Jeff BuxtonI recently had the chance to speak with the architect of this dynasty, head coach Jeff Buxton. I was struck by Buxton's enthusiasm for his program, his school, his wrestlers, and the sport in general. We could have probably talked wrestling all night if we did not have other obligations to attend to!
Coach Buxton, first I'd like to ask you some background questions, how long have you been coaching at Blair?
Buxton: I've been there for 24 years.
Your recent win over St. Ed's guaranteed that you your sixth straight national title and eighth overall. What would you say has been the single biggest factor in your success?
Buxton: I've had very motivated kids that want to excel. It's fun to come to the practice room every day and see the kids give every thing they have. Every year, each team wants to top the previous team! At some point it's going to have to stop (string of national titles), some thought it would stop this year and some thought it would stop last year.
Can you talk a little bit about what your coaching philosophy?
Buxton: I try to prepare the kids for college, both in the classroom and on the wrestling mat. We get them ready for college as students and wrestlers. You know, at Blair it's a different environment because the kids are here 24 hours a day. They develop a different relationship with the faculty, eating lunch and dinner with them, and getting to know them. It's a lot like a college atmosphere -- only a lot more structured.
In the St. Ed's match, there were some surprising lineup moves that proved successful. Why did you decide to go with Victor Mocco at 160 rather than Adam Hogue?
Buxton: Just a feel. On that particular day, I wasn't sure if they were going to go with Swift or Tomasone. I wanted to go with a more physical kid on this particular day, which was Mocco.
How is Victor Mocco related to Steve Mocco?
Buxton: Victor Mocco is cousins with Steve Mocco.
The win over St. Ed's was surprisingly convincing, what was the key to the match in your mind?
Buxton: We had some "luck of the draw" starting at 130 pounds that played a big part in the match because we started in the heart of our lineup -- Russell, Shanaman, Mason, Blasco, Medina. Blasco winning 4-2 against Nemec gave us a lot of momentum. That match got Medina fired up and he went out and got a quick fall against Bertin, which gave Mocco momentum … and it just sort of snowballed.
Are the changes you made to your lineup for the St. Ed's dual permanent?
Buxton: We want to spread the wealth around. It's good sometimes to go with young kids. It shows that I am comfortable going with them, which is a confidence boost for the younger kids.
Going into this year, it seemed Blair had taken some pretty big hits to graduation, losing Adam Frey, Peterkin, Taylor, Gitomer, and Thurgood among others. Yet, you prevailed at Ironman, won Beast by a huge margin, and dominated St. Ed's in your recent dual. Have you been surprised by the way this year's team has responded?
Buxton: Absolutely. Going into Beast, I don't think we were the favorites. St. Ed's, they have a lot of horses, a very strong nucleus of kids. Talking to our team before the meet -- I told our team that this was going to be a tournament we were going to have to win through the consolations … if things don't go your way, you have to recover. That's basically what we did having nine place-winners.
Buxton: It changes every day. Doing periodization is something I really work on. There are times we train really hard and times we don't train so hard. I have to pick and choose the days we go hard versus the days we focus on technique or strength training. Trying to get the right thing at the right is something that doesn't always happen, but it's something I'm working toward, getting the guys peaking and performing at the right time. I also go by feel -- seeing how the guys look on a particular day. I will say when I push them hard they respond to it!
The other thing I think we don well is prepare for certain teams. Certain teams have certain tendencies. You prepare for St. Ed's differently than you prepare for Easton or Upper Perkiomen, knowing how each team has different tendencies.
Could you provide an example of how your preparation differs?
Buxton: Sure. Ohio kids don't do a lot of mat wrestling. St. Ed's has worked really hard on getting their kids better in the top position, but against any Ohio team we try to take advantage on the mat. St. Ed's and St. Paris Graham are teams that have to put their hands on you (i.e. "tie-up"), so we work on hand-fighting and getting guys off our heads, They are very good penetrators and stay in position on their feet. Certainly we didn't do a good job with either Palmer, but both of those guys are exceptional competitors. Where I think we did a very good job (in the St. Ed's dual) was coming off the bottom.
Now, I have a tough question for you. If you had to pick who is the best wrestler you have coached, who would it be?
Buxton: (Laughs): You know I can't do that! There have been so many good ones for so many different reasons. How about I list the best in certain categories?
Okay, that works.
Buxton: Here goes…
Steve Mocco -- Hardest trainer. Came to practice every day with his lunch pail ready to work. One of the best competitors. You knew every time he was going to give it every thing he had. Impossible to score on, but his biggest thing was that he had huge lungs and could wrestle all day.
Cory Cooperman -- Greatest scrambler. His hips were so good he could score off anyone's shot. And he was also a great rider.
Zack Esposito -- Purest athlete. Speed, strength, and incredible coordination. He has an incredible mind for the sport. I could give him or Cooperman a tape of an international wrestler and they could come back with 14-15 new things. They could watch the tape and wrestle like the guy on the tape … oh man do they love the sport! They really pushed me as a coach -- to keep their minds always stimulated and learning.
Kurt Backes -- Physically strongest
In 2003, Mark Perry won the NHSCA Senior Nationals title at 160 while at Blair Academy and earned Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament in the process.Matt Palmer -- Just so tough on top!
Damon Johnson -- A tremendous athlete. Teched one of the Hughes brothers at Junior Nationals and beat the other 11-0!
Ryan Davis, Rob Preston, and Max Meltzer deserve mention. Pat Santoro came in here as a post-grad -- it was rewarding seeing him go from a Pennsylvania state third-place finisher, to a four-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion!
There was a period of time where it was ridiculous what was going on in our room, every day was so fun to watch -- Esposito, Perry, Palmer, Davis…
Back to this year's team. Eric Medina had an outstanding freshman season, but was somewhat disappointing last year as a sophomore. He seems to have really improved this year. What would you say has been the key for him?
Buxton: He's a lot more focused, just about everything he's doing, and certainly confidence has played a big factor. Seeing how he went out against Bertin, and how he is practicing, he's got it going on! Both he and Blasco have more passion for the sport than last year. They're fired up about what they are doing. For Medina, I used the loss at Cadet Nationals (Medina was pinned in the semifinals and went on to take third, one year after dominating the Cadet Nationals) as something to work off of. He came into the season with specific goals. He wanted to dominate at 152 pounds … and he has done so. He is just a pure athlete -- great strength and speed, the flurries he can get into are unbelievable. Probably the biggest difference is maturity. He is in a good place.
Anthony VallesBuxton: Well, it's always a big jump from 98 or 103 to 112. Not only is it a jump, but it's a jump technically. And he's a very technical kid. The hardest adjustment he's having is how physical Palmer was with him. He is on the small side at 112. It's an adjustment, and there's an adjustment to being away from home -- Blair's an adjustment. I think he's going to be okay. He's taken a few bumps this year. He's certainly not, to answer your question, a big 112.
Coach, 99.9% of teams have their most important competition at the end of the season. For Blair, the tournaments and duals that determine whether you are national champions, and your toughest competition, are in the beginning and middle of the year. Does this make the National Preps "anti-climactic" -- and how does it affect your training?
Buxton: At the end of the year, we have a lull. But we try to put the pedal to the metal at the end, even though the National Preps isn't the toughest tournament that we have, it is the last tournament of the year and it affects seeding for the next year. Plus, you don't want to go through this grueling schedule and not perform at the end of the year. You don't want to end with a letdown.
Coach Buxton, one last question. In your opinion, who is the best high school wrestler in the country, outside of your team?
Buxton: Two names come to mind. We haven't seen him this year -- but David Craig. He is good in all position and just a great competitor. I haven't seen Henry Cejudo in two years, but I hear he is really dominating, even with the senior-level guys.
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