The most rewarding match
COLUMBUS, Miss., (WCBI) — It’s a relatively new sport in Mississippi high schools, but it’s quickly gaining popularity.
Wrestling was reinstated by the Mississippi High School Activities Association in 2021. And one school where it’s flourishing may surprise you.
The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science isn’t the first school that comes to mind when you think of sports, but in just two years the Blue Wave is making serious waves in this growing competition.
Rewarding. That’s how Jerry Brauer would describe coaching the MSMS Blue Wave Wrestling Team. In its second year, the team has seen successes going up against a variety of schools.
Wrestling is different than other sports. For one thing, fewer schools are competing. Another thing is the sport’s structure. Rather than competing in divisions ranked by school size, wrestlers compete in weight classes that cross those division lines.
“We’re a 1A school year because there’s maybe 230 students, maybe. And we go against every other school in the state. Every high school in the state that has a wrestling team, we’ll go against them one way or another. So, we’re not just confined to 1A schools. We’re competing against powerhouses down south as Vancleave, Picayune, Ocean Springs, and the larger schools up here, such as Tupelo, Starkville,” he said.
Brauer, a Captain with the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, says he was approached about coaching at a Christmas party. He started in January, and he had to pack a lot of wrestling into a short amount of time. But the most rewarding part of the job is seeing the young wrestlers take on their futures.
“There are various places, whether it’s Ole Miss, Mississippi State, or wherever,” Brauer said. “It’s just wonderful to see their future. I just ask them please stay in touch with me.”
And for Brauer, “That is about as rewarding as it gets for us as coaches,” he said.
