As junior Andrew Morgan struggled to avoid being pinned, Mancos High School's head wrestling coach Grant Hobbs shook with intensity and shouted instructions. Throughout the process, the second-year coach's desire to see Morgan succeed became evident.
"Roll," screamed Hobbs. "You have to roll. Fight off your back. Come on, Andrew, fight."
Soon after, Morgan was pinned, and Hobbs expressed his dismay. He then pulled Morgan aside, discussed the match and offered words of encouragement.
"I try to guide kids in the right direction as far as being good wrestlers, good citizens and paying attention to life in general," said Hobbs. "If I can trigger their mind with something that I say, they are going to be more successful."
And although Hobbs might be reluctant to admit it, his words have already led Bluejays wrestlers towards success. Among those wrestlers is 113-pound senior Rudy Archuleta, who qualified for state last year.
"(Grant's) coaching has helped us be successful," said Archuleta at the end of last season. "He knows a lot about (wrestling), and he cares about the team. That makes all of the difference."
Before taking over as head coach of the Mancos High School program, Hobbs wrestled at Dove Creek High School and won individual state titles in 2006 and 2007. The Bulldogs won Class 1A state title as a team in 2007. Hobbs was coached by current Dove Creek head coach Shane Baughman.
"They take wrestling serious (in Dove Creek)," said Hobbs. "There was always a competitive side to it, but it was fun at the same time. Ever since peewee, we worked hard."
After graduating from Dove Creek in 2007, Hobbs spent two years working as an assistant coach at Durango High School before taking over as head coach of Miller Middle School's wrestling program before the 2010 season.
Hobbs spent three years at Miller Middle School before moving to Mancos and taking over as coach of the Bluejays middle school wrestling program. When the Mancos high school program was resurrected prior to the 2013-14 season, Hobbs was hired as head coach.
"It's like anything in life, your first year you're going to learn a lot," said Hobbs of his first season with Mancos."Qualifying (Rudy) for state in the first year was very rewarding."
Asked to describe his coaching style, Hobbs said that he likes to be hands-on and help his wrestlers. While Hobbs admitted that his style has ruffled a few feathers, he does not intend to change.
"To the crowd, my coaching style seems aggressive," said Hobbs. "Some people like it, and some people don't. "I don't care what anybody else thinks. I only care what my kids think, and they respond."
As for his goals for the Mancos program, Hobbs said that he would like his team to qualify several individuals for this season. Asked about a long-term future with the program, Hobbs said that he is only focused on this year.
"I don't make plans past today," said Hobbs. "I don't know what tomorrow brings. I'm dedicated this team and I'm not planning on going anywhere, but you never know what happens in life."
Hobbs said that winning a team state title is a goal.
"That's every coach's dream, to get your kids to wrestle to the best of their ability," said Hobbs. "Right now, my kids are getting better each week, and that's what matters."
