The newest addition to the plethora of sports that Oxford High School has to offer, Men’s and Women’s wrestling, is in full swing and is drawing notice from all around that state. Led by Coach Konrad Ernst, Oxford High’s wrestling team is putting wrestling in the spotlight as an important athletic program in Mississippi. Coach Ernst took on the task of bringing wrestling to Oxford High School and is showing great success and development throughout the season.

“This season is going quite well and we are right where we want to be regarding the development of our team. We have some wins and some losses at this point but I like the idea of what’s to come with this group of kids,” Ernst said. “Without focusing too much on individual and team records, our wrestlers have grown immensely over the past few months and we look to continue that growth through the end of February when we compete at the state championship.”

Wrestling has never been a very popular sport between northern Mississippi high schools, so there were many doubts when it came to approaching this challenge. Through hard work in the offseason and past knowledge at the collegiate level from Coach Ernst the Oxford wrestling teams have shown great improvement.

“One of the biggest barriers we’ve faced when preparing for meets has been limited exposure to the sport. As a new team there is a lot to learn about the sport of wrestling and the many positions, techniques and strategies take time to learn,” Ernst said. “I know our team has used our time together quite well and we have a great group of kids who are asking the right questions and taking the necessary steps to become better wrestlers. Any issues we’ve faced in the past couple months are fading and we’re becoming a more well-rounded team every day we spend working together.”

Ernst believes that one of the coolest things about the introduction of wrestling is the athletic diversity that the team consists of. With a team composed of physical football players all the way to Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitors there is much to learn from these athletes.

“Our goal for this season is to have each wrestler competing at their highest level by the time we hit the postseason. It’s tough to put a win/loss goal out there right now, but this team knows we have a lot of potential and with smart and hard work,” Ernst said. “I believe we can do some special things come February.” 

One of the most surprising things coming from the wrestling season at this point is the emergence of first time wrestler Bel Monteith. Monteith is a star Senior Tennis athlete and now a record breaker for the Charger’s Wrestling Team. The spontaneous decision of joining the team has paid off big.

“I haven’t wrestled until this year. After I saw the schoology post for tryouts, I thought. “Why not try it out?” I’ve been hooked ever since,” said Monteith. “I enjoy practically everything about wrestling. I love the practices just as much as the competitions and love to see myself improve.