Wrestling: New Prairie Ridge coach Jeremy Gricar ready for ‘opportunity of lifetime’

Jeremy Gricar figured he should take his opportunity when the Prairie Ridge head wrestling coach position opened at the end of the spring.

Gricar had spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach with the Wolves under Justin Peete, and he developed strong relationships with the wrestlers. Once he found his opportunity to work more closely with the Wolves, he knew the timing was right.

He took his shot, and Community High School District 155 approved Gricar’s hiring during its June meeting.

“It’s surreal,” Gricar said. “It’s an opportunity of a lifetime.”

McHenry County wrestling isn’t a foreign concept to Gricar. He was a Northwest Herald All-Area wrestler at Alden-Hebron and went on to wrestle at Luther College before he started his coaching career as an assistant at Harvard in 2016.

Gricar quickly learned at Harvard, helping with the varsity and junior varsity programs, and was a nominee for the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Class 1A Assistant Coach of the Year twice. Gricar joined Peete’s staff two years ago when he took over.

Peete stepped away from the program at the end of the spring to spend more time with his other coaching responsibilities at ISI Wrestling Club and other projects. Wolves athletic director Mark Gilbert reached out to see if Gricar was interested in the position, and after thinking about it for a day, Gricar knew he wanted to continue working with the Wolves wrestlers.

“I wanted to be there for the kids,” Gricar said. “Allow them to grow their abilities in the sport and achieve their goals that they have.”

The Wolves had IHSA state tournament success during Peete’s two seasons. PR had three state qualifiers in 2022 and two this February, when Tyler Evans took third place in the Class 2A 120-pound division.

“It’s surreal. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime.”

—  Jeremy Gricar, Prairie Ridge wrestling coach

Gilbert reached out to Gricar right away once the position opened. He liked the way Gricar communicated with the wrestlers, Gricar’s passion for wrestling and how the Wolves showed their respect for Gricar.

Once the two spoke about the position, it became clear to Gilbert that Gricar had a good plan for how he wanted to run the program and continue its growth.

“It was a no-brainer to give him an opportunity to man the ship and be our head coach,” Gilbert said.

Gricar plans on going back to the basics with the program. He missed out on having some summer camps because of the coaching transition, but Gricar hopes to set up some open mats to get the transition process started.

He’ll have familiarity when he takes over. Gricar and Gilbert noted that the Wolves have enjoyed working with him, and that should help him get the transition running.

Gricar got his opportunity, and he’s ready to show that he’s ready for it.

“Having this opportunity at this point in my career is the perfect time,” Gricar said. “I had previous experience behind me. I think this program allows me to achieve those goals.”