Iron Horse wrestling team enthusiastic as new coach takes helm
The wrestling career of Philip Simmons' Tyler Hendricks -- and his love of the sport -- began early in his life, when he was a 4-year-old fascinated by a sport that stressed dedication, hard work, and physical and mental discipline.
It didn’t hurt that his father, George, served as wrestling coach at General McLane High School, located in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, a borough near the shores of Lake Erie. (One of the most notable Edinboro residents is Bruce Baumgartner, who won an Olympic gold medal in 1984.)
Hendricks, who wrestled at Penn Hills High School in the Pittsburgh area, arrived in the Lowcountry in 2021 and shared his passion for the sport by coaching youth wrestling.
Hendricks, who also coached youth soccer, was hired as an assistant at Philip Simmons to help head coach Anthony Sardelli build a winning wrestling program.
Hendricks was then named head coach in late summer when Sardelli stepped down to focus on his family.
There was an aura of great expectation for the 2025-26 season, as many observers felt the Iron Horses had the potential to be a top 10 team in Class AA because six players who qualified for the individual state championships were expected to return.
But the six grapplers either transferred to other schools or moved.
That pretty much meant a restart for a program that currently has six boys and two girls on the roster: Rell Cass, Alison Souvoravong, Connor Roberts, Samuel Haas, Daniel Wright, Mason Langworthy, Alexander Feaster, and Jacob Henderson.
Most of the student-athletes on this year’s squad have plenty of enthusiasm but limited practical experience, which could mean a challenging winter for the Iron Horses.
Coupled with the fact there are 14 weight classes in the Palmetto State, forfeits in the weight classes in which the Iron Horses don’t have competitors may be too much to overcome.
“We will judge success by more than wins,” Hendricks said. “We will look at individual accomplishments against opponents and apply what we will learn as a team. We will build on that.”
Hendricks' move to the Lowcountry in 2021 started when he took a job with Pattison’s Academy, “an education and rehabilitation hub for discovering new abilities in the lives of children with disabilities,” according to its website.
He began as the AmeriCorps Program Coordinator when he started with Pattison’s Academy, supporting youth literacy development, engaging volunteers in their local communities, and establishing healthier eating and physical activity practices in schools.
A year later, Hendricks was named director of operations and compliance at the academy.
Hendricks graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2017, where he was connected to the Big Brother/Big Sister Program in the Steel City.