Loud thuds ring out as wrestlers are slammed against the mat. Green Hope Wrestling comes back this year with a new coach and an agenda to win. Coach Marc Sodano brings his decades of coaching experience to Green Hope to take the team to first place in the conference and success.
Last season, Green Hope Wrestling placed 34th in the state and fell somewhat short of its goals for the year. To make matters seem worse, the season brought the end of a coaching era. Green Hope Wrestling’s Head Coach, George Jenkins, left the team as the 24-25 season came to a close.
Moving forward, however, it looks like Wrestling has found the coach the team needed. Coach Sodano joins Green Hope with big goals, including first place in the conference and “top 20% in the region, followed by top 15 in the state.” On top of his goals for success, Sodano brings his philosophies for hard work to the team. He wants athletes to “understand the value of hard work.” To Sodano, that means motivating wrestlers through their own hard work. He plans to do that by giving the wrestlers the techniques and time they need to be successful and then allowing them to see how their work pays off on the mat. Wrestling should be a rewarding experience for the athletes, and Sodano hopes wrestlers are motivated by their wins.
As for individual techniques, Sodano teaches “High-probability, Low-risk” techniques that are guaranteed to bring wrestlers points without putting them in risky positions. Beyond the physical aspect of the sport, Sodano stated it was also important for wrestlers to understand scoring. This means knowing when to go for a pin or a safer route of winning the match to help the team’s scoring in matches and tournaments. Coach Sodano affirmed that his wrestling expertise comes from over two decades of coaching experience, with four years of NC State wrestling, 15 years of coaching club wrestling in Holly Springs and seven more years coaching at Holly Springs High School.
To find out more about Coach Sodano, the GH Falcon talked to wrestler Jack Barbour (‘26). Barbour is a long-time wrestler, sticking with the program since his freshman year. Jack felt positive about the transition to a new coach, stating, “I feel it’s gonna be very beneficial for our team once we start to adapt. Positive changes are on the way and occurring.” However, previous coach George Jenkins’ impact on the team is not forgotten. Barbour realizes that “Jenkins leaves big shoes to fill, but Sodano’s approach is a little bit different.” The different approach wasn’t a negative indicator for Barbour, though, “Especially for new guys, he will be a beneficial, very technique-heavy coach.”
Jack Barbour also feels like Coach Sodano makes a positive impact on team morale by “being matside and being present to actively serve his role as a coach.” Barbour ended by stating that the team looks “the best we’ve been in a while.” Specifically under the new coach, Barbour thinks that “This is the first year where we have really, really good odds. [To win conference] We’ve always had decently good odds of placing first, but this year is our best in a while.” Barbour and the wrestlers give Coach Sodano major approval, and they believe in his ability to lead the team to greatness.
With the addition of a new experienced coach, Green Hope Wrestling looks to run the mats. With a packed season of hard practices, dual meets and tournaments, the team is sure to be one of the best lineups that Green Hope has seen.
