SCARBOROUGH — Sanford senior Sam Anderson reached another milestone in his already prolific high school wrestling career on Wednesday night as he broke the school record for wins.

While the defending state champion was thrilled to write his name in the SHS record books, it didn’t take long for Anderson to quickly turn his attention to his next goal.

“It feels great … but I’m not satisfied,” said Anderson. “It’s great to soak it in and be around the guys congratulating me and making me feel special, but I’m going to be happy when I get on the New England podium. That’s what’s next for me, so it’s just on to the next thing.”

“Right after he got the record he said, ‘now I just focus on New Englands,’” said Sanford coach Brent Coleman, who loves  to see that kind of attitude from his wrestlers. “He’ll focus on a goal, he’ll reach it and then it’s on to the next thing.”

Anderson rolled to a technical fall win over Scarborough’s Jarren Rogers to pick up win No. 143, which surpassed former Sanford state champion Doug Williams’ record of 142 victories.

“He’s an awesome wrestler. He’s always been super in control of his matches, you know, he put on a clinic tonight so that was awesome. It was a good win to break the record,” said Williams, who was on hand to celebrate with Anderson. “It was a real honor. This was awesome. The record lasted 11 years and it was time for it to be broken … and hopefully it’s a sign that Sanford wrestling as a whole is kind of coming back.”

Anderson was thrilled to have Williams in attendance on Wednesday — and in his corner for the past several years.

“He used to help me out in junior high. I had no idea until I got to high school that he had the record but I knew coach Williams was a bad ass,” said Anderson. “Doug’s always been a role model and somebody you can look up to. He’s in the military and he’s just a hard worker. He recruits hard workers and that’s what he instilled in me when I was a little kid, just work hard and good things are going to happen.”

Coleman, who is in his second season as head coach and fourth season with the program overall, was happy to have Williams there to witness history.

“I’m a Florida guy, but I’ve been around (Sanford) long enough to understand the history, the family and the camaraderie that Sanford has around the sport. Having Doug here to hand that baton off to Sam just melted my heart,” Coleman said.

Anderson has some major goals still out there — like another state title and a medal at New Englands — but the Sanford wins record has been on his list for a few years.

“It’s always been my goal,” said Anderson. “I have a picture of myself on my social media when I was a freshman saying I had 106 wins to go, and I was like, ‘I’m chasing down that wins record.’ I was just determined. I did the math and knew it was possible.”

Both Coleman and Williams knew early on that Anderson had what it took to reach this point.

“When he came in as a freshman I knew the kid had a lot of energy and had a lot of potential. I remember telling Sam, ‘as long as you make the right decisions and choices, you put a lot of hard work in, great things will happen,’” said Coleman.

“His work ethic is unparalleled and that’s what it takes to win in high school wrestling. He’s awesome … I’m super proud of him,” added Williams, who is currently an Army National Guard recruiter and former Marine.

Coleman credits Anderson’s work in the offseason with helping him become one of the best in the state.

“I gave him some tips on doing outside (of season) work. Make sure you’re wrestling in the offseason. Make sure you’re training. Make sure you’re constantly infatuated with wrestling and you’ll start to blossom,” said Coleman. “He took every bit of advice. He wrestled all summer … I mean the kid got a whole season in. He lives and breaths it and with all the hard work he’s just (earned) accolade after accolade.”

Anderson is looking forward to the postseason where he will have a chance to add to his already incredible resume, but he also knows this will be his last ride with the Spartans.

“I mean it’s just crazy that the season has gone by as fast as it has. I’m going to miss every single one of my teammates,” said Anderson, who won three matches on Wednesday to push his record to 145.

— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at pmcdonald@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 322. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.

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