This season marks the 30th year of the wrestling program. The program started in 1994 brought by superintendent John Boise and first coached by John Dunham. The program has seen 46 state medalist, top ten state team finishes, and seven collegiate wrestlers. Since the program’s start the program has grown from having four wrestlers to having twenty eight wrestlers this season.
“In 1994 they had 4 wrestlers . . . today we have 28 . . . there wasn’t a middle school program when it started . . . today we average 30 kids on the MS roster. There wasn’t a youth wrestling program when it started . . . today we have over 75 kids on the youth team,” head coach Justin Wisdom said.
To celebrate the program, the coaches decided to start a Hall of Honor for the past athletes. The first inductees were coach Duham and first state champ David Lemon. It will be a tradition and they would be honored at the home wrestling tournament.
“We created the Warsaw Wrestling Hall of Honor to pay tribute to past individuals who have had a lasting impact on the program. With this being the 30th anniversary of the program, we felt like it was a great time to do it. I think it is important to honor a program’s past influencers because without those people the things we are doing today wouldn’t be possible,” Wisdom said
The program has increased the athletic participation for the school.
“The wrestling program has a great impact on our school. The overall participation has grown, along with the success rate,” athletic director Ryan Boyer said.
With 30 years of the sport at Warsaw, many lives have been touched by the program.
“Every Athlete/Wrestler, Coach, Administrator, Parent, Community member . . . if they had a hand or played a part in the program then they have impacted the program,” Wisdom said
The wrestlers have had their lives impacted by the program.
“Wrestling has impacted my life in ways I would have never realized before. It has taught me the value of discipline, resilience, and hard work,” junior Jayce Estes said.
The program has seen multiple families go through the program. This season, there are three wrestlers who have had family who wrestled for the program.
“I had my brother and dad in the same wrestling program I’m in and it has helped me create an amazing bond with my dad and brother. It also makes me work harder because I’m held to a higher standard than anyone else,” Estes said.
While the program’s past was celebrated at the Warsaw Tournament on Jan. 18, coaches look forward to many more successes in the future.
“We are very proud of all of our wrestlers and look forward to seeing what the future holds,” Boyer said.