Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
In building a structure that will stand the test of time, one must first build a strong foundation.
This is exactly what Robert Ford and his coaching partners believe they are doing.
Along with Brian Elvidge, Bob Ferari, Robert Derbyshire and James Leeper, Ford coaches the Warsaw Tiger Wrestling Club.
Open to grapplers 4 years old to high school seniors, this year's club has 17 participants and practices four nights a week in the WCHS wrestling room.
"This group is the most dedicated I've seen since I wrestled," said Ford, a 1986 Warsaw graduate and former Tiger wrestler himself. "I know I didn't work this hard when I was this young. I want to thank (Warsaw varsity coach) Tony Boley for letting us do this. In four or five years I think Warsaw will have one of the best teams its had."
Last weekend, Ford and his fellow coaches took the Tiger Wrestling Club to Bloomington, where they wrestled in the folkstyle state championships and fared well.
Of the 12 Tigers that participated, eight of them placed in the top four of their respective weight classes. An estimated 2,700 wrestlers throughout the state participated in the two-day tournament.
Two Warsaw grapplers came away with state championship.
In the 50-pound midget class, Jarred Brooks came away the champ. In just his second year, Brooks, a second-grader at Lincoln Elementary, sports a 73-2 overall record and 61 consecutive victories.
Wrestling the 140-pound novice class, Brandon Riley upset and ISWA Triple Crown winner to come away the state champion.
Finishing in second for the Warsaw club was Tom Lowe, who boasted an 18-0 record during his middle school season. Andy Keener finished third, while Justin Brooks, Matt Elvidge and Adam Keener were fourth, Bobby Derbyshire seventh and Seth Allen 10th.
Kent Wilson, Cory Kuub and Dale Woods also participated in the two-day event for the Warsaw squad.
"At these folkstyle tournaments the kids wrestle the best in the state," Ford said. "In middle school you only wrestle kids in your conference. At these tournaments all the best wrestling programs in the state are represented. These kids have to get on the honor roll to do this, and they're all just doing a great job."
The Warsaw Tiger Wrestling Club will participate in two more state championship tournaments this year.
Friday and Saturday they will host the Warsaw Freestyle Open in the Tiger Den. Action Friday night begins at 7:30 p.m., while things get underway at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.
