Pete Reardon took an already successful wrestling program at Post Falls High and ... well, made it even more successful.

Reardon, a former North Idaho College wrestler, took over the Trojans program in 2009, and matched the previous season's sixth-place finish at the state 5A tournament.

Post Falls finished seventh at state in 2011, then finished second in 2012 and '13. The Trojans were third in 2014.

And this year, his sixth season as coach, Reardon guided the Trojans to their first state title in wrestling.

Recently, Reardon weighed in with his thoughts on building the Post Falls wrestling program.

* On taking an already solid program to the next level:

"As a staff we have worked over the past six years to evolve and improve every season," Reardon said. "It's a continuous process from year to year. I am fortunate to have a great staff of coaches who are open to ideas and also have great ideas themselves. They all have their own strengths and bring great qualities to the table. So we all pitch in to tweak and improve all of the time.

"One philosophical thing that we have worked hard to implement over the past few years is the concept of building "True Champions," which is the basis for our program and has paid dividends over the past few years. A True Champion is someone who is: a leader, coachable, a team player, selfless, honorable, dependable, and goal driven. By working toward this we can hopefully positively impact kid's lives long after they leave Post Falls wrestling. Also, you don't have to be a "good wrestler" or a "state champ" to be a True Champion. ... Everything we do fits into this mold. It's what we celebrate and who we are trying to be. Don't get me wrong I am ultra competitive and want to win as much as anyone else - probably more. But winning is a byproduct of building True Champions.

* On what the past coaches have meant to the success of the current program:

"The rally (when the team returned to Post Falls after winning the state title) was awesome. The kids really felt appreciated with all of the support and people who showed. When we got to the rally I saw many of the former Post Falls coaches from all of the years past. It was amazing to see how many were there. I hadn't planned to call them all down previous to the rally. I just felt it was important to honor the men who have put in literally thousands of hours over the years for the youth in this community. These coaches are responsible for getting Post Falls wrestling to where it is now. Current and past club, middle school, and high school coaches in Post Falls all own a piece of this awesome accomplishment and it's important to recognize them. What's really amazing is that when I called all current and former coaches to the floor about 30 men came to the front ... that's pretty awesome."

* On the impact the youth wrestling clubs in Post Falls have had on the success of the high school program:

"There are several coaches who play key roles at the club level in Post Falls," Reardon said. "To name a few: Lonnie Lovett, Abel De La Rosa, Mike Reyes, Mike Booth, Henry Kazmierczak, Brandon Austin, Jake Clark, Doug McLeod, Trevor Robb, Brandon Mason and Brian Graves. These guys are key to the success of Post Falls High School. Without their efforts we would not be where we are today.

"There are two clubs in Post Falls: Post Falls Wrestling Club and Team Real Life. Over the past few years we have grown closer together and during the spring season we actually combine the clubs together.

Much like the high school, we are always trying to improve our clubs for the better. The leadership of both Team Real Life and Post Falls Wrestling Club work very closely. Lonnie Lovett, Abel De La Rosa, Mike Reyes and I work to improve wrestling in Post Falls with the goal of feeding Post Falls High School with the best kids we can."

* On the future of the wrestling program at Post Falls High, with several key seniors moving on from this year's state champs:

"I think that the future is bright for Post Falls wrestling," Reardon said. "We are going to continue to work at growing our program at all levels. At the club level there are a lot of kids working to get better with the goal of being a high school state champ at Post Falls High School. At the high school we lose a unique and talented senior class, but we have a great group of kids coming back. We will also add some talented kids as freshman next year. Next year we will have a chance to be in the hunt for a trophy again. Depending on the leadership of our kids and their commitment to one another we could have a shot at another title."

* On any other factors that have contributed to the success of the Trojans under Reardon:

"Overall I believe that God has really blessed our community with an awesome group of kids, parents, and coaches who have committed to something that is bigger than themselves," Reardon said. "I feel really fortunate and blessed to be a part of what is going on in Post Falls."

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.