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the remarker | Friday dec. 14, 2012
J U S T I N
21
T U R N E R
TIME
GAME
after legendary wrestling coach rick ortega retired last spring, justin turner TOOK OVER THE STORIED PROGRAM. faced with HIGH expectations, turner is confident in the program’s future.
READY TO ROLL Following long-time coach Rick Ortega, Justin Turner has some big shoes to fill. However, having coached wrestling all of his adult life — four programs, three of which he started, the 35-year-old father of two is well equipped to continue the success and tradition of Lions’ wrestling.
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ustin Turner set the tone for this year’s wrestling season at the first practice: Burn ‘em. “The first day,” junior Zach Papin said, “Coach made the comparison of our team being like the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes in that he burned all of the ships used to get this far. He said that we can either move forward and do something great like conquering the Aztecs, or we can turn back and die because there’s no way to leave. This led to our team motto: Burn ‘em. All our ships have been burned, and there’s no turning back.” More than to anyone else, this motto applies to Turner. He burned all of his ships by leaving Vista Ridge High School and the highly successful wrestling program that he started there in 2003. Now, he’s the new guy — the one who has to follow Rick Ortega. He’s the coach who has to follow the winningest coach in Lions sports history — the one who brought in 17 state championships, 25 SPC championships, 657 dual meet victories and 67 individual state champions — the third-highest number ever for a high school wrestling coach in the nation. In the first year of the post-Ortega era, people are accustomed to Lions wrestlers winning, and expectations are high. But Turner isn’t worried — at all. “I wouldn’t have taken the job if I didn’t think I could do better,” he said.
Younger, smaller squad gains experience
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he mats are out. The yelling and pounding can once again be heard in Spencer gym. Old bruises on students eating brown rice and water at lunch can once again be seen. And while the wrestling team may be the smallest it’s been in years, thoughts of another SPC and perhaps even state victory are once again back. Two tournaments over thanksgiving break gave the wrestling team its first test of the season. “We’ve been to a Martin tournament and a tournament in Oklahoma,” wrestling coach Justin Turner said, “We didn’t put a full team out, but the kids who wrestled did well.” Juniors Zach Papin and Winston Brewer and senior Jimmy Papin each took third in their weight class at Martin and each got close to placing at the Oklahoma open. Despite the team’s impressive past, Turner plans to bring some new changes in during his first year as coach. “I’d like to bring back some toughness.” he said. “I’ve talked to a lot of guys about that. I think that a lot of these guys are good guys and nice guys. Sometimes you just can’t be a nice guy on the wrestling mat. They just need to get a little tougher.” Turner is also working with the team on the technical aspects of wrestling — learning “how to wrestle.”
However, this year, the team faces an obstacle larger than toughness or finesse: a record low in the number of boys wrestling. “For the high school team, our numbers are low,” Turner said. “That’s our biggest obstacle as far as large team success, but that’s something we can rebuild with time. The guys that are here, the 16 guys that are around are working hard and doing everything asked of them.” In addition to underclassmen rising to the challenge, a strong eighth grade class also helps the future of the wrestling team look a little brighter. Team members still hope to add another year to their banner. “The team is preparing week in and week out for February,” Jimmy Papin said. “We focus each week on getting better and wrestling hard in each tournament with February in our minds.” — Teddy Edwards, staff writer LION PRIDE Because Turner’s first Lions squad is small, sophomores like Andrew McClain get a chance to make their mark.
Those who are familiar with Turner also know that he has the credentials to back up his words. The 35 year old, who most recently coached for Vista Ridge High School (near Austin), has been involved with wrestling since his sophomore year in high school in Dumas. “My high school wrestling coach was a huge influence in my life,” Turner said. “We started the wrestling program my sophomore year of high school. Before that, I was big into FFA, and before that I assumed I would go into farming or ranching or some sort of [agriculturally] related field. “He kind of transformed me and woke a passion in me that I didn’t know was there. I went out for the wrestling team because I thought it would be easy to get a letter jacket as a sophomore. He hit a spark and ended up leading me to a career.” Immediately liking the “autonomy” of an individual sport, Turner knew just a year later that he wanted to coach wrestling. This longterm view led him to go to Oklahoma State University, a school which has now won 34 national wrestling championships. “I had some offers to go wrestle at some smaller schools,” he said “but I chose to go to Oklahoma State simply because I thought that that would be a better place to learn to be a wrestling coach. I knew I might never start, but just the experience of being a part of that program would service me so much better in the long run.” And it certainly did. Immediately out of college, Turner founded and served as head coach for the Richland High School (near Ft. Worth) wrestling program before starting another program — this After interviewing here and seeing the way that the community is, I thought, ‘Not only is this where I want to work, but this is where I want my boys to go to school.’ JUSTIN TURNER
GAME TIME story by Charlie Golden, sports editor | photos by Michael Doorey, head photographer
one in Pampa, TX. Next, he became an assistant at the highly touted Broken Arrow High School wrestling program in Oklahoma. Finally he started the Vista Ridge program in 2003. This program also proved successful, yielding many wins, including two over the Lions the last two times the schools met. Then came the opening he had been waiting for. “I’ve known Coach Ortega since I was six years old,” Turner said. “His children and I wrestled together. His son Aaron beat me at the state championship my senior year. I’ve just always thought that St. Mark’s was a phenomenal place to be a part of. “It was one of only three jobs that I would leave Vista Ridge for. After interviewing here and seeing the way that the community is, I thought, ‘Not only is this where I want to work, but this is where I want my boys to go to school.’” oming into the job, Turner was well aware of the expectation for the program to dominate after Ortega’s tenure of more than 30 years. But he wasn’t the least bit fazed. “I’m harder on myself than anyone else could be, so any expectations are really irrelevant,” Turner said. “Obviously this transition had some casualties, and there’s going to be a growth process and a lot of rebuilding. But I’m not [Ortega], and I can’t try to pretend to be him. I think I’m a great coach, and I think he had some great accolades. But [any outside pressure] never bothers me at all.” In his first season as the Lions’ head coach, Turner will be focused on winning—as he always has and always will be. But as the post-Ortega era begins and Turner starts to establish his own legacy, he has a more long-term goal in sight. “Coaching wrestling is great, but I’m here to raise men,” he said. “Life puts you on your back, and wrestling teaches you how to get up. And that’s what I hope my kids get out of it. Making my guys good fathers. Good husbands. Wrestling is just a product of it.”
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