What exactly is in a name?
When it comes to the word coach that can mean a lot of things.
Something which can be used as a synonym for the word coach is mentor, which can mean someone who is a guide.
Most people know Joe Paterno in his last who knows actually how many years wasn't really the man with all the plans at Penn State. Rather, one could've considered him more as a mentor or a guide. It's not like he was doing all the coaching and making all the calls and every decision by himself.
That's why coaches build things called coaching staffs.
There are many reasons to have a quality coaching staff and the main one is so the head coach doesn't have to do all the work themselves.
Any good coach worth their salt understands this fact and surely comprehends the success of any program very well might be related to the weakest link on the coaching staff.
Thankfully, at least for the Parkersburg South wrestling team, former head coach Paul Jackson put together one of the best assistant coaching staffs around.
Obviously, that helped lead to four consecutive Class AAA state mat crowns and now it appears the drive to secure a record fifth triple-A championship is likely to have that same assistant coaching staff if the Wood County Board of Education approves the hiring of Donna Dixon come Monday.
"Correct, correct. It's up to those five members," said Rick Leach, the athletics director at PSHS. "At any top level you see assistant coaches doing their job and the head coach orchestrating that.
"Paul Jackson has hired a great coaching staff and there was a threat of losing that. For what Donna Dixon lacks in coaching experience, she made up for it in other areas."
Coach Jackson has been out of town recently and wasn't too surprised to find out when he got back his replacement was still left unknown.
Unless at least three members of the local board of education disapprove, it's going to be head coach Dixon at the helm of the Patriots starting next week.
In my opinion, this is a good thing for several reasons, but perhaps one of the most important is so the young men trying to make Mountain State history in the largest classification of wrestling can finally put to bed who will be guiding, leading, mentoring and coaching them this upcoming winter.
"I hope the kids give her the respect she's going to deserve because she's the head coach," Jackson said. "This (finding his replacement) has been ridiculous. My resignation was sent in March and it's been almost five months.
"The fun is just going to begin for Donna. The paperwork will drive you nuts and if it wasn't for my wife and Jenny Sullivan I'd look like coach (Rod) Oldham, bald as could be."
Leach is praying the saga will conclude Monday as well.
"I hope so. I hope so. It's been a long process," he said.
Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com
