BE PETTY

NAIA'S Embry Riddle takes on coaches' style
By Josh Lashley, W.I.N.’s NAIA Editor
Rankings, be it of the team or individual variety, don’t mean all that much to John Petty.
Like most coaches, Petty likes the prestige of having a top-10 team and a number of highly-regarded wrestlers. But what really matters to Petty, the second-year head coach at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz., is what will happen at the NAIA Championships in Sioux City, Iowa, March 4-5.
“We want to win every match and every scramble during the season,” Petty said. “Even in practice, guys, including me, look like they’ve just been through a bar room brawl because we’re competing so hard. We wrestle a tough schedule and our guys always have to be ready. But, peaking for the nationals is our main goal.’’
Don’t worry about the head coach when he goes up against the young lions in the practice room. Petty is a multi-time champ in the U.S. Nationals Veterans division. Petty, wrestling at 152 pounds last year — as he has for the for the past several years — was first in the Greco-Roman competition and a runner-up in the freestyle event.
Petty brought with him a straight forward game plan when took over the helm last year.
“My philosophy is to meet athletes where they are and bring them to where they want to be,’’ Petty said. “I want to teach basic wrestling. Singles and doubles still win championships. We want to always be on the attack on the mat, making things happen and not waiting for them to happen.’’
The Eagles, who placed eighth as a team at the NAIAs last year, certainly have the look of a program who can move into that top tier of the division.  Despite the fact that 2004 All-American Anthony Archuleta (133) is out for the team this season, Embry-Riddle has a number of weapons. David Rivera, a senior, was a runner-up at 174 and Tyler Moran, also in his senior year, was third at the nationals last year.
“David is so hungry this season,’’ Petty said. “He is not much of a talker in the room, but he is technically sound and very focused. Tyler is very well prepared this season. He is also focused and hungry.’’
Adalberto ‘Gord
Embry Riddle Coach John Petty
o’ Villaescusa, a 141-pound sophomore, and Rob Charlton, a junior at 197 pounds, both placed seventh at the NAIAs last March. Petty has very high expectations for both athletes.
“When Gordo first came out for the team, he was sort of in a shell,’’ Petty said. “But he continued to progress and I would like to see him become a four-time All-American. He expects it of himself.
“Charlton was our most improved wrestler last season. He worked out hard over the summer and is a hard-nosed kid. He is also technically sound on the mat.’’
Beyond those who placed at the nationals a year ago, Petty likes the balance that his line-up presents and hopes that it pays off in the end. Richard Byrd and Jarrod Tavasci, a pair of 125 pounders, battle one another all of the time in the practice room. Petty hopes that by pushing each other, both will benefit.
“At the beginning of the season when our wrestlers had to write down their goals, both of them wrote down a goal of being a national champion,’’ Petty said.
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