A Wise decision for Chiefs

Brandon Swanson

Herald staff writer

MOSES LAKE — When the Chiefs wrestlers gear up for the 2005-06 season, they will see a familiar face at the helm of the school's most storied athletic program.

Last week Moses Lake made a move back to tradition, promoting assistant and Moses Lake Hall of Famer Jamie Wise to head coach.

Moses Lake Athletic Director Loren Sandhop said Wise and former assistant Juan Peralez came to him with a proposition — Wise as head coach and Peralez as assistant. With the school's top two candidates both willing to come into the fold, Sandhop said the decision was clear.

"They were our next two candidates from last time," Sandhop said. "So when they both came as a package, it seemed like a really good deal to me."

Wise replaces Nathan Stanley, who left after one year to take a position in his native Oregon.

"Nathan was a great young coach," Sandhop said. "He came in and he did a good job. We were a couple of kids short of being in the top ten. He left because he got a better opportunity for his family."

In Wise, Moses Lake gets a man who has played an integral role in the tradition of the school's wrestling program. A three-time state champion, Wise finished his high school career 101-0-1. He has coached middle school, high school and college and is currently a teacher at Knolls Vista Elementary in Moses Lake.

"Jamie brings the technician, he's just a master at technique," Sandhop said. "He will do a fantastic job schooling the kids on the finer points of wrestling and how to defensively and aggressively wrestle."

Wise will have a staff that has more than seven combined state championships between them, but also have different personalities and coaching styles.

"The guys know wrestling and I think that because all of us are different, we can find a way to relate with the kids," Wise said. "Every kid needs something a little different. Between us we will find something for that kid to be successful with."

Wise takes over a year after the Chiefs finished 45th in 4A state competition — the second worst in the school's history. In spite of that, Wise said he has reason to be optimistic about the near future.

"I think we're going to be more solid that last (season)," he said. "Our young kids did a great job last year. They got a lot of matches and a lot of experience. I think they're ready to step it up now."

The Chiefs next step is team camp next month, where Wise's wrestlers will match up against Spokane area wrestlers. Wise said he plans to bring some middle school wrestlers to the camp in order get them acclimated to the program early on.

"Having that continuity from middle school on is one thing we're going to work at developing," he said. "I want everybody to be on the same page so that the kids understand our philosophy from the start."

Wise said his philosophy is to put the kids first, that a good coach is like a good referee. "If you notice them too much, they're probably not doing well," he said.