SPARTA — What a way to kick off winter break.
The Highland Scots, in front of the entire student body, put on quite an exhibition of wrestling as they defeated Buckeye Valley, 54-21, in Tuesday’s dual meet to claim the inaugural Wooden Sword.
The Wooden Sword is the brainchild of Eric Disabato, the head wrestling coach at Buckeye Valley. He and Highland coach Adam Gilmore discussed a way to bring wrestling to a more mainstream audience. The idea: Hold the meet during school hours, invite all the students, give the gym a true home-crowd atmosphere, and get people excited about wrestling.
“We’re trying to get this sport into everybody’s consciousness,” Gilmore said. “Not everyone understands what (wrestling) is all about. And it’s a great way to get the student bodies involved.”
Highland and Buckeye Valley will trade home sites every year. The two schools are already working on a date for their 2011 event.
“It’s rare to have a dual meet like this,” Highland administrator Steve Robinson said. “Typically, schools schedule quads and invitationals, and don’t face each other within the conference until the championship tournament.”
