William Yeo of Hammond Wrestling Named Buffalo Wings Coach of the Month

William Yeo, who coaches Hammond High School's wrestling team, is the County Sports Zone/Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of the Month!

Coach Yeo, who is also the Special Education Department Chair at the Howard County school, was nominated for the award by Bill Smith, Hammond's assistant coach.

"Coach Yeo is a tremendous technician and leader, who has definitely earned this nomination," Smith wrote in his nomination.

It's been a sensational season for Hammond on the mat. The Golden Bears finished the season with a 32-6 dual meet record, and qualified to participate in the MPSSAA Class 2A South regional duals. Hammond also won two tournaments -- the Joppatowne Duals and the Westminster Duals.

This year's team was reminiscent of those that thrived in the 1990s and early 2000s, an era when Hammond won four MPSSAA dual meet state titles. For Coach Yeo, bringing a winning culture back to the wrestling mat at Hammond has been a thrill.

"To see the program fall off a little bit before I arrived presented me with a unique opportunity when I came in three years ago," Coach Yeo said. "It's been great rebuilding the program and trying to bring it back to its former glory."

To his wrestlers, most of whom did not wrestle prior to high school, a big reason for the program's resurgence has been Coach Yeo.

"Coach Yeo is a very hardworking dedicated person. He puts a lot of work into everything he does," junior Tyler Walters said. "He doesn't slack, and he doesn't let us slack either, which helps us get better."

Coach Yeo's lessons also help his wrestlers away from the mat. He always takes the time to stress how to use their experiences in the wrestling room in the outside world.

"He emphasizes to always be on time, take responsibility for your actions and everything is earned, not given," junior Loic Tueguo said. "Stuff like that helps you grow up and become a better man."

Coach Yeo emphasizes those lessons away from the mat because he's experienced how wrestling can positively affect one's life.

While attending McDaniel College he didn't wrestle when he was a freshman or sophomore, two years when he struggled academically. Coach Yeo got back on the mat and competed for McDaniel as a junior and senior, as well as his postgrad year, eventually becoming a team captain, all the while seeing his grades improve tremendously.

That's a big reason why Coach Yeo dedicates so much of his time to coaching wrestling- to give back to the sport that has given him so much.

"I played a lot of sports growing up, but wrestling coaches always had the biggest impact on me. They left an indelible mark on me, and the sport did a lot for me. Without wrestling I'm not sure I'd be where I am today," Coach Yeo said. "For me, coaching wrestling is about what I'm doing with my life, and what legacy I'm leaving. My goal is to leave the kids and program better than how I found them."

For being named County Sports Zone/Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of the Month, Coach Yeo received a gift certificate, bottle of sauce, and hat from Buffalo Wild Wings, as well as County Sports Zone t-shirts.

If you'd like to make a nomination for next month's County Sports Zone/Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of the Month, email Wick Eisenberg at weisenberg@countysportszone.com.

Congratulations to Coach Yeo!