Wrestling is a set of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins, and other grappling holds.  But instead of speaking generically about the sport, let’s take a deep dive into the experiences of coaches and assistant coaches here at Sahuaro.

Coach Isaiah, who was formerly an assistant coach, plans to start and focus mainly on the basics and fundamentals of wrestling, but most importantly he wants to better improve the team compared to years past.  He prioritizes being comfortable with the person you are wrestling against. He also prioritizes respect.  Coach Isaiah says, “Personally, I started wrestling in the 5th grade after my football coach told me it would help with football. I ended up falling in love with wrestling and stuck with it until my junior year of high school. I started coaching while I was still in high school myself, volunteering after practices to help with the youth practice a couple of days a week.”  Coach Isaiah kept coaching after high school, volunteering as a youth coach for the Fort Drum Youth Wrestling Club while stationed there as well as various other schools and clubs throughout Ohio. He started here at Sahuaro as a Campus Monitor last year, where he also volunteered as an Assistant Coach for our team.  This is Coach Isaiah’s first season as the head coach for Sahuaro. 

Assistant Coach Morgan graduated last year and has been wrestling since freshman year, deciding to come back this year and help Coach Isaiah out.  Then there’s Assistant Coach Rodgers, who’s been wrestling since his freshman year as well, though not for Sahuaro.  This is his second year as an assistant coach, but he feels the dynamic will be better than last year’s since he and coach Isaiah are now friends.  This will be his seventh year around wrestling in general. He says, “I wrestled at Cholla High School from freshman to senior year and was a 1-time State qualifier. If someone is hesitant but interested, I would say to come out and at least try it. You never know until you try.”

The coaches have decided to host a study hall every week to help the team keep up with class grades. 

So, Can someone still join? Yes. Wrestling is a winter sport; we will be accepting students until October 31st. Anyone interested in wrestling can show up at the wrestling room Tuesday or Thursday after school to get in some Off-Season workouts.