“If you focus on the process and not the results, you’ll have better results.”
-Joe Madden

Coach Josh Deputy gets the big picture. He is not only the head coach of the Chestnut Ridge high school wrestling but the founder and head coach of the Orchard Wrestling Club. His high school’s results have spoken for themselves ever since he became the leader of the Lions. The team’s  dual record is 79-12 in dual meets and a perfect 42-0 in league competition. Coach Deputy takes pride in the results,  but he is even more proud of the work both on and off the mat that has produced said results. He took that same mentality when he decided to open a wrestling club in 2020. In a state that is littered with high quality wrestling clubs, Coach Deputy was convinced by his wife that there was room for another. She was the driving  force behind creating The Orchard Wrestling Club, in New Paris Pa.

Coach knew it would be a lot of work and there would be particular challenges he would encounter throughout the process. He wasn’t deterred by that at all. Coach Deputy grew up in on a farm and wasn’t afraid to work. He had this instilled in him at a young age. “Ultimately, I want to see people succeed more than myself.” How many parents out there want to hear those exact words out of their children’s coach? After ultimately deciding to go forward with this,  Coach had a building built and put some mats down. The building was built on the property that his wife grew up on, appropriately an apple orchard. It was now time to get to work. “Things took off pretty quickly, people saw the results we were getting early on.” Josh Deputy stated.

He knew he would need to put together a staff as they grew in members. That’s a pretty great place to be as a new club. Coach added guys that knew wrestling but also coaches that would make these young athletes better people. It’s more than a sport. He added coaches, Brian Gibbons, Nathan Holderbaum, Scott Mull, Ross Dull, CJ Manley, Sam Carroll and Jason Kendall. They know that. They recognized that if they provided the right processes, the results they were looking for would follow. It’s safe to say that all athletes want to achieve the highest of levels in their particular sport. It’s pretty rare to find youths that are willing to put in all the work and follow the plans laid out for them without hesitation. Coach Josh Deputy has built a culture with The Orchard Wrestling Club. Not a results oriented culture, a culture built on trust and belief in a system. A system that has clearly yielded results so far. He’s built a family. He embraces moms, dads, brothers and sisters being around the program. It’s a support system. He has wrestlers traveling from near and far to be a part of this club. People from different areas, rooting for one another, all competing towards a common goal.

Coach Deputy values having a strong mindset. “Thinking and focusing about what you want to achieve is just as important as the work you put in on the mat.” He begins each practice with a talk about this very subject. It begins with a different message for his athletes to think about. He has created leaders, often young leaders. It’s not uncommon for Coach to walk in on a practice and have a youth athlete leading some warmups for the rest of the group prior to practice even starting. That says a lot. It says everything. Preaching the importance of training is a high focus for Orchard wrestlers. Coach Deputy is creating a culture of not only having great wrestlers but great captains, without even being named that. 

Coach knew as they grew they would have opportunities to reach out. He did just that as he collaborated with other clubs. One of those clubs was M2. David Taylor, Mark McKnight and Brad Pataky  would come in and work practices at certain times with Orchard wrestlers. That’s a huge opportunity. They put ego aside and did what was best for the youth athletes. Not all clubs would do this. It speaks to the person and leader that Coach Josh Deputy is. That has certainly proved to be the correct approach. Orchard wrestling had 63 wrestlers qualify for the state tournament from the junior program through high school. Maybe more impressive than that is the fact that they had 15 state champions and an additional 7 state finalists. That is an impressive amount of competitors in the finals. Orchard Wrestling Club added 12 more state place winners. Follow the process, believe in it, live it, reap the results of it. It’s remarkable. Recently in an independent ranking, Orchard was ranked the 4th best club in the country. Think about that, being the 4th best in the state of PA would be an incredible accomplishment for now. Being 4th in the United States is a feat that is spectacular.

When asked what he advises the parents of the club, Deputy stated, “Don’t ever make your kid feel like the sport is more than your love for them.” In a world where a lot of folks put too much value on winning, this is truly a genuine life lesson. It’s great to hear. Coach Deputy isn’t the kind of guy to take credit for much. He’s old school. It’s a breathe of fresh air. In a time of “Me Me” He truly loves the sport and what it can provide for young competitors. Coach often has the preacher from his church in  to talk before practices. It truly is a faith based club. Some may proclaim that, but Orchard lives it.

Coach Deputy’s own kids have proven that wrestling at Orchard can provide dividends. His oldest son Dom is currently ranked #2 in the United States, reaching the PIAA state finals twice in high school wrestling for Chestnut Ridge. He has a record of 89-5 through 2 seasons. His only losses are to Aaron Seidel (3x PIAA State Champ) Ayden Smith ( 2x PIAA State Champ) and Davis Motyka (2x National Prep Champ) as well as #1 ranked in the country Joe Bachmann in the PIAA finals this past season. That is absolutely insane! He’s coming, I don’t think anyone will be surprised by what Dom does in the future. He’s a relentless worker, mentor and ambassador of the sport. His hard work has certainly proved worthwhile and will make him one of the United States best wrestlers for a long time.

Coach’s other two sons, Kooper (4x State Champ) and Kohyn (2x State Champ) are coming soon to Jr and Sr high. Folks who follow PA wrestling know them, the remainder of the country who already don’t, will soon. The Deputy’s have all wrestled at elite clubs growing up. They have been to All American Wrestling Club, Young Guns and M2 Training Center. While they still attend M2, they now primarily train at Orchard. The results speak for themselves and as I’ve asked around, they are better young men than wrestlers. That speaks volumes for not only Coach but his wife. Their support system is unmatched.  Coach Josh Deputy told me that his father once told him “Always be proud of what you’ve done.” It’s safe to say that he can look back and do that. Thanks Coach for not only what you’ve already done for this sport but what you continue to do.