By Matt Browning 

Brandon Pigorsch, the wrestling coach of Clay Center, was chosen as the Salina Regional Orthopedic Clinic’s Coach of the Month for February.

The Tigers are one of the top ranked teams in Class 4A.

“My philosophy is to create a diligent and hard-working mindset within my athletes,” Pigorsch said. “I get my athletes to realize how wrestling can relate to their life outside of the sport and how many of the skills that they learn as wrestlers can help them become successful adults. I preach to the wrestlers to never give up and to always give a courageous effort.”

Pigorsch is in his 12th year at Clay Center after spending one year as an assistant at York College in Nebraska. He teaches Special Education at Clay Center Middle School.

His greatest accomplishment as the head coach is winning the 2010 state championship.

This season, the Tigers have a deep and talented roster that can be a contender if they continue to improve according to Pigorsch.

“My expectations are to improve each week as the season progresses,” Pigorsch said. “I feel that our team is young and talented with lots of room to grow and make improvements. If our team can make the right improvements, I feel that we can be a top 3 team in Class 4A.”