For most wrestlers in the Jones County program, Bryan Ulrich is hardly new.
With him having coached many of them on the middle school level, a level of familiarity is already built in when it comes to the Greyhounds new head coach.
But during the summer workouts for JCHS, that wrestler-coach bond had grown more, and it’s gone both ways, according to the coach hired to take over the program earlier this year on the heels of a program-best showing at the state traditional tournament.
“I was fortunate because I knew a lot of the kids from middle school, but getting to know them off the mat and through our summer conditioning, it just enhances those relationships,” Ulrich said. “So much more of it just flows naturally; it’s been an awesome experience.”
The Greyhounds’ wrestling summer has been mostly a mix of two key facets — four days in the weight room and growing their grappling craft through various camps.
“The guys have really been putting in the work,” Ulrich said. “We’re looking forward to seeing that all play out.” The Greyhounds’ camp regimen has included a camp at Chattanooga University, a two-day session with former Georgia wrestling standout Julian Farber, now competing at Northern Iowa, and a clinic led by Life University head coach Omi Acosta.
Acosta’s session is hardly a drop-in for the Greyhounds. Multiple summer offseasons have seen him not just work with Jones County wrestlers but build on those relationships each offseason.
“They really like Omi. He does a great job of reflecting what we do, and of all the things he does so well with our kids, he relays them so well from summer to summer,” Ulrich said. “It’s a very different mindset. He checks in on them and knows their names. The mood and energy is different, because he has that rapport with them. You can’t beat that.”
