Hawthorne could boost EHS football

EASLEY — As most of you know, Jordan Hawthorne has been named the varsity wrestling coach at Easley High School.

Last week, he had a “Meet and Greet” with local residents and the die-hard wrestlers came out of the woodwork.

But for a minute, think about the impact that Hawthorne could make on the EHS football program. The gung-ho Hawthorne will also serve as an assistant coach for the Sam Houston-led Green Wave football program.

“I played on the offensive and defensive line at Greer High School,” said Hawthorne. “For me, it was the mentality side of it. I wasn’t the biggest Xs and Os type of guy or watch film 24/7, but we used to say that I was the bully on the team. I was the guy who would bring energy to the team.”

Added Hawthorne, about how his wrestling helped him in football, “I knew at the end of each day – if you lined me up against any of these other guys in front of their home crowds – that I felt confident in myself.”

This past football season, I could not find any wrestlers who also played football for the Green Wave. It just seems like a great opportunity and a great niche for Hawthorne to step in and he could make a difference on the local gridiron.

“I’m just excited to be here (at Easley) and for what’s coming,” said Hawthorne.

Wrestling Flashback: Hawthorne said that he’ll always remember a certain match during his wrestling days at Belmont Abbey College.

“I had a rough red-shirt senior year (in college),” he said. “It was the first time our parents could watch us because it was in COVID – it was Senior Day and getting a pin against Mount Olive that day.

Buckeley and EHS Wrestling Tradition: Warren Buckeley has been a volunteer wrestling coach at EHS since 1989. He’s seen his share of ups and downs for the Green Wave wrestling program.

“The last couple of years has not been very good,” Buckeley said. “The participation – in terms of students – has not been very good. My hope is that the new guy (Hawthorne) will be able to convince more people to come out. With a little bit of luck, that will happen. This is not a wrestling school. We have some great athletes at this school, but they are just not coming out for the wrestling team.”