Gallagher Column:It’s been a team effort for Cav wrestlers

SPENCER — Asked why North Rowan is going for a state championship in wrestling today, coach Tim Pittman says it’s a team effort.

He’s not just talking about his wrestlers.

Baseball coach Aaron Rimer urges his players to wrestle. Athletic director Brian Mills encourages athletes to play multiple sport. Mark Young does a great job at the middle school.

And then, there’s the principal — a guy who can probably run practice better than the coaches.

Principal Darrell McDowell is a former wrestling coach who sometimes ventures into practice.

“He coached state championship squads so Tim and I are like students when he comes in,” assistant coach Travis Lindsay chuckled. “He can run a room like nobody else. We love it. He’s awesome. He’s a leader.”

Today, they all make the trip to West Wilkes for the Final Four. The Cavaliers (18-3) face off against Dixon in the East final at 2 p.m. and if they win, they’ll probably face the top-ranked host for the 1A state crown.

It’s exactly where Pittman and Lindsay thought the Cavs could be when they took over the program.

“We said, ‘Hey guys, here’s what we want. This is our goal. This is what it’s going to take,’ ” Lindsay said. “It’s so awesome to see where they’ve come from and the pride they have with themselves now.”

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Pittman and Lindsay were youth league and middle school coaches but when Rimer approached them about coaching at North, they jumped at the opportunity.

“North had good teams in the past,” Pittman noted. “But they didn’t have depth. The ones they had were good wrestlers. There just weren’t enough of them.”

Pittman started recruiting the halls and football player Garland Archie bought in. There was just this little thing about his weight. He was at 243 and Pittman wanted him at 215.

“In football, everybody’s kinda hesitant about losing weight,” Pittman said. “I told Garland, ‘I want you at 215.’ A couple of weeks later, he said, ‘I’m going to do it, Coach.’ He cut 30 pounds and is at 213 now. That’s being unselfish. He saw the potential in what we could do together.”

Archie said his goal was simple. He wanted a ring.

“I’ve come a long way since the beginning,” Archie said. “And I’ve got Pittman and Lindsay to thank for that.”

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Archie isn’t alone. Everyone has jumped on the bandwagon. North enters today with nine wrestlers with over 20 wins.

When Lindsay embraced Tyler Powers in his Yadkin Valley Conference tournament final at 125, you can bet Powers took it all in. Lindsay knows what he’s talking about. He was a state runnerup at 140 as a junior at East Rowan and won the state title at 145 as a senior.

“Tim and I wanted to show backbone and wanted to show consistency,” Lindsay said. “Our styles are the same — not necessarily being the flashiest wrestler but focus on making the fewest mistakes.”

North won the county tournament and finished in a first-place tie in the YVC. The Cavs have been surging since, winning the YVC tournament going away and taking their first two matches in the states.

“I can see a state championship,” smiled Archie, one of only three seniors on the team.

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Pittman and Lindsay made it clear who has really gotten them to this point — their high school coach Barry Justus. If North wins it all today, the long-time East Rowan coach will be a part of it.

“The dedication he has given in his life to the sport, Tim and I got a lot from that,” said Lindsay, who gives a Barry Justus Award after his youth-league season. “Tim and I were so aggressive in our styles and he was so calm. He didn’t say a whole lot but when he did, he knew exactly what to say and get you back on your feet.

“We talk to him all the time.”

If Justus doesn’t make it to West Wilkes today, he’ll be there is spirit. His two former Mustang stars have North Rowan’s wrestling program on the brink of greatness.

“When we started lifting in July, we were thinking top five in the state,” Pittman said. “Now, we’re thinking we’re going to win the whole thing.”

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Contact Ronnie Gallagher at 704-797-4287 or rgallagher@salisburypost.com.