Waynesburg Central grad Headlee now starting under Scott at UNC
Waynesburg Central grad and University of North Carolina鈥檚 A.C. Headlee controls Appalachian State鈥檚 Jacob Grigg during a dual meet on Nov. 29, 2015, at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, N.C. Headlee, now a redshirt junior, is starting for the Tar Heels and head coach Coleman Scott, who is also a Waynesburg native, and is competing is this week's NCAA Division I National Wrestling Championships at PPG Paints Arena.
Jeffrey A. Camarati
Waynesbug Central grad and University of North Carolina head wrestling coach Coleman Scott shouts instructions to his team during a match against North Carolina State on Jan. 23, 2017, at Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill.
Waynesburg Central grad A.C. Headlee isn鈥檛 used to not starting, but after waiting two years, the redshirt sophomore is starting for the University of North Carolina鈥檚 wrestling team.
Headlee, who graduated in 2015 after winning a state championship and earning the Outstanding Wrestler award for the tournament, didn鈥檛 see a ton of mat time the last two seasons, but has been penciled in the starting lineup at 141 pounds for fellow Raider graduate Coleman Scott.
Headlee is not only starting, but having success. He is ranked No. 16 in the country and has a 13-8 record.
Headlee won the Hokie Open to begin the season on Nov. 5 with a 3-2 decision over Old Dominion鈥檚 Alex Madrigal in the finals. He is 6-6 in dual meets with victories over several nationally-ranked wrestlers in Minnesota鈥檚 Thomas Thorn (fall in 5:08) and Michigan State鈥檚 Javier Gasca (fall in 2:38).
鈥淚t is just about him (Headlee) growing and getting better,鈥� said Scott when asked about Headlee moving into the starting lineup. 鈥淗e still has a long way to go, and we have a super-tough schedule right now. Not only A.C., but the rest of the guys are focused and have responded well.鈥�
Scott, who was named head coach on Aug. 13, 2015, had success at the highest level of freestyle wrestling when he won the bronze in the 60-kilogram weight class at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. He hopes to coach not only Headlee, but the rest of the Tar Heels to that level of success.
鈥淵ou always want to work towards being the top wrestler in the country,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淭hat is still our goal, and it will always be our goal. We know if we take care of that, the team stuff will take care of itself. We want guys that want to be All-Americans and national champions.鈥�
Scott won the 2008 NCAA Division I National Championship at 133 pounds while wrestling for Oklahoma State, and is a three-time PIAA Champion.
He acknowledged that it is pretty special to have a Waynesburg graduate wrestling for him, but still wants to take it one match at a time.
鈥淚t is neat to have a Waynesburg guy wrestling for us and doing well,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 happen too often, but we still have a lot of work to do and don鈥檛 want to look too far ahead.鈥�
This season鈥檚 national tournament will be at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, and the 2019 tournament is slated for the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
鈥淚t is something that we will look forward to when the time comes,鈥� Scott said.
鈥淲e know that it will be close to home, but our focus right now is on our next match.鈥�