Dave Holmes isn’t interested in teaching his wrestlers how to win matches today. He’s teaching them how to become wrestlers for tomorrow.

The Tamaqua Area girls wrestling coach has a philosophy that sets him apart in the rapidly growing sport: forget the quick-win gimmicks and focus on fundamentals that translate to the next level. His approach differs from what some other girls programs are instilling in their wrestlers.

“All they’re teaching is a cement job and a headlock because they can get easy wins out of it,” Holmes said. “Then down the road somebody learns to stop it, and they’ve spent a year or two years with that move and haven’t learned anything else.”

Holmes emphasizes stance, positioning and techniques that work in freestyle wrestling at the college level.

“Why teach them bottom moves (and) when they get to college, it’s gone?” Holmes said. “I’m looking for the future.”

The Raiders return four wrestlers who gained valuable experience last season, led by junior Jalissa Correa (11-8) and sophomore Kiely Kunkel (11-6). Junior Rylan Arroyo and sophomore Kaitlyn Rivera also return, giving Holmes a young core that’s bought into his teaching style.

“I have four of them that have wrestled before,” Holmes said. “A couple of them have been on for two years. None of them are seniors, so those eight will be back.”

Last season, Tamaqua fielded just a handful of wrestlers but still won two dual meets. This year’s roster features seven high school athletes and four junior high wrestlers, showing steady program growth in the Raiders’ third season since the PIAA sanctioned girls wrestling.

Newcomers include juniors Jana Brown and Zania Braewell, along with freshman Adrianna Hernandez. Braewell transferred from Northern Lehigh, where she wrestled on the boys team last year before the school added girls wrestling this season.

The veteran coach, who has been involved in wrestling for decades, finds himself energized working with athletes who come in without bad habits to break.

“They’re a clean slate, so I don’t have to erase any bad habits,” Holmes said. “They’re very enthusiastic. They don’t get frustrated when things don’t go their way. If they’re upset, it shows they care, but they’ll come back in, and I can show them what to work on.”

Holmes acknowledged his approach might draw criticism from those focused on immediate results, but he remains committed to proper development.

“The other side of that coin is they’ll say, well, you’re only doing it because you don’t have a good record,” Holmes said. “I don’t really care. I have a growth mindset as opposed to a fixed mindset.”

The Raiders will compete in a growing field of local programs, with Northern Lehigh, Panther Valley, Blue Mountain and others fielding girls teams this season. As the year approaches, Holmes remains focused on building something that lasts beyond any single season.

“I’m not worried about what I’m getting out of it,” Holmes said. “How do I bring out the best in the people I’m leading? I want them to come back and say they appreciate what they learned. That’s much better than any win or loss record.”

Tamaqua is seeking an assistant coach to help with both the girls program and junior high development. Interested candidates should contact Holmes directly.