get to cut Black’s hair. Gonzalez held up his end of the bargain, finishing seventh in the Class AAA 152-pound weight class.

“We had a deal,” Gonzalez said. “If I medaled at states, the hair had to go. Once I did, I knew I’d get to do it at some point.”

Lebanon coaches react as Griffin Gonzalez scores back points to defeat West Allegheny's Nico Taddy in a 152-pound preliminary bout at the state championships last year. Gonzalez finished in the Class AAA 152-pound weight class, earning a medal.
Lebanon coaches react as Griffin Gonzalez scores back points to defeat West Allegheny's Nico Taddy in a 152-pound preliminary bout at the state championships last year. Gonzalez finished in the Class AAA 152-pound weight class, earning a medal.

It was a rewarding haircut for both, one that was a long time in the making, in a couple of different ways.

“There definitely is a correlation,” Black said. “Griffin put in a lot of time and work. He epitomizes hard work and dedication. I was just following through, because I said it. That’s what I meant when I said it. It was an honor, in some ways, that he got to do it.”

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“I had no clue what I was doing,” said Gonzalez, of his haircut experience. “I just cut it off wherever. It was pretty cool. It made me think back to last year and made me think about my whole career.”

Griffin Gonzalez of Lebanon enters the ring for the 152-pound title match during the two-day LL League wrestling championship. Gonzalez won to become a four-time LL champion.
Griffin Gonzalez of Lebanon enters the ring for the 152-pound title match during the two-day LL League wrestling championship. Gonzalez won to become a four-time LL champion.

Black’s past experiences with haircuts weren’t always memorable.

“When someone butchers a haircut, I just let it grow,” Black said. “As a kid, my mom wouldn’t let me have locs. When Griffin started cutting my hair it was like, ‘Well, here we go.’ He was like, ‘Wow, you’re really letting me do this.’ There was no going back.”

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Gonzalez’s return journey to Hershey and the state wrestling championships has already begun. On Jan. 27-28, at Manheim Township, Gonzalez won his fourth Lancaster-Lebanon League individual championship.

This season’s District 3 wrestling will begin with sectional tournaments at various sites across central Pennsylvania on Feb. 18, and will be followed by the District 3 Championships at Central Dauphin East (Class 2A) and Spring Grove (Class 3A) High Schools on Feb. 24-25.

The PIAA wrestling championships are scheduled for March 9-11 at Hershey’s Giant Center.

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“My goal is to win a state title,” said Gonzalez, who currently sports a 28-2 season record and a 133-16 career mark. “I definitely need to be wrestling my best when I get to the state tournament. I need to peak like I did last year. I need to improve each day.

Lebanon wrestling coach Vaughn Black let wrestler Griffin Gonzalez cut his locs to fulfill a promise he made that if Gonzalez medaled at last year's state tournament, he could cut the coach's hair.
Lebanon wrestling coach Vaughn Black let wrestler Griffin Gonzalez cut his locs to fulfill a promise he made that if Gonzalez medaled at last year's state tournament, he could cut the coach's hair.

“We haven’t really talked about any deals if I medal this year,” Gonzalez added. “Not unless I get him to change his hair color to blonde.”

“Last year, he did the right stuff at the right time,” Black said. “It (haircut proposition) was a motivational tool. I think it holds more value when you add fun to it. It’s hair. It grows back.”

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Pa wrestling: Lebanon's Griffin Gonzalez, coach make good on promise