By Matt Maltsberger
Special to strivsports
Sifting through my son’s collection of PlayStation games, I came across NBA2K15, MLB14, MADDEN NFL 14 & 15, NBA2K14, NHL15, and NCAA14 Football. I could be wrong, but I haven’t heard of a NCAA wrestling or an Olympic wrestling game popularized in mainstreamed “gaming circles.” High school wrestling just doesn’t have the marketability as football and basketball. It is what it is…
But, don’t tell that to York Duke Head Coach Chad Mattox. The 34-year-old Coach Mattox took the reigns as York’s head wrestling coach five years ago, and he hasn’t looked back. When asked for an interview about him and his program, he quickly addressed the need to focus on his wrestlers and their accomplishments along with his assistant coaching staff. Coach Mattox said, “I appreciate it (the interview), but I’m not doing anything that anyone else that wants to help kids wouldn’t do.”
Beyond the girth of his intimidating frame and consistent scowl, he demonstrates the humility of a man that has been through the “ups and downs” of running a wrestling program in competition with the popularity of other sports. He doesn’t shy away from the fact that with his bulldog in his lap and his six children running “mad” through the house, he competes in multiple fantasy football leagues every year (he claims to be very successful). Mattox has always embraced that other sports are important to his athletes, thus solidifying his choice to coach football and track at York as well.
In the year preceding Coach Mattox’s tenure as the head coach of the Dukes, the 2009-2010 squad had a total of 14 wrestlers. Of that 14 (a full team) they only took eight kids to districts that year with two qualifying for the state tournament. When Mattox took the helm of the Duke program, he saw his participation numbers bolster to 32 athletes in his first year as a head coach. With Mattox leading the program his five-year participation trend has continued to rise: 32 (2010-11), 32 (2011-12), 40 (2012-13), 40 (2013-14) and 38 this year.
As a late starter to wrestling (Mattox didn’t wrestle until he was a 9th grader), he brings a unique approach to traditional wrestling ideology. He preaches a “team” and “band of brothers” concept. It is easy to view wrestling as an individual sport having individuals crowned at the pinnacle of the year, but Mattox has structured his program around the team. He attacks his practices, tournaments and duals having his athletes work for each other as well as themselves. They don’t want to let each other down which has resulted in individual success. Coach Mattox has even adjusted his schedule to include more duals and dual team tournaments, which has resulted in numerous accolades for the Duke team and not individuals. The York Duke wrestlers compete for team titles, which in turn have produced a plethora of individual success as a bi-product.
One can look at York’s participation numbers as a sole positive, but it has equated into an extreme amount of success, as well. In Coach Mattox’s first year, the Dukes qualified only one individual for the state tournament, yet in the four years to follow the Dukes qualified three in 2012, eight in 2013, seven in 2014, and nine for this year’s tournament which begins on Thursday. In the shadow of a mid-season team tragedy (the suicide of a sure state qualifier at 220 lbs), the Dukes did something that has never happened in York as they a won the Central Conference and district championships in the same year. Along with that unique combination of titles, this was York’s first conference title since 1992.
To the elation of the 5-year head coach, Nebraska has added a Dual Team State Championship. In the infancy of this championship (three years of existence), the York Dukes have qualified twice, which celebrates York as having one of the top-eight dual teams in the Class B. With all of the success the Duke program has enjoyed, it has been done without a true “superstar” (no state champions) furthering the “team” concept.
Coach Mattox began his career as an assistant at Crete, and then took his talents to David City with the hopes of becoming a head coach eventually. His no-nonsense blue-collar approach is engrained in work ethic. At any York Duke intense practice you can hear the words “work” and “compete” echo throughout their complex everyday. Mattox doesn’t speak “off the cuff” having lived those very words in his own life. After his tenure at Crete, Coach Mattox recalls living in Lincoln waking up hours before the sun dawned to run a paper route before his lengthy drive to David City to teach and coach. After a full day of running that paper route, teaching social studies and coaching, Coach Mattox would repeat that lengthy drive back to Lincoln long after the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon to make it home for dinner with his family. Yet, the story doesn’t stop there. He would make time for his family before clocking in at Kohl’s to work in their customer service department at night. Coach Mattox doesn’t offer that story to many folks, but the man knows a little about work ethic and it manifests in his wrestlers on the mat.
As mentioned earlier in this article, Coach Chad Mattox is quick to recognize the contributions of his staff, school, and community. Having a staff with collegiate wrestling experience (Mike Monfore and Scott Beck), and prior head coaching experience (Darrell Branz) has provided the young head coach with a wealth of knowledge. Coach Mattox was eager to state, “Everything was in place for wrestling to get back to where it was many years before. We had the facilities, the administration support, and community support to get things back on track.
“The coaches worked very hard in order to get our team back on track. We have tried to make wrestling as simple as we can by limiting what is taught in our practice room and trying to get really good at that. We’ve also been successful at getting good athletes into the program – kids that may not have the most wrestling experience but have a good athletic base that could translate into being a solid wrestler.”
Like many other sports that have enjoyed a new life in York, Mattox is building York for the long haul, not to be a one-hit wonder.
“It starts with a clear vision that the head coach reiterates repeatedly to the assistant coaches and the athletes that are in your program currently and ones that could be in your program someday. At York, we value as many athletes coming out for our team as possible. Numbers are always a positive for us because we’ve seen time and time again that depth is tested on a wrestling team each and every year.”
And, it’s clearly not about winning but creating lasting relationships that teach life lessons.
“If our athletes are treated in a first class manner the odds are that they will give a first class effort. I also spend a great deal of time building relationships with our athletes in our program. Each and every one of my wrestlers know that I am there for them and I try as much as possible to let guys know that I care about them way more as a person than as a wrestler. Wrestling only lasts a few years for most of these guys but the relationships built during that time period that carry on after high school are the most important things in my mind.”
A couple of things are clearly evident; York Duke wrestling is in good hands and here to stay.
