Harmony in Motion : Wrestling Coaches Have Been In and Out of Newbury Park, but Wins Remain

The Newbury Park High wrestling team has had enough coaching changes in the last four years to make New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner envious.

Dan Pry, who is spoken of in the hushed tones normally reserved for legends, coached the Panthers from 1978-83 before moving on to Atascadero. Pry has since directed the Atascadero wrestling team to three consecutive Southern Section 1-A championships, and the team may step up to the 3-A level next season.

In 1983-84, Todd Stoke coached the Newbury Park team, but after one season left to coach Rio Mesa.

An assistant coach at Newbury Park for 12 years, George Hurley guided the team in 1984-85, despite having no previous wrestling experience.

Marty Maciel, 28, is the latest coach in the revolving-door position, taking over at the start of this season after coaching part time at Kern Valley and Delano.

Unlike Steinbrenner, Maciel isn’t looking to carry on the musical coach game.

“I feel real fortunate,” he said, “As long as they keep me, I’ll be there for the rest of my life. I couldn’t have hand picked a better school or situation.”

Despite the high turnover of coaches and philosophies, Newbury Park wrestling teams have managed to remain consistent on the mat. This past season was no exception.

Over the last seven years, the Panthers have been champions of the Marmonte League six times, including a 6-0 sweep this season and an overall record of 11-1. Their lone defeat was to Pry’s Atascadero team in an early season tournament.

Maciel’s wrestlers finished seventh in this season’s CIF 4-A Southern Sectionals. Keith Hernandez, one of eight seniors on the team, placed first in the 112-pound class.

“Last week I peaked out and wrestled the best I ever did,” Hernandez said. “We always give teams a rough time, and we take pride in that. The past years we were always expected to win it, and it wasn’t expected this year, but we did.”

Of the 13 weight classes, eight Panthers were invited to the 4-A tournament and another was named as an alternate. Senior Dan Weak (191) placed fourth and sophomore Nick Domingo (98) took fifth to join Hernandez in the awards ceremony.

Long before the trophies were handed out or ribbons draped around necks, Maciel had to mold his wrestlers into a unit. The varying personalities on any team can be a challenge to a coach, especially for one in his first year.

“Iron sharpens iron,” he said, “I wrestled with them. I got in there and mixed it up with them.”

Maciel did a lot of sharpening as a wrestler for Cal State Bakersfield. He captured All-America honors in 1979 and 1980, competing at 154. Maciel was also a junior college All-American at Cerritos.

“He knows the new styles, and he’s not too old to get out on the mat and show us,” freshman Chris Kilbane (133) said. “If you want to wrestle, he’ll wrestle.”

Chris should know. He’s the youngest of Newbury Park’s wrestling Kilbanes, a tradition that stretches back to brother Bob, who graduated in 1979. Ken Kilbane, who now coaches some of the team members in an unofficial capacity, graduated in 1980. A senior wrestler in the heavyweight division at 205 pounds, Mike Kilbane is finishing his fourth season with the Panthers. He is also one who has witnessed the steady procession of coaches since Pry left.

“It’s been good, in a way, because I’ve learned four different styles,” he said. “But when you’re out on the mat, there’s no one else to point the finger at besides yourself.”

Hurley, who remains an assistant coach at Newbury Park, has pointed many a finger in his tenure. He remembers some of the athletes who gave the school its reputation.

Twins Keith and Kevin Harvey led the Panthers to a No. 2 ranking in the 4-A during their senior season in 1984-85. Keith won the state championship at 121 pounds, and Kevin, at 115 pounds, placed second. Both wrestlers are now on scholarship at Cal State Fullerton.

“It takes a different breed of kid to wrestle. It’s not a glamour sport,” Hurley said. “Anybody who’s in it is not in it for the glory.”

Hurley’s son is a freshman at Newbury Park and wrestled for the junior varsity this season. “The kids who wear those wrestling lettermen’s jackets are a little prouder of them. A lot of our littler kids don’t play other sports. They just get down on the mat and get tough.”

The Newbury Park wrestling team was tough enough this season to once again be the class of the Marmonte League.

“We did a lot that was unexpected of us this year, and a lot of credit has to go to our coaches,” Hernandez said. “We all wrestled our best every match.”