EPHRATA — Newly-hired Ephrata boys wrestling head coach Joe Knox is bringing over two decades of coaching experience into his first head coaching gig when the Tigers hit the mat this winter.

Knox was an assistant coach with Ephrata from 1995-2006 before serving as an assistant coach at Columbia Middle School in Moses Lake from 2011-2023.

“It was a perfect fit because I’ve been at Ephrata before,” Knox said. “I still know a lot of people that work there, and it was a great opportunity. I hope they’re going to be real happy with me, and I’m going to give it my best effort.”

A former wrestler himself, Knox wrestled for Juanita High School before moving on to wrestle for the Wildcats at Central Washington University. Upon graduating and moving to Moses Lake, Knox and one of his Central teammates wanted to volunteer their knowledge with a local high school team.

“We both thought it’d be kind of fun to coach wrestling together,” Knox said. “We found out who the head coach was at the time, and we just volunteered our services. We volunteered at Ephrata, and that’s how I got into it. Quite frankly, I really fell in love with it.”

In his 23 years of coaching since first coming to Ephrata, Knox’s approach to coaching has changed from focusing on the wins to growth off the mat.

“When I was a kid, I just wanted to win – that was the whole focus — now the focus of the program is different,” Knox said. “We’re more about playing a role in the development of these boys and focusing on the people as opposed to the results as much. Trying to teach them it’s important to being a decent human being — because you won’t be a high school wrestler for long, but they’ll be a human their whole life.”

Knox said his goal for this season is to create a strong culture among the wrestlers at Ephrata, preaching a hard-working environment in the practice room and in competition.

“We can’t control what other kids are doing, we can’t control what other teams are doing, but we certainly can control what we are doing,” Knox said. “So, we’ll always be focusing on the process; how we get better every day, whether it be technically or mentally. That will always be the focus.”

Ephrata sent four wrestlers to compete at the 2023 Mat Classic, with two placing in their respective weight classes. Junior Zander Boyd is the lone returner from those four.

“Ephrata has a strong tradition of wrestling, the cupboards never bare,” Knox said. “It’s a really great opportunity for me to put my stamp on it a little bit, and hopefully, help these guys become the best wrestlers they can be.”

Ephrata Athletic Director Bryan Johnson said Knox brings a lengthy amount of experience to the Tigers, as well as the ability to create bonds with the wrestlers.

“He’s got a huge pedigree and background in the sport of wrestling,” Johnson said. “He’s got a lot of experience, highly recommended by his previous coaches he worked for. We’re excited about that from a coaching background, and then how he has built relationships with the students is big.”

The biggest lesson Knox has learned from his time coaching at the middle school level is to always keep the basics in mind, he said.

“One thing you learn when you coach middle school is you really have to get into the fundamentals of wrestling,” Knox said. “The basic stuff. The thing is, when you get into high school you can lose the fact that how important the basics are in wrestling. You always have to go back to the basics.”

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.