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#MondayMatness: Adam O'Neil Takes Over at Clay

â€œWho wants to learn?â€

Adam Oâ€™Neil invites his athletes to one side of the South Bend Clay High School wrestling room.

There, the second person ever to win an IHSAA state mat title for the Colonials (Randy Goss was the first in 1964 and 1965) shares his knowledge as Clayâ€™s first-year head wrestling coach.

A little later, Oâ€™Neil gets in front of the group and tells them about stance.

â€œKeep your chest up,â€ Oâ€™Neil tells them. â€œI donâ€™t want hunching down, alright? We donâ€™t want to see the Hunchback of Notre Dame. 

After all, an opponent can control, if a wrestler is hunched over.

Oâ€™Neil also instructs his Clay grapplers how to sprawl and demonstrates with a series of â€œburpeesâ€.

But he stresses the basics.

â€œEven the best guys have to do the basics,â€ says Oâ€™Neil. â€œWeâ€™ll get into the flow of the different moves and when we do them later.

â€œI can only teach them what I know.â€

What Oâ€™Neil knew when he wore a Colonial singlet was strength and a solid stance and form and loads of mat know-how gained from coach Al Hartman, an Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Famer. 

It helped Oâ€™Neil win 154 matches. He went 45-0 as a senior in 2003-04, reigning as the 160-pound state champion.

That season, Oâ€™Neil tied for first in single-season wins with Jaylin Allen, Shakir Carr, Joe Gallegos, Mitchell Hartman and Laquan Lunfiord. Gallegos and Allen were state runners-up in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

Oâ€™Neil set Clay school records with 26 pins in both the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons. 

Any one of those accomplishments should give the 30-year-old instant credibility with these teenagers. But Oâ€™Neil doesnâ€™t see it that way.

â€œI still need to prove myself to them,â€ says Oâ€™Neil, who went into this season ranked No. 4 on Clayâ€™s all-time win list (behind Mitchell Hartmanâ€™s 164, Jake Hartmanâ€™s 156 and Steve Salinasâ€™ 156. Places 5 through 12 were held by Kevin Hartman, 145; Gallegos 142; Lunsford, 121; Ryan Salata, 114; Garret Gleuckert, 112; Jeremy Burnside, 112; David Elliot, 109; and Dustin Swindeman, 108). â€œOne of my biggest challenges is getting all the kids in here at the same time and getting them to listen. I want them to focus and listen to what Iâ€™m saying. If they are not listening, they are not absorbing.

â€œIâ€™m only here a couple of hours a day with them. I try to have them learn as much as I can.â€

After two seasons as a Clay assistant, Oâ€™Neil has taken over the reigns of the program from Hartman (who is still involved, mostly at the junior high level).

â€œItâ€™s been a dream of mine to coach wrestling,â€ says Oâ€™Neil. â€œWhen I had the opportunity, I took it. Coach Hartman really helped me prepare for it. He pushed me to do it.â€

A frozen foods frozen manager for Martinâ€™s Supermarkets during the day, Oâ€™Neil relies on assistant coach and Clay teacher Jay Love to take care of administrative details and monitor the wrestlers during the school day.

â€œHe helps me out a lot,â€ says Oâ€™Neil of Love. â€œHe does paperwork and helps me recruit kids.â€

Love also helps teach the sport to the Colonials.

The lessons have yielded a 9-1 start to 2015-16 season (5-0 at the South Bend Clay Super Dual and 4-1 at the Elkhart Central Turkey Duals).

Oâ€™Neil said he considers two-time semistate qualifier Rishod Cotton plus Mason Cao and Andrew Taborn to be his top three wrestlers as the season begins. But itâ€™s steady improvement from he group that he seeks.

â€œSeeing them get better everyday is what I want,â€ says Oâ€™Neil.

Before the practice closes, Oâ€™Neil gets his wrestlers in a circle for a chant.

When the volume and enthusiasm are not right, he yells, â€œThat was weak. Get back here.â€

Then they do it to Oâ€™Neilâ€™s satisfaction: â€œClay on 3. 1, 2, 3, Clay!â€