Scot Weaver is a man in his element as he presides over a recent practice in the gleaming new wrestling room.
He walks past the Queen of Peace logo on the side padding, eyeing each one of his wrestlers, before rolling around for a few minutes with upper weights Jeff Velez and Chima Dunga.
This is not just his office. For the longtime coach, this $70,000 investment just up the hall from the main gym at Queen of Peace High School is the embodiment of the support the school’s administration is willing to give the newly restored wrestling program.
Four years after his first stint at the school began with a two-year postseason ban under a cloud of recruiting accusations and ended with just a handful of athletes on the mat, Weaver has returned to revitalize the Golden Griffins’ program.
“At first I was reluctant,” said Weaver, who has led a team with four first-year wrestlers to an 11-1 record and the second seed in the North Non-Public B sectional tournament. “I said if I was going to do this, I wanted to do it right to be competitive. The new administration is supportive and everybody is on board to create an elite program that can compete with the big schools.”