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Baughman next to coach BHS wrestling

Dove Creek wrestling succeeding McMeniman

He graduated from Dove Creek High School in 2013 as a multi-sport Bulldog athlete.

Now pursuing a Fort Lewis College elementary education major and coaching minor, Cole Baughman couldn't pass up the chance to become a coach and take his first steps on a path well-trodden in his family.

"I was actually in the middle of work-I work at Hillcrest Golf Course in Durango-and in the middle of mowing some lawns. They called me and I was just like, 'YEAH!'" Baughman recalled Tuesday afternoon, outside the building in which he'll again spend great amounts of time this winter.

"I kind of had a little chip on my shoulder before that, and after that I.relaxed, really pumped!"

No stranger to the game as the eldest son of longtime DCHS coach Shane Baughman, Cole will officially complete one of life's circles when he first sits at mat's edge as the head coach of Bayfield High School's program.

"Being able to share my knowledge.that's pretty much it," he replied, when asked what fueled him most to accept the task of taking over for Todd McMenimen at the Wolverines' helm. "I mean, I kind of have been doing it for two years under Coach 'Mick' as far as technique and the actual.wrestling."

"Really, I didn't think I would be able to be a head coach at 21 years old! You know?" he continued.

"Coach made me feel like I actually should apply; I probably wasn't going to until Coach had come and said, 'You're the guy that can do this the right way.' And for him to say that kind of stuff.that really helped my confidence level-I was like 'If you think so then I guess I think so too.' He's been a real motivation.put me on the right path."

Even though he just turned 21, calendar age didn't seem to weigh heavily in Baughman's nomination and confirmation for the position. But it didn't exactly hurt either; an influx of eagerness has already worked well within the Pine River Valley, and BHS seems as optimistic as its down-Valley neighbor.

"Coach (Jordan) Larsen and Coach (Cody) Haga - really ambitious guys - really.motivated and high-energy coaches, and they've kind of set the bar," Baughman said of 2A Ignacio's 20-something braintrust.

"Gave a big 'shot in the arm,' and Ignacio Wrestling has shot up! Tons of kids out, tons of success, and I think that's kind of the same thing that's going to happen here: We're going to give the kids a 'shot in the arm,' get real motivated, and try to get the wrestling community back together again."

Neil Barnes, long an aide to McMenimen while both Baughman and young assistant Allec Rodriguez (BHS '13) were apprenticing alongside, has been said to return for the 2015-16 season, and Baughman noted that a third and possibly fourth assistant-one or both likely in volunteer capacity-might be added to fill out his first staff.

"The first step, I think, is to get our numbers up," Baughman said of his first goal as head coach. "The kids we do have out are all fairly tough-we don't have any.slouches!-and if we keep the competition high in the (wrestling) room I think the team's really going to succeed."

"The very first year I was here we only had four kids on the whole team, and last year we had about eight," he noted. "So we're going in the right direction, and for a successful program you have to have kids in; if there's no kids in there, we're not sharing our knowledge."

And in case another mind must be sought out and picked for pointers, Dad's always a phone call away.

"I think the biggest thing that he's helped me with so far is.the administrative side-I really didn't understand how much administrative-type stuff the head coach is responsible for!" said Baughman of his father. "Any type of paperwork, and online.for CHSAA-all that kind of stuff, he's been able to help me with."

"He was pretty excited. Told me he was proud of me and that he knew we're going to be a tough team next year, and just to stay motivated.keep kids having fun. Said, 'Don't overwhelm 'em, but make sure they're having fun and you're going to have a successful program.'"

And if one is a product of one's environment-Baughman went 43-3 as a senior and, at the Class 2A State Championships in '13, took second place at 132 pounds (Rodriguez, who went 22-12 that season as a senior, qualified in 3A at the same weight)-that seems like sage advice.

DID YOU KNOW? Most BHS Wrestling fans know Cole Baughman's younger brother Case will be a senior at Dove Creek this year, and that his cousin Austin will be a senior at Bayfield. What most may not know is that the two are separated in age by one month. "To the day!" added Baughman.