Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - It is essential to learn the basics of any sport, and the younger these ideals are instilled, the better. That's why the City of Cherryville Parks and Recreation Department is hosting a new opportunity for the youth of Cherryville. Starting on January 29, 2026, your child can begin learning the skills to become the next Dan Gable or Helen Maroulis by joining the Cherryville Youth Wrestling Program.
Under Varsity Head Coach Matt Powers and John Chavis Middle School Head Coach Brandon Shull, these children will be introduced to wrestling. As such, the focus will be on ensuring students understand the fundamental concepts of the sport. Not only will the school coaches be involved, but the High School Wrestling Team will be as well. With this, not only will it add to the opportunities Cherryville athletes have to learn, but it will also teach students about coaching and giving back to the community.
While the practices will focus heavily on teaching, participants can also expect to spend time on the mat in live matches. The coaches have also devised activities to break up the teaching experience and keep the children entertained and focused. The coaches hope that everyone comes away with a positive attitude and more excitement for wrestling. They hope to see the program participants compete in further tournaments throughout the year and eventually join the school wrestling programs.
Students can be registered at the link here.
As suggested by the aforementioned Olympic Gold Medalists, this program is open to both boys and girls from Kindergarten through 8th grade. While Cherryville has had a private club before, this will be the first time the city has offered it as a public youth sport. It will consist of six lessons on Thursday afternoons from 5:30 to 7:00 PM from January 29, 2026, to March 5, 2026. The practices will take place on the Cherryville High School Campus, and parents are welcome to stay to support their children, but can drop them off if needed. While the coaches recommend that students attend all practices, they will still accept them into the program if the first few are missed.
The registration fee will be $50.00 per child entering the program. Parents will only need to provide athletic gear such as shorts, t-shirts, and a pair of tennis shoes for practices. The program will culminate in a tournament on March 7, 2026, during which the parents will also need to provide wrestling shoes. The Cherryville High School Athletics will provide both wrestling mats and coaching for the children.
The students will be divided into age groups based on the number of participants. Practices will be split between elementary and middle school grade levels, with some crossover for size and skill level. The tournament will be open to other youth wrestling programs in the area, and students can expect to be matched within age groups and weight classes there as well.
Unlike the practices, the tournament will be in Nixon Gym on the Blaine Beam Intermediate Campus. It will be at no extra cost to students in the Cherryville Youth Wrestling program and will be much like any other sporting event hosted there. The concession stand will be open and serving food, as with any other wrestling tournament. The tournament roster will be available closer to the date once all participants have been gathered.
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Matt Powers will be actively involved in teaching wrestlers on the mat. His own experience dates back to high school, with two years as a wrestler there. This was before his 21 years as the Head Varsity Coach at Cherryville High School and his position as the school's athletic director. |
| Brandon Shull will also teach the students and run the tournament. He began wrestling during his time at Burns Middle School and has always shown a passion for the sport. After spending all four years of high school as a varsity wrestler, he went on to coach in the Ironmen program for 12 years, being the Head middle school coach for eight of those. | 
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As with any City of Cherryville recreational program, those interested in coaching are encouraged to reach out to Coach Powers or Lance Hudson to sign up. Powers can be emailed at mkpowers@gaston.k12.nc.us, and you can reach Hudson at Lhudson@cityofcherryville.com.
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