Laying the foundation: First-year Mesquite ISD wrestling program shines

To lead this charge, MISD turned to Brett Barnes as the head coach for all five campuses.

Barnes grew up in Mesquite and later wrestled at Allen High School, and the opportunity to get the wrestling program going in MISD was an exciting one.

“I wish I had the opportunity as a young kid to participate in this sport. I didn't begin wrestling until my freshman year at Allen High School. At that point I felt behind compared to a lot of other kids,” Barnes said. “That is why I started a youth program year one of being here in Mesquite.  I think having a youth club in our city is essential to us having long term success in this sport.”

Barnes spent last spring going to different middle schools to promote the program and the potential benefits the sport had to offer.

Barnes put out flyers in all the schools, went to talk to student-athletes anywhere from lunch rooms to athletic periods and MISD did its part by promoting the sport on social media.

Still, it took some time for the word to get around, and at the start of the school year, Barnes had eight athletes on the roster.

But that number grew to around 30 by the time wrestling season got underway and then got another influx of athletes at the end of football season.

“Some were surprised by the intensity level and physical demands of wrestling practices compared to football and decided it wasn't for them,” he said. “Others embraced it and worked their tails off.  When it was all said and done we finished the year with 51 kids in our program.”

With one head coach for five high schools, communication was a key in getting everybody on the same page in regards to practices at the , but Barnes said that process went smoothly once all parties settled into a routine.

“Everything has been really positive. It is such a great sport that kids need to learn toughness and how to deal with adversity,” he said. “When people understand what this sport can provide to young men and women it's easy to get them to buy into what we’re doing here.”

It was not just about getting the word out and getting athletes to compete, but MISD wrestling also wanted to succeed and it did so in its inaugural campaign.

Six wrestlers from three different schools qualified for the regional meet, and two advanced to the state competition, as North Mesquite senior Terry Davis placed in the top of eight of the 5A 215-pound division, and Horn junior Armstrong Nnodim brought home MISD’s first state medal, capturing bronze in the 6A 285-pound group.

“The first year I just wanted to get people excited about the sport,” Barnes said. “I wanted to get certain things in place, like our youth club and introduce the sport to our middle school. The fact that we had success in year one with two kids making it to State and one placing third was incredible and I plan to use that momentum to keep us growing.”

Now that the foundation has been laid, and the first season is under its belt, MISD wrestling can look toward the future.

Barnes said he was optimistic that the pieces are in place for the program to continue to grown and succeed both on and off the mats.

“Of course we want to produce state champions down the road, but we also just want to keep producing great kids,” he said. “One of the best ways to do that is to keep growing the sport. There is no better sport in the world that will teach young kids how to mature into responsible and competent adults.”