by Shawn Nowlin
Any respected coach will tell you that, regardless of how talented one is, if discipline and the fundamentals are lacking, ultimate success is almost impossible to achieve.
At this point, Coach D’Angelo Reynolds’ student-athletes know the script: to see playing time, they must give maximum effort every day, not just when they feel like it. Reynolds has been with the William Fleming High Wrestling program for nearly a decade. Initially hired as an assistant, in 2023, he was named head coach. Once hired, Reynolds wasted no time rolling up his sleeves and getting to work.
“Our goal is always to see the offseason work we put into the sport translate to the matches. Personally, my main goal is to see all my wrestlers accomplish their goals, both in the classroom and on the mat. My philosophy is about developing good people, then coaching good wrestlers,” Reynolds said.
He added, “Success doesn’t happen overnight. We’ve worked hard all summer and fall. Along the way, we’ve built a culture of community, accountability and toughness.”
With a combination of seven seniors and 15 other underclassmen, Coach Reynolds is positively giddy about his team. During summer workouts, he looked at his players one day and thought, “We have the potential to do something special this season.”
“I love coaching this group because of the fire and drive they show. It’s the next step before life really comes. Wrestling is all about development,” he continued.
A former athlete himself, Reynolds grew up playing every sport one can think of. “At Fleming, I lettered in four. Wrestling stole my heart. The late, great George ‘Kila’ Miller and Coach Bonilla played huge roles in my development as a young man,” he said.
The Colonels will kick off their season with a home match against Hidden Valley on Dec. 10. “It will also be our senior night. We will have Breckinridge and Addison wrestling beside us and then host a community night afterwards to build the culture of the program,” Reynolds said.
With Coach Reynolds in charge, Fleming’s wrestling program seems to be in great hands.
Asked how he will define success for this season, he said, “There is so much talent from top to bottom that no goal should be too big. If we all do our part, I have no doubt that we will make history.”
