Spencer wrestling coach Sanders reflects on 14 years after 200th win
When Spencer wrestling Coach Robert Sanders’ Greenwave team defeated Brookstone to give him his 200th win, he did what he usually does, got the lineup ready for his second opponent of the night, Kendrick.
The school did take a short timeout between the two matches. Sanders was presented a trophy, and his team showered him with confetti as his wife snapped the picture, but five minutes later, it was back to business.
Spencer hosted the tri-meet with the Cherokees, Brookstone and the Greenwave. Kendrick downed the Cougars in the first match, 42-15 and that set the stage for the Spencer-Brookstone match.
It was no contest, as Spencer won 66-12 to lead to the short celebration and presentation.
“I had to replace 12 starters from last year’s area champions, and what we have tried to build here is the next wrestler stepping up when it is his turn,” said Sanders after the victory.
Win number 201 was also a runway, 69-12 over the Cherokees. The only close match of the night was a battle between Kendrick’s Isaac Sellers and the Greenwave’s DiQuan Thornton, who took four points in the last 30 seconds to win 9-8 and clinch win 201.
“I came to Spencer in 2002 and became the head coach in 2003, said Sanders following the meet. “We started with next to nothing — with no place to practice and working to get matches set up.
“Spencer was pretty much at the bottom rung at that time” he added.
Sanders had his teams competing with local powerhouses like Columbus and Hardaway and to get better, Sanders looked to local longtime coaches Larry Morgan and Tommy Sanders on ways to get his team more competitive.
“I wanted to pick their brains to make our teams as competitive as other local established programs, so that we could not just get better but compete for area championships.” Sanders said.
“And Russell Scott, who is at Jordan, he and I grew our programs together. We have been friends for a long time,” Sanders added.
“This has been a journey of 14 years to get to this point, and it has been a very emotional time for me,” Sanders also said. “I lost my father (longtime football coach Pete Sanders), and my wrestlers were tight because they put pressure on themselves to get this.”
“My father wanted me to motivate kids and mentor them to be not only winners but grow up as responsible adults,” Sanders said. “I wanted to keep that going and be the father figure to our guys.”
It worked. Spencer has one state weight class champion, several runners-up and several area championships, including as the reigning area champions.
“I expect East Laurens and Dublin to be some of our strongest competition in our area,” Sanders added, who already was looking forward to the next matches for the Greenwave.
This story was originally published December 9, 2016 at 2:20 PM with the headline "Spencer wrestling coach Sanders reflects on 14 years after 200th win."