Meet the Coaches

Throughout my coaching career, I’ve had the opportunity to coach wrestling, baseball, and football, giving me a well-rounded perspective on athletics, teamwork, accountability, and development.

As a coach, my main goal is to help my wrestlers grow not only as athletes, but as individuals. While developing strong wrestling skills is important, I believe the lessons learned through wrestling—discipline, confidence, perseverance, accountability, and hard work—can have an impact far beyond the mat. I strive to create a positive environment where wrestlers can challenge themselves, build character, and become better athletes and better people.

Coach Frank Folino

Frank “Coach Frank” Folino has been coaching wrestling for the past seven years and is passionate about using the sport of wrestling to help young athletes develop the skills they need to be successful both on and off the mat.

Frank wrestled for Roseburg High School from 1998–2000. He began coaching because of the love he developed for wrestling as a young athlete and wanted his own kids, as well as the kids in his community, to experience the same joy, challenge, and lifelong lessons that wrestling had given him.

Frank has spent the past four years as the head coach of Thurston Middle School Wrestling and will be joining the Thurston High School wrestling staff as an assistant coach for the upcoming season. He is also an assistant coach with Cornerstone Mat Club, where he has been involved for the past four years.

Throughout his coaching career, Coach Frank has been part of programs that have produced more than 10 state champions, along with multiple Oregon Classic champions, Kids State champions, Middle School State champions, and a Girls State champion. In 2025, Coach Frank and his staff led the Thurston Middle School wrestling team to a district championship.

Coach Frank believes wrestling is much more than a sport. His coaching philosophy is built around teaching young athletes that hard work and persistence pay off. Wrestling challenges athletes physically and mentally, and he believes some of the most important lessons are learned through adversity.

“Wrestling is a sport that teaches you life lessons. We learn more from our losses than we do from our wins.”

His goal is to help every wrestler understand that success doesn’t happen overnight. It comes from showing up, putting in the work, learning from mistakes, and continuing to pursue your goals when things get difficult.

Coach Frank also believes that success should extend far beyond the wrestling room. One of the things he is most proud of is seeing wrestlers from his programs become exceptional students and leaders on their school campuses. To him, a wrestler’s success in the classroom, their leadership among their peers, and the character they demonstrate in their everyday lives are just as important as what they accomplish on the mat.

Outside of wrestling, Frank is a professional firefighter. His career in the fire service has reinforced many of the same values he teaches his wrestlers—teamwork, accountability, discipline, preparation, and serving others.

Through the Thurston Mat Club and Cornerstone Mat Club, approximately 70 young wrestlers each year have the opportunity to learn and grow through the sport.

What makes Cornerstone especially meaningful to Frank is that its coaching staff is entirely volunteer-based. The coaches aren’t there for a paycheck—they are there because they care about the kids and love the sport of wrestling.

Ultimately, Coach Frank wants his wrestlers to leave the program with more than wrestling skills. He wants them to have the confidence, work ethic, persistence, and character to pursue their goals and be successful in whatever path they choose.

“Work hard. Stay persistent. Learn from your losses. Keep chasing your goals.”