2018 LOCALS LOVE US: Burnet Coach Rich Wilson Keeps His Athletes On Track For Success

BURNET — Rich Wilson wasn’t quite sure why he was voted the 2018 Locals Love Us favorite school coach in the Burnet area by The Picayune readers and KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune listeners.
However, the enthusiastic reaction by some of his student-athletes showed the honor was well-deserved.
“You won?!” they asked as they approached the cross-country coach during a recent workout.
Wilson, who started his first year with Burnet Consolidated Independent School District in August, credited his athletes for his victory, noting it was their votes that secured the win.
He splits time between Burnet High School and Burnet Middle School as the cross-country coach.
Burnet Consolidated Independent School District athletics director Kurt Jones said he wasn’t surprised to learn about Wilson’s Locals Love Us win.
“He’s just a first-class individual,” Jones said.
Wilson, who also is the Lady Dawgs head golf coach, began teaching during the 2016-17 school year. By his second year, he was named the chairman of the Math Department at Burnet High School.
Jones said officials knew of Wilson’s running background, noting the cross-country coach spent 20 years in the profession when he lived in the New England area. However, Wilson didn’t want to begin coaching right away, Jones said, preferring to first concentrate on his classroom duties.
But officials weren’t going to let Wilson spend another year in the classroom only, not when he has so much coaching experience and dedicates himself to being at his best in every endeavor.
“He’s on his A-game with anything he’s done,” Jones said. “If he’s doing it, it’ll be done the right way.”
The running coach doesn’t simply give his athletes a workout; he is on the track training with them, a trait students really like.
Wilson is detail-oriented and relates well to his students, but they know who is in charge and has the final say, Jones said.
“They enjoy being around him and respect him and listen to him,” he said.
Wilson’s student-athletes have had success under his leadership. Burnet High School junior Trynadee Greenwell finished 20th at the Class 4A state meet in 12 minutes 12.67 seconds in November 2017. She advanced to the state meet after finishing 10th in 12:47.5 at the Class 4A Region III meet, which was in October. Freshmen Luke Kiser and Cade Rye also qualified for the regional meet.
The middle school athletes attend the high school team practices and learn much from the older students.
“It benefits the middle school kids tremendously because they can watch the high school kids,” Jones said.
In addition to getting familiar with Wilson’s practices, the middle-schoolers can see the proper way to approach practice, the times they need to hit in order to medal, and other aspects that go with being a successful athlete.
And, it has paid off.
The seventh-grade boys team finished second at the district meet in October.
“I’m pleasantly surprised,” Wilson said. “It’s pretty awesome to go from the seventh grade all the way to the high school. That benefits a lot.”
Wilson believes the way the practices are conducted also helps, noting coaches try hard to make them fun. After all, when athletes in other sports are asked to step on the line, usually it’s because they are running for punishment.
And making it to cross-country practices aren’t always easy, Wilson added.
“You have to be dedicated if you’re getting up at 6:30 in the morning,” he said with a laugh. “Middle school practices during the cross-country season are head-to-head with the varsity kids. The middle school kids understand what’s expected of them.”
jfierro@thepicayune.com