The Franklin High School wrestling program is returning this season after an eight-year absence with George Tarwo, a former state-champion wrestler, as a coach who brings experienced leadership to revitalize the program.

The last time the Golden Tornadoes competed was in 2016-17 and they scored zero points in the Division III championship with only four wrestlers in 14 weight classes.

That same year, Tarwo became a three-time Division I champion, a Meet of Champions title holder, a New England champion and an All-American wrestler at 182 pounds as a senior. Now, he’s bringing back Franklin’s wrestling program and hopes to elevate it to new heights.

After graduating from Concord High School in 2017, Tarwo wrestled for Springfield College where he earned a degree in criminal justice. After graduating, he joined the Marines and served for five years before becoming a Concord Police officer. 

“I’ve watched so many coaches, I wrestled at CHS, and I wrestled over at Springfield, so I picked up hearing things. I picked up minor things from other coaches I wanted to be like,” he said. “Pretty much everything that they taught me, and everything that I watched I took pieces of and adapted to myself and the type of person I want to be, especially coaching these kids. Being in Franklin, I realized that these kids are tough.”

Two years ago Tarwo gave Franklin athletic director Dan Sylvester a call to ask if they had a wrestling program and if they needed a coach. He wanted to return to wrestling and liked the opportunity that Franklin offered.

“My goal is for these kids to walk on the mat, punch some of these teams in the mouth and have them be like, ‘Wow. The Franklin program itself has changed, has adapted, and has gotten better.’ Gotten better, made themselves better, not only from a coaching standpoint but for themselves,” said Tarwo.

Born in Liberia, Tarwo moved to Concord when he was six and eventually became a U.S. citizen.

Head coach Ham Munnell and assistant Nick Zeras have led the Crimson Tide’s wrestling team since before Tarwo’s time. They coached him to his numerous championships and are now helping him take the reigns in Franklin.

Zeras said Tarwo was one of the greatest wrestlers to ever come through Concord and an even greater inspiration for others because of his character.

“Kids looked up to him. They wanted to listen to him. He led by example doing the right things but also inspired other kids to want to push themselves harder and do more, and again, be just a good person,” he said.

Tarwo expressed how wrestling and the military taught him to never give up on himself when times get tough, which is something he wants to teach his wrestlers.

“If they come to me and they want me to be gentle, and that’s when me as a coach, or me as a police officer, me as a military person, I’ve got to understand and say, maybe it’s time to take a different approach, depending on what they need,” he said. “When it’s time for a sport, wrestling is a tough sport, it’s not a game based on sympathy. The other person is putting in the same amount of effort to beat you, to be better than you.”

For Tarwo, having an individual champion would be a dream in his first year but he understands that other teams are years ahead in terms of experience and program development.

He wants his wrestlers to leave it all on the mat, practice hard and commit to the craft, absorb as much as they can and ultimately, become better people. 

“He's going to help pull that out of these kids, and hopefully realize their full potential and what they’re capable of. I have no doubts about that,” said Zeras. “He’ll be successful at it just because of how much he cares and how much he wants to do a good job”.

Tarwo wants to nurture good wrestlers who enrich their community and underscore why Franklin has been recognized for its sportsmanship. He hopes as the program grows more students will begin to wrestle because they believe it will make them better students, athletes and people.

“The key to success, to be honest, is holding these kids accountable. Having them push through struggles and persevere through pains, suffering, tears and sometimes blood. You got to have to push through the tough parts,” said Tarwo. “When things get tough, how are you going to react? How are you going to find a way to manage it, fight over that obstacle and make yourself a better person?”

Alexander Rapp can be reached at arapp@cmonitor.com