There will be a crowd in the high school gymnasium on Feb. 1 when Cornwall faces Washingtonville in the final wrestling match of the regular season. The team will honor its 10 seniors and salute Don Blaine, who is ending his long career as the coach of the Dragons. Many Cornwall alumni will be in the stands.
“It’s been very emotional,” Coach Blaine admitted this week. “I’ve received emails and text messages from many former wrestlers who’ve said they’ll be there.”
Mr. Blaine has been easing into retirement. In August, he concluded his last year as the director of Cornwall’s summer school. In February, his wrestling duties will come to an end. And in June 2020, he expects to leave the classroom (unless he changes his mind). He teaches Social Studies and chairs the department.
“It was time to step aside,” he decided before the wrestling season began in November. His first obligation was to notify the team. But the announcement kept getting delayed. Several of his wrestlers were playing football. And as they kept winning, their season kept getting longer.
He didn’t want to share the news with less than a full team, so he waited for the week of the Dragon Duals in December. “There’s never a good time to leave,” he realized. “You’re always thinking about the next kid or the next team.”
The seniors thanked him for staying, and the underclassmen said they wished he could have continued for a few more years. The team has enjoyed a good season, winning 17 of 23 matches and having two wrestlers ranked at the top of the section. It’s been an unusual experience for the coach, who is constantly aware that he’s doing things for the last time.
Saturday, Jan. 19 marked his final visit to Wallkill and his last regular-season tournament. He started the day at 4:30 a.m., and realized that’s one part of the job he won’t miss. He’s also willing to forego the long bus rides.
But he’ll still be traveling. The coach and his wife Sue expect to spend more time visiting their twin grandsons (Finn and Tatum) in Long Island City. The boys recently had their second birthday.
Mr. Blaine wasn’t too much older than that when he got started with Cornwall wrestling. At 10, he was the manager for the Dragons’ modified team. And since then, he’s been constantly involved. “I couldn’t imagine it being any better,” he admitted during an interview last week. “It’s been a lot of fun, and I think we helped a lot of kids.”
COACHING SUMMARY
Ten things to know about Coach Blaine
-36 seasons as head coach
-36 seasons in which the team won more matches than it lost
-527 wins makes him the all-time leader of Section IX
-Fourth in all-time wins in New York State
-14 league, conference or section titles
-29 individual Section IX tournament champions
-11 New York State medal winners
-2 state champions; (Paul Paquin 1996 and 1997)
-2011 New York State Wrestling Hall of Fame
-2014 National Wrestling Hall of Fame
