There’s No “I” in Team

Broadneck High School’s Varsity Wrestling Coach Scott Harrell believes that “Every kid should have to spend one year on a wrestling team.” 

Ever since he was a young boy, Harrell has excelled at various sports. He was a three-sport athlete throughout high school playing soccer, wrestling and track. But during this time, his preference for one-on-one competitive sports led him to concentrate on just track and wrestling.

While on the track team, he took third place in a state competition as a sprinter, and he was also a champion in the long jump. As a wrestler, Harrell was a two-time county division champion, wrestling in the 132/138 pound weight group.

Eventually his love of wrestling drove him to pursue a career as a wrestling coach and Harrell’s commitment to both the sport and the athlete is apparent.

When asked what his goal is as a coach, Harrell said, “My goal is to help each kid breakdown the walls that hold them back from reaching their potential.” 

He went on to say that the challenge is finding the right motivation for each athlete. Some wrestlers respond well to positive affirmations while others need to be challenged by constructive criticism, and there are always a few who respond by a more negative approach. A good wrestler, said Harrell, learns to take criticism well and use it as a challenge to do better.

To prepare his team for a tournament, Harrell puts them through intense physical drills and conditioning. He also teaches them to move through their pain threshold and break through their performance ceilings. Harrell himself has to be in peak physical condition so that he can demonstrate to his wrestlers what skills and strength they need to be attaining.

The team also learns that wrestling is not an individual sport but the consummate team sport. As Harrell explained, “It’s an individual battle on the team’s behalf.”

To succeed at wrestling, Harrell said that an athlete has to learn discipline, determination, and focus, as well as the need to be physically and mentally prepared. These skills are just a few of the qualities that Harrell believes will give a kid the edge to compete at anything in life.

Harrell’s policy is to never cut a kid from the team. "I believe in them and give them a chance,” he explained. “It's not up to me to judge a kid's potential. Each wrestler knows I will never quit on them, and they just can't quit on themselves."

Dallas Truelove is a senior wrestler for Harrell. “He pushes us to do our best,” said Truelove. “He trusts us and we all have each other’s back.” Truelove then added, “You can tell he really loves wrestling.”

So, for Harrell, what’s the most gratifying aspect of coaching? Not surprisingly, he answered, “Watching an athlete break through mental and physical barriers. The more you push through, the more you can achieve.”

Currently, Harrell’s Varsity BHS Wrestling team is 13-4 for the season and they finished second at the first Annual District V Duals.

Broadneck Area Youth Sports (BAYS) -

Boys Basketball Youth Clinic, Wed, Feb. 16th @ Broadneck High School. Boys in grades 5-8 are invited to work out in a multi-part clinic.

Cape St. Claire Sports -

Winter Cheer 12U Youth Squad placed 1st  at the Md. State Competition; 14U Junior Squad placed 2nd at the Md. State Competition.

Congrats to the Broadneck High Varsity cheerleaders for placing second in regionals! They head to state championships in Waldorf today!