Quincy's Kondo named Coach of the Year

QUINCY — Quincy High School girls head wrestling coach Mark Kondo said that, for him, being a good coach started in the classroom. 

“The quality that makes a good teacher translates to making a good coach, as far as being organized, as far as being able to break learning down into meaningful segments and teach that, as far as building relationships,” Kondo said. 

Kondo was named one of the 2025 Coaches of the Year by the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Association. He was also girls co-Coach of the Year in the Central Washington Athletic Conference in Quincy’s first year back in the league. He shared the CWAC award with Othello’s Sammy Rocha.  

Being an effective coach also requires a good support system, Kondo said, and Quincy has that – QHS and district administrators have been very supportive of the wrestling program.  

“I’ve had Kim Avalos and Sophie Tafoya as my assistant coaches, and they were working with the girls before I took over as head coach, and have built solid relationships with the young ladies,” he said. 

Quincy’s middle school program is strong, he said, and so are local programs for children of grade school age. 

“Having that support system, having all these people involved, has certainly made it easier to be an effective coach, I think. Without that support I think it’s really difficult to be an effective coach, because you can only do so much as an individual,” he said. “But when you have so many other people supporting you and working with you, it increases the chances to be successful.” 

The Jackrabbits set the goal of qualifying six wrestlers for Mat Classic 2025. Quincy surpassed that goal, qualifying nine wrestlers for the state tournament.  

Mat Classic is held at the Tacoma Dome – the massive Tacoma Dome, with 24 mats in action at once. It can be overwhelming, but the Jacks were up to the challenge, Kondo said. 

“I was really proud of our young ladies, because (when) we got there, we didn’t necessarily get intimidated. Each girl won at least one match, and most of the girls won two matches,” Kondo said. “Out of nine, we had three that placed, and out of the nin,e we have six coming back next year.”  

Kondo was a teacher, athletic director and wrestling coach in Othello before coming to Quincy. Retired from teaching, he got interested in the Quincy job when the previous coach resigned. 

“I talked with (Athletic Director Brett Fancher), and then I made the decision, ‘You know what? I think I can help these girls.’ Quincy’s program has gotten stronger (and I wanted) it to continue to get better,” Kondo said.  

In fact, one of the areas of focus is continuous improvement, as individuals and as a team. 

“We want to be improving each day, and wins and losses will take care of themselves,” he said. “What we’re really concerned about is getting better. If we lose, then it’s the opportunity to work on something to get a little bit better.” 

Kondo worked as an assistant with the legendary Ruben Martinez at Othello, a Hall of Fame coach. 

“We had a really good support system, little kids on through high school, and we had a good, solid high school program,” Kondo said. “And we had some girls who wanted to start wrestling.” 

With so few girls at the time, they didn’t always get a lot of coaching attention, he said. 

“I felt the girls deserved good coaching just like the boys,” he said. “That was one of my motivations – I'm not saying I’m the greatest coach in the world, but I do have some experience, and I’ve coached a lot.”  

Kondo said girls wrestling has made great progress. 

“It’s exciting to see the growth in the girls programs and what they’re doing. More and more colleges are having opportunities for girls. That’s kind of neat to see,” he said.  

The lessons he wants his team to take away from their experience, he said, are not just about wrestling. 

“Certainly, we want to compete and get girls on the podium, just like everybody else. But really, the main thing is we’re trying to provide a positive experience for our young ladies. Learning how to work hard, to be responsible, to have dreams and go after them, all the things that a good teacher wants to do with their students we’re trying to do that with our young ladies,” he said.  “Awards are nice, recognition is nice. But what it’s really about is providing a positive and wholesome experience for our young ladies.”  

    Mark Kondo, second from left, shares a laugh with coaches, from left, Rudy Ochoa II, Danny Gonzales and Ruben Martinez during an Othello match.