"We will have high school wrestling next year."
That was the announcment from Henryetta school board president James Williams following a unanimous vote Monday night.
Dave Hutchings, coach for the Henreytta middle and elementary school wrestlers this past year, said there are 17 students interested in participating at the high school level.
"Nine of those were freshmen who wrestled in Middle School," he said. Another four were said to have wrestled somewhere in other schools over previous years. "I would hate for hte kids not to have somehting to move forward to."
Questioned about funding for the program, superintendent Dwayne Noble said the wrestlers would be paying for their own singlets, shoes and headgear. "I'm for it, I just want to make sure we can afford it," said board member Casey Jones.
Noble said wrestling is an, "inexpensive sport, once you have the mats and we own them."
No schedule was announced. It would be developed this summer.
The announcement was met with applause from a number of parents and wrestlers at the meeting.