Southwest wrestlers credit their coach for Onslow County Cup title
Southwest’s wrestling team was warming up for practice inside an already hot training room when coach Maury Vanderpool took a seat, strapped on a knee brace, tied up his grappling shoes and joined the rest of the Stallions onto the mat.
In between giving his wrestlers words of advice as they continued light grappling, Vanderpool ordered his athletes to hit the ground for push-ups.
The 60-year-old coach followed.
“Coach expects a lot from us, but he also puts in what he asks,” senior Jason Rodriguez said.
Vanderpool continued to be hands-on during the Stallions’ first workout since winning Saturday’s Onslow County Cup.
His method seems to have worked as the Stallions have become quite formable in recent seasons.
In addition to winning their first Onslow County Cup, the Stallions have also won the NCHSAA 2-A East Regional title in the individual tournament the last two seasons while also growing their number of state qualifiers.
“My first year, I thought I would be the only coach in Onslow County not to send a guy to state, but we took one guy. Then we took eight the next year and nine last year,” Vanderpool said. “Now, we want more guys placing at state.”
Last year, Southwest had four individual regionals winners, two of them who finished fourth in the state tournament.
The key, the Stallions say, is Vanderpool.
“Coach V is the best coach there is around,” senior Tanner Whitehead said. “He is a really chill coach, but he knows how to get you going when you are not doing something right.”
But Vanderpool isn’t a yeller.
“Coach uses more of a psychological thing to get to us to give us a kick in butt,” junior Jensen Miller said.
Vanderpool, however, credits his wrestlers, particularly the seniors who started with him in his first season.
“These guys have stuck with the program and have believed in the process,” he said.
That work paid off as the Stallions had three individual champions and four runners-up in the Onslow Cup.
Senior Carter Duhon won the 113 title, Rodriguez was the 182 winner and Whitehead won the 195 crown. Senior Jeremiah Jones (160), sophomore Ashton Shields-Adams (138), junior Grayson Fountain (220) and Miller at 132 were second.
“From weight class to weight class, we are pretty stacked,” Whitehead said. “We don’t have a weak spot in our lineup.”
All that resulted in the Stallions bringing home the Onslow Cup for the first time, outscoring second-place Dixon 168-165.5. Jacksonville was third at 158.5, followed by Swansboro with 156.
“Winning it was a big deal for us,” Miller said. “Since our freshman year, it has always been Dixon and Swansboro. So for us to come out on top means a lot.”
The team title meant even more to Duhon and Rodriguez as each recorded their 100th high school victories en route to their individual crowns. But for Rodriguez, the Onslow Cup was just another stepping stone for him and the Stallions.
“It was a goal we had, but it was business as usual,” he said. “I expected us to have a good year. Now, we want to try to win individual regionals again and go deep in the dual-team playoffs.”
Chris Miller can be contacted via email at cmiller@jdnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @jdnsports.
This article originally appeared on The Daily News: Southwest wrestling flexing its muscles in the East after Onslow Cup win
