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Sims looking to bring stability to Alpena wrestling program

Aaron Sims

For the third time in the last four years, the Alpena High School wrestling program has a new coach.

A familiar face will lead the Wildcats onto the mats during the 2018-2019 season. Aaron Sims was named Alpena’s wrestling coach on Monday and Alpena’s current football coach is hoping to bring stability to a program that has lacked it in recent years.

“I’m ready to bring a level of stability and definitely think that I can help improve the numbers in the program. Football and wrestling compliment each other so well and I’ve been trying to build a strong football program and I can work on building a strong wrestling program as well,” Sims said. “There are a lot of guys on the football team that wrestle so I’m familiar with the guys, I see them every day and can continue to help them develop so I decided to throw my hat in the ring.”

Sims will be the fourth different wrestling coach since 2014 to lead Alpena’s wrestling program. After longtime Alpena wrestling coach Jake Stenz stepped down after a decade with the program, the Wildcats went through two coaches in three seasons.

During Stenz’s final season as coach, Alpena won its first and only team district in program history. Since then, the Wildcats have struggled to make much noise on the mat.

Former Alpena wrestling coach Matt Hepburn stepped down after two seasons due to personal reasons which left the program with a position needing to be filled and once the opening was posted, Sims quickly put his name in the mix.

“When the job was posted it was just something that I thought looked fun and resembles what we do now as a football program,” Sims said. “I thought this would be another great opportunity to help change in a positive culture and keep improving because that’s what we have going on in the football program right now.”

Before coming to Alpena, Sims coached football at Hesperia High School.

Hesperia was known for its wrestling and has been a Division 4 juggernaut for the past two decades. Hesperia won a state championship in 2008, has had four runner-up finishes since then and made it to the finals in Battle Creek 12 times since 1996.

Being around a perennial winner, Sims plans to use his ability to coach, recruit and motivate to continue getting the most out of the athletes at Alpena High to build a steady and positive culture within the wrestling program.

“I’m not a wrestler, but I watched a lot and I know I can manage the program and build a positive culture like I’m doing right now. I definitely saw a lot of good things at Hesperia and would take mental notes when talking to coaches there and I have connections and already have plans for former Division 1 wrestlers that I know to come in and run clinics,” Sims said. “The goals and expectations are going to be the same as what I expect on the football field. I expect the team to go out, work hard and compete every single minute of every single match and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to get guys to get out there and lay it on the line to win matches and build a program.”

Jonny Zawacki can be reached via email at jzawacki@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5690.

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