Veteran coach Leon Boulware ready to usher in new era of Northwestern wrestling
The Northwestern Trojans are looking forward to better things with its wrestling program, and they’ve hired someone with a pretty impressive resume.
Veteran coach Leon Boulware has begun his first campaign as the head coach at Northwestern. Before beginning his job in Rock Hill, Boulware built Indian Land into a powerhouse — winning back-to-back state titles the last two years.
Boulware is busy putting the Trojans through the paces as he gets them ready for the upcoming season. Thus far, he said, he likes what he sees.
“The wrestlers who have come out have been dedicated since the first day,” Boulware told The Herald. “I have also been pleased with the fact that some of them have already taken ownership in this year’s team and started to emerge as leaders.”
The Trojans have 47 wrestlers in the program. Almost half of them came from the football team, which saw its season come to an end in the 5A Upper State title game last week, and a substantial part came from young wrestlers from Northwestern’s feeder schools this year.
“That group will be a welcome addition for us as we work to build the program,” said Boulware, who was an assistant coach on the football team in 2020. “I feel like we have a good number of wrestlers in all of the classes to work with. We are further along here in my first year than I was at Indian Land.”
Boulware notes that with the virus slowing things down, he can not really assess his team as a whole right now.
“We did not go to any camps this summer like I usually do, and we have not had much practice time together thus far,” he stressed. “I am impressed with the overall attitude, and the fact that they all want to get better and stronger. We are really getting after it in the weight room.”
‘We changed everything’
Boulware brought his coaches from Indian Land with him. In addition, he has instilled a new spirit and excitement to the program, as well as a new training regimen.
“We changed everything,” he said. “We are using new drills and new techniques. We just need to keep working on them and get each one of our wrestlers to put it all together.”
The Trojans have had to look up to the program at region foe Rock Hill for years. Boulware, a Rock Hill wrestling alum, hopes to change that in time. The new Trojan coach also acknowledged the strength of the South Pointe program.
“They both have excellent programs,” he added. “However, there is no reason why we cannot have a solid program here. It will take time and a lot of hard work, but from what I have seen thus far, we can build that solid program.”
Boulware was straight forward when he talked about the No. 1 goal for this year’s edition of the Trojans on the mat.
“We want to win the region title,” he said. “That is where it all starts. I have already told all of our young men that we want team goals first. Then the individual goals will take care of themselves.”
The Trojans open the season on Dec. 16 on the road against region foe Ridge View.