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Stanley still breeding success
Monday, March 15, 2010
By Jon Christoff Sports Writer
HERSHEY - By comparison to the other wrestling coaches at the PIAA tournament, LaSalle College High School coach Vic Stanley is as calm as they come when one of his grapplers is on the mat.
Even the laid back Stanley, a 1958 graduate of Moshannon Valley, couldn't help but jump to his feet when 152-pounder Shane Springer headlocked Kiski Area's Zack Shannon to his back during their semifinal bout on Saturday at the Giant Center, though.
Seeing his wrestlers have success is nothing new for Stanley, as he has coached state champions and an NCAA champion, and countless other placewinners and All-Americans during his 40-plus years of coaching.
When District 12 entered the PIAA two years ago, Stanley applied for the job at LaSalle and has quickly turned the school into a regional power.
In their first season of competing in the state tournament, the Explorers advanced four wrestlers to Hershey.
In Stanley's second season at the helm, though, LaSalle took another step forward by bringing five to this year's tournament, three of who medaled - including Springer, who lost to Central Mountain's Dylan Alton in the finals, 11-4.
Stanley's quartet in 2009, by comparison, won just one bout combined.
"I was driving on the Ohio turnpike and my cell phone rang, and it was the AD at LaSalle and he asked if I was interested in coaching there," said Stanley, who is a member of the PIAA and National Wrestling Hall of Fames. "I interviewed and they showed me the facilities, which are great.
"I had written out a five-year plan before I got there. I laid it out in front of them and said, ‘this is what I want to do. If you want this, then hire me. If you don't want this, don't hire me.'
"We've slowly built the program up to where, I think, we're pretty good. ... We were 19-2 last year with four guys coming to states, and this year we were 15-2 with five guys coming to states."
The fact that Stanley has had as much success coaching the sport may come as a surprise to most when they learn that the Black Knight grappler went just 4-1 in his high school career.
A basketball player through his high school days, Stanley decided to give wrestling a shot when Mo Valley implemented the program his senior year.
When he told his basketball coach he was going to give wrestling a chance, Stanley was wished well.
"You love the center of attention," Stanley said, "and you can't be more at the center of attention than being a wrestler. If you win, it's all yours. If you lose, it's all yours, too.
"I asked the basketball coach, ‘would it be alright if I quit basketball and went out for wrestling?' He said, ‘sure, go ahead.' That goes to show you how good of a basketball player I was."
Stanley's wrestling career picked up during his college years at Lock Haven, where Ray Simons asked him to work out after the two had become friends.
"That began four years of him just beating the (crap) out of me," said Stanley. "He taught me how to wrestle."
As time went on, Stanley, who called his wrestling ability "mediocre," eventually cracked the Eagles' varsity roster in his final two seasons of eligibility.
Upon graduation, Stanley, who received his degree in elementary education, began his coaching career as the elementary coach at Hatboro Horsham - a position he was reluctant to take.
"I was asked if I was interested in coaching," said Stanley, "and I said no. They wanted me to coach their elementary program, and they were going to pay me $5 an hour. ... I said ok.
"I got into coaching for money, and then I really began to love it."
After a couple of years and a brief stop as head junior high coach at Neshaminy, Stanley found himself the head coach at Council Rock when he was 27, and the rest, they say, is history.
Stanley brought the Council Rock program, which won 88 consecutive dual meets, to prominence and had other successful coaching stints at Archbishop Wood, Neshaminy and Pen Argyl.
Despite living most of his life on the eastern half of the state, Stanley still checks in on his alma mater, where he had given free clinics within the last several years.
"I get on the internet and see how they're doing," Stanley said. "I follow them all the time. I gave free clinics up there for awhile because I wanted to give something back."
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