Longtime Dawson County Middle School wrestling coach Andrew Grigsby recently landed the head coaching job at the high school, bringing with him several years of success.
Grigsby, a 2006 graduate of DCHS who has also coached the middle school football and girls soccer teams, led multiple programs in multiple states but eventually found his way back to his hometown. He accrued a 30-4 overall record with the middle school team, including two Mountain League championships and an undefeated regular season in 2022.
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“Dawson County is my home. My father was raised here, I was raised here, and my children have been raised here,” Grigsby said. “Regardless of my previous teaching and coaching jobs, I have always bled maroon and gold. The opportunity to make an even greater impact on the next generation of Dawson County [student-athletes] is something I hold very dear in my heart.”
Grigsby takes over the wrestling team for Arron Haynes, who spent over two decades as head coach and led the Tigers to consecutive state championships in 2003 and 2004.
Heading into a role that holds special meaning to him, Grigsby is approaching the opportunity with vigor.
“To be clear, wrestling has one of the richest and most successful histories in Dawson County, with many individual and several team state championships,” Grigsby said. “My identity has always been to connect with kids in a way that fosters maximum participation, character, and effort. I will do everything in my power to bring top level performance back to Dawson County Wrestling.”
As for his camaraderie with the middle school team — Grigsby doesn’t expect much to change. The relationships he built over the years contributed to a tight-knit program that Grigsby plans to further cohere going forward.
“Those guys are my future and I couldn't be more committed to their success,” Grigsby said. “I plan for the middle school program to share in varsity practice time and coaching. Moving forward, I want those guys to feel like one big team — 6th grade through 12th grade — where skills are developed and where maximum effort yields head-turning results.”