Flower Shops Annandale MN
Annandale MN Press
Wrestling: Damascus turns to sophomore leadership; Sholders takes over at ...
Jan 8, 2018War on the Shore in Berlin, Md. — is adjusting to the style of new Bulldogs Coach Keith Sholders.
Sholders makes switch from Annandale to Westfield
Annandale High’s influence on Westfield wrestling extends all the way to the program’s roots. Chuck Hoskins, a district champion for Annandale under Coach Dick Adams, started Westfield’s wrestling team in 2000 and built it into a perennial regional contender during his 13 years there.
This season, Westfield and Annandale’s grappling bond is more visible than ever. Keith Sholders, the head coach at Annandale for the past 13 years, accepted the same position at Westfield last August after former coach Tucker Surbrook left for a job in Michigan.
Sholders, who lives about five minutes from Westfield, also took a ninth-grade physical education teaching job at the school. During the fall he taught his classes at Westfield, then headed over to Annandale to fulfill his commitment as an Atoms’ assistant football coach.
“We had an opportunity and thought about it family-wise,” Sholders said. “I’ve got three kids, and I was coaching two sports: football seven days a week and wrestling six-plus days a week. I wanted to be around a little bit more, be closer to home.”
Sholders isn’t the only Annandale man to make such a transition this season. Joining him is Adams, a fixture at Annandale for 35 years as a wrestling and football coach. Adams’ 24-year-old son, Ricky, also joined the staff after his graduation from Marshall University last month, and fellow Annandale assistants Mark Weader, Alex Medrano and Greg Reed also hopped on board.
“Keith’s a great guy. You can hear that about people, but that’s why I’m doing it,” Dick Adams said. “He’s great with kids. He’s a ball of fire.”
Westfield’s senior leader, Jay Aiello, wasn’t thrilled to see Surbrook leave the team, but he’s since embraced Sholders’ passionate, vocal style.
“I wrestled a few of his guys in the past, and they’re always coming at you,” said Aiello, a Virginia wrestling commit. “That’s one thing I’m looking forward to, I guess, that mentality of coming after you all the time. They might not be the best technically, but they’re always coming for you.”
While the rest of his football-wrestling teammates were given the week off, Aiello was back on the mat for wrestling practice two days after the football team a data-xslt="_http" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/h...