Buffalo Wild Wings January 2017 Coach of the Month: Ryan Arist, Patterson Mill Wrestling

Ryan Arist, who coached the Patterson Mill High School wrestling team to a 29-2 record and a berth in the MPSSAA dual meet regionals this season, is the County Sports Zone/Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of the Month for January!

Coach Arist was nominated for the award by Angelita Crowley, whose son wrestles for the Huskies.

"Coach Arist creates a culture that is both supportive and challenging- where kids want to make him proud, but know that he will simply help them improve if they happen to fall short," Crowley wrote in her nomination. "That said, every single wrestler shows tremendous improvement every year. It is quite profound to witness."

Coach Arist was raised in Bel Air and attended C. Milton Wright High School, where he was an All-County selection for football and lacrosse. On the wrestling mat, he was a Harford County champion, as well as a region and state qualifier. He was a captain for all three sports, and was inducted into the C. Milton Wright Athletic Hall of Fame.

After graduating from Salisbury University, Coach Arist became a teacher and started coaching all three sports he played in high school. He's coached high school wrestling for 18 years, the past 10 of which have been at Patterson Mill, where he teaches health. Coach Arist also coaches the Patterson Mill's JV football team.

His wrestling teams have compiled a record of 257-88-1 under his tutelage. Coach Arist is the only head wrestling coach Patterson Mill has ever had, and has taken the program from only having a JV his first year to being consistently a top three team in Harford County.

"Our kids are just hard workers. Most of them come in with no wrestling experience and they just buy into the program," Coach Arist said. "I have high expectations for the kids and they always come into the season ready to work."

Along with improving on the mat, Coach Arist wants to see his wrestlers thrive away from it as well. Coach Arist puts together numerous character building exercises for his team, including holding a practice with students from the Maryland School for the Blind, and volunteering with various organizations in the community.

To his wrestlers, Coach Arist is more than just a coach - he's a role model.

"He emphasizes all the top morals that should be expected of an athlete and a person in general," senior Sean Reddish said. "Doing that is really helpful for our team and helps us all make good choices."

It's a responsibility that Coach Arist embraces by doing his best to set a great example for his young athletes.

"I want to be a role model for them, and I want to walk the walk," Coach Arist said. "When the kids see me and see my actions both inside and outside of school, I want them to look at me as someone they'd like to emulate."

For being named County Sports Zone/Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of the Month, Coach Arist received a gift certificate, sauces and a hat from Buffalo Wild Wings, as well as a County Sports Zone t-shirt.

If you'd like to make a nomination for next month's County Sports Zone/Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of The Month, click here!

Congratulations to Coach Arist!