Rich, Drinkwine take wrestling jobs

In 1998, Johnny Rich and Tim Drinkwine both reached the pinnacle of their sport, winning individual state championships in high school wrestling.

Five years later, the former Montgomery Bell Academy and Overton wrestlers are hoping to show aspiring grapplers a similar path to prominence.

Rich, who won a state title with the Big Red in 1998 at 189 pounds, recently accepted the head-coaching position at the new Ensworth High School. Drinkwine, a 130-pound state champ with the Bobcats, will be taking over the wrestling program at Hume-Fogg.

Most recently, Rich was the head coach at Pope John Paul II, leading the first-year Knights through a demanding Division II schedule. A graduate of North Carolina, Rich is currently seeking his Masters degree at Vanderbilt and cited an easier commute between teaching and coaching responsibilities and pursuing his degree as a reason for switching from JPII to Ensworth.