All-County Wrestling: Bettis recognized for vast improvement

The Cobb County Wrestling Association named North Cobb’s Jeffrey Bettis the 2022 Coach of the Year.

In his fifth year as coach of the Warriors he led the team to a 3-9 final record and fourth-place region finish.

Bettis described the honor as one recognizing continued development within North Cobb’s wrestling programs, rather than one acknowledging immediate success.

“We didn’t have the best record, but I think the coaches in the county voted for me for this award because of the improvement and progress in our program,” Bettis said. “Five years ago when I took it over, we were one of the worst teams in the county and this year, we had shown dramatic improvement.”

An eighth-place finish in this year’s Cobb County Invitational is a marked improvement from North Cobb’s 16th-place finish during Bettis’ inaugural season as the coach.

This year, three wrestlers — Zach Afalla (106), Tyler Rogers (182) and Ethan Jones (220) — were all named to the All-County Second Team by the CCWA. In total, seven North Cobb wrestlers earned berths at the sectional tournament.

Additional indicators suggesting progress within North Cobb’s program include a fourth-place finish in its region and non-region wins against Sprayberry, Campbell and Osborne.

Top that with a sixth-place finish at this season’s Tomahawk Tussle, and the Warriors posted a season where Bettis said his wrestlers believed in what they were doing.

“Compared to other schools, like the more established programs, some have, eight or nine area finalists, but for us I think we had a huge improvement, and it’s something we’re going to have to build on to have more next year,” he said.

Bettis himself is experienced both in coaching and competing. He was a wrestler for North Cobb in the late 80s, and after graduating, returned to coach in the county for Kennesaw Mountain High School.

Following a six-year coaching stint with the Mustangs, Bettis took a 10-year break from the sport before returning to coach for his alma mater. Under his leadership, Bettis believes he has helped cultivate a program more unified than in previous seasons.

“It’s just rebuilding culture and getting kids to believe they can win and just doing the things the right way, like valuing hard work and discipline,” he said. “I got a group of kids that love each other, and they support each other, and they push each other.”

Another benefit surrounding North Cobb’s rise is the relative undergraduate status of several of the program’s standouts. Much of the current roster also went through North Cobb’s four-year junior program.

Bettis said he believes this consistency can help assist athletes with the transitions to high school-level competition.

“I don’t think they realize how good they were until they got to high school,” Bettis said. “And I think they just see the opportunities in front of them and it’s just believing you can just go ahead.”

For a program on the rise in one of the state’s most competitive wrestling hotbeds, Bettis is optimistic of what the future may hold. But for him, what must remain constant is the team’s commitment to pushing each other.

From athletes to coaches, parents and administrators, Bettis wants North Cobb wrestling to reach new heights as a collective. And if this season’s coaching award is indication, it seems the Warriors have the right man for the job.

“I think of it more as a program award than just myself…there’s a bunch of people that have worked hard to make our program a whole lot better,” Bettis said. “Wrestling is the ultimate individual sport. There’s no disparity with equipment, and it’s just one-on-one, so success will be proportional to how hard we work.”