Congratulations West Greene

West Greene captured the 500th victory in the history of its wrestling program Tuesday night and the Pioneers and their fans deserve a lot of credit. West Greene has consistently competed for the section title, been competitive in the individual postseason and team tournament, and does all this with a small male enrollment.

Incredibly, the school has only had three head coaches: Carroll Dodge, Buzz Walters and Allen Hughes. Dodge spent one year as head coach, establishing the program in 1961. Walters and Hughes have combined to coach the next 46 years. If you are looking for reasons why the team has been successful, start with the coaching. Three coaches in the program's history give stability and familiarity. Other school districts might want to consider this important factor before firing a head coach. The other part of the success is the toughness of the wrestlers. The Pioneers are always difficult to beat, even in down seasons.

To reach 500 victories, the program had to average a little more than 10 dual meet wins a season for 47 seasons. That's an incredible feat for such a small school.