Scott Cole ’95 Inspires His Athletes to Work Hard and “Train Like Madmen” 

Harrison Voorhees ’26

Mr. Scott Cole ’95 has been a Chaminade High School wrestling coach for almost 20 years and a teacher in the physical education department for almost 10 years. Like his father before him and his son after him, he is also a Chaminade graduate.

When Coach started Chaminade his freshman year, he had no idea what wrestling was about. In his freshman P.E. class, the “legendary” Coach George Dlugolonski met Cole and asked him if he wanted to wrestle.

Cole laughed, remembering, “I asked him if he had a ring!” He had only heard of the World Wrestling Federation and did not know what high school or collegiate wrestling involved. Dlugolonski told him to come to practice and check it out.

Cole was instantly hooked. He smiled, reminiscing, “As soon as I walked up the stairs into the old wrestling room, the smell, the lights, the grind of it was awesome. I loved it.” As freshman, Cole was small in size and weight, wrestling in the 91 lb. and 98 lb. weight classes, but he was nevertheless excited to be doing a sport at Chaminade. After three years of wrestling, he became captain of the wrestling team and ended up being offered a scholarship to wrestle at Virginia Tech University.

Only a few years after graduating college, Cole re- turned to Chaminade as an assistant coach for the team alongside his old high school coach, Dlugolonski. Once Dlugolonski  retired, Cole became head coach and began working alongside Coach Justin Accordino.

“Wanting to coach here after being a part of the program,” Cole stated,” was a no-brainer. It was fun to come back with Coach Dlugolonski and learn from him how to build the program.”

When asked what Cole specifically looks for in a high school wrestler, his answer was very clear: “Grit, determination, dedication, and commitment. Honor and integrity is what our whole program is built on. We have good kids and smart kids, but what we need is tough kids. There are no easy days. We train like madmen.”

The wrestling season is a long one. It starts in the be- ginning of November and finishes at the end of March. February is more of a post-season, where there is the League Championship and then the State Championship. There is also an optional Nationals Tournament that will be held in Virginia Beach this March.

When asked about his greatest success, Coach responded saying that it is not about the wins or losses, but rather about “seeing how these guys grow.” He continued, stating, “My favorite aspect of wrestling is when the kids come back and say how great it was, or that they were taught a life lesson, or that they were taught never to quit. Whether they were champion wrestlers or guys on the JV team, they all got something out of it. I think wrestling prepares them for life—fighting back and working harder to win.”

One of Cole’s greatest experiences as a coach was when Chaminade won the Catholic States and League Championship at Kellenberg Memorial High School in 2020. He vividly recalls one of the Kellenberg coaches saying to him, “No one is going to stop you guys.”

When asked what he loves the most at Chaminade, his answer is simple: the people. “Brother Tom Cleary, S.M. ’81, Brother Joe Bellizzi, S.M. ’78, the whole administration and staff…are all just awesome. They are awesome to be around. It is not a job—I get to have fun everyday. Whether it is P.E., Economics Club, Sodality, Senior Leaders…it is just fun to be a part of all of it. I am here more than I am home!”

To say Coach is dedicated to Chaminade is an understatement; crimson and gold runs through his veins.