November 23, 2024
Shaw Local
NewsThank You VeteransSportsBearseNewspaperNewsletterObituariesWeekend PlansEvent Calendar

Wrestling: McHenry coach Jake Guardalabene steps down after 15 years with program

By Michal Dwojak
McHenry's wrestling head coach Jake Guardalabene on Thursday, December 9, 2021 at Jacobs High School in Algonquin.

McHenry's wrestling head coach Jake Guardalabene on Dec. 9 at Jacobs High School in Algonquin. Guardalabene stepped down as the program's leader at the end of the season. (Ryan Rayburn for Shaw Local)

McHenry coach Jake Guardalabene stepped down at the end of the season after spending 15 years with the program, six as its leader.

Guardalabene said he wanted to spend more time with his family and knew heading into this past season that this would be his last.

“It was difficult,” Guardalabene said. “But I put 15 years into wrestling at McHenry. It was difficult, but it’s the right choice to make.”

Guardalabene was hired as the head coach in 2016 after longtime coach Will Gaddy resigned. He had been an assistant with the program for seven seasons before becoming the associate head coach in 2015.

The Warriors finished second in the Fox Valley Conference this past season with a 21-1 dual record.

“It was a fun run,” Guardalabene said. “My goal when I started was to leave the program just as good as I found it and I think I did that. It’s been awesome.”

Have a Question about this article?