Illinois Matmen
BATAVIA • Batavia High School has re-named Tom Arlis as their head boys wrestling coach—yes, that Tom Arlis. Arlis, who had originally accepted the Batavia head coaching position in 2003 after a twenty-seven-year career—thirteen as the head coach—at Naperville North, stepped down as the Bulldogs’ lead dog in 2010 after a seven-year stint that saw him ignite the Batavia program and give it the foundation that it has been building on over the past fourteen years. In his previous time as the head coach of the Batavia program, Arlis compiled a 106-48 dual meet record, and now he is looking forward to adding a few more accomplishments to the program.
When Alris took over the program initially, he had some goals he wanted to accomplish, but he also had some boundaries—he said he would only run the program for seven years. In that time, he wanted to coach an individual state champion, he would get as close as a finalist—his son Logan in 2009. He wanted to find team success, he did—he was able to lead the Bulldogs to an IHSA Regional title in 2006, only to come within one match at the Sectional from an Elite Eight appearance. And he wanted to build a competitive foundation for a program that was focused on the team—and he
