Photo: Coosa Christian’s Halen Palmer (right) faces off against Southside’s Peyton Adams in the 157-pound weight class in high school wrestling on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at Southside. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger)
By Chris McCarthy/Publisher
Coosa Christian wrestling coach Eric Rhoden is not too concerned about results on the scoreboard during the program’s first season.
Rather, he will measure progress on how hard his players compete and how well they represent the school over the next few months.
“God never wants anyone to be lazy, and I promise you that we’re not going to be lazy,” said Roden. “Wrestling is by far hardest to compete in than any other sport. It’s close-up combat with another man, and we’re going to wrestle hard and we’re going to wrestle tough. We might not be the best ones out there, but we’re going to give nothing less than 100 percent every time we go out there.”
The Conqueror roster consists of just five players, nine short of what is required for a match – 8th grader Lucas Crane at 145 pounds, sophomore Halen Palmer at 157 pounds, sophomore Logan Burnette at 165 pounds and juniors Zayden Franklin and Chase Bynum at heavyweight. Jackson Dupree is the team manager. Due to lack of numbers, Coosa must forfeit several weight classes at each match this season.
“We have only one kid who has wrestled before, and that was in a youth league so it’s a building year, for sure,” said Roden, a 2024 graduate of Coosa Christian. “A first-year program is not supposed to win a whole lot, but we expect to beat whoever we can. We play up, just like our football team does. We’re going against some great competition in Southside, Weaver and [Walter] Wellborn, which will only make us better. We’re not going to go out and win every match, because the other teams will have 14 kids and we have just five. But if we win the matches we’re competing in and get more points, I’m going to call it a win for us.”
Roden promised that his wrestlers be in superior shape once the season gets rolling.
“Being in football condition and being in wrestling condition are two totally different things, and our kids are finding that out. Football is running springs and having five-second plays, while wrestling is going all-out for three minutes straight three times in a row. Tournaments are where are bread and butter will be at, because that’s where we’re going to get the most work in and get most of our wins.”
Roden who is the offensive line coach for the Coosa Christian football team, did not have to do much in the way of recruiting.
“They’re all football players,” he said. “I’m fortunate that they decided to come out and wrestles for me.”
Roden wrestled at Southside High for four years before transferring to Coosa prior to his junior year. He qualified for the AHSAA state tournament in the 195-pound weight class both his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Roden credits SHS coach Wynn Knight for teaching him the finer points of the sport.
“He’s a great coach and a great person,” said Roden. “He taught me everything I know about wrestling, and I ow a lot to him for the position that I’m in.”
The Conquerors will compete in Class 1A-4A North Section, which also includes Etowah, West End, Ashville, Alabama School of Cyber Technology &Engineering, Alexandria, Brooks, Central-Florence, Cherokee County, Curry, Deshler, Hamilton, J.B. Pennington, Lauderdale County, Madison County, New Hope, North Sand Mountain, Ohatchee, Piedmont, Pleasant Valley, Randolph, Shoals Christian, Southeastern, St. John Paul II Catholic, Susan Moore, Vinemont, Weaver, West Limestone, Westminster, White Plains and Wilson.
Roden shared that he and his wrestlers intend to give thanks to God before and after every match.
“It’s important to do that, because He is the one who does it all for us. We want to fight every day for His word/ That’s why the school’s name is Coosa Christian, not Coosa.”
