Nation Ford High wrestling coach Paul Richardson is learning on the fly.

He inherits a team that is only in its second year of existence and had too few wrestlers come out when practice began a year ago. This year is different: last week, 58 wrestlers showed up to practice.

Richardson is new to the school, but has experience that could help the Falcons turn into a winner faster than expected. Richardson was on the first team of his high school's starter program and wrestled in college at Carson Newman as a member of that school's inaugural team.

His collegiate career ended well, and he was nationally ranked for his junior and senior seasons. Richardson said he hopes he can get the Falcons into contention soon and has eight seasons of wrestling coaching experience under his belt that should help.

He was also a football coach for 25 years and knows what it takes to run a successful team.

"With all of the great programs in the area like Fort Mill and Rock Hill, we just hope to be competitive," Richardson said.

Richardson is hoping to create a buzz for the Falcons and get even more students to come out for the team.

So far the plan is working. Richardson said more wrestlers are coming out every day and the program is building right before his eyes. Now he has to mold these athletes into a cohesive group that can battle in the conference.

"Coming to a new school, the biggest thing is to recruit and get the kids to come out," Richardson said. "(Then) let them get to know my philosophy and work ethic."

Richardson said his plan is simple, but has the potential to be effective. He believes in working hard and sticking to the basics; Just sound wrestling and nothing fancy.

Nation Ford faces an uphill battle, but if the team buys in to Richardson's system, the wait to be competitive should be a short one.