Gore has found its successor for wrestling coach Matt Hawkins, who earlier this summer took an assistant football coaching job with the Sallisaw Black Diamonds.

The Gore Public Schools Board of Education hired Jake Constant as the new high school and middle school wrestling coach at its July 15 meeting.

“I tell you what,” Constant said. “I can’t even put into words how excited I am to get started and to be a part of their program. I’ve been around the sport forever. I just so happen to live about six miles from the school, so I’m extremely grateful and blessed to have the opportunity. I am very grateful and honored to get the opportunity to help shape some young minds and to share my passion for wrestling.”

Constant is an Illinois native, where wrestling is a statewide passion.

“Illinois is a big wrestling state,” he said. “There’s not a school in the state that most likely doesn’t have a wrestling program. I’m just very grateful to get the opportunity to share a sport that literally has helped mold my entire career and life. If I could just use that to help at least one or two kids throughout their life, I tell you my job would be satisfying.”

Constant is coming into a fairly newly-established wrestling program at Gore.

“I was just kind of told it’s a newer program that was lacking the numbers, and lacking maybe the technical side with the wrestling,” he said. “That’s kind of where I fit in.”

The importance of the Gore Pirates Youth Wrestling program cannot be talked about enough.

“They have done a fantastic job with the youth program,” Constant said. “I actually have coached for Vian over the last four years in the youth department (Vian Wrestling Club). I’ve just watched Gore (Pirates Youth Wrestling) kind of flourish over the last couple of years. I know the middle school is looking to possibly have about 12 to 15 kids out. You never know until you get started, but that’s what they had last year — 12 to 14 kids. Hopefully, we can get all those guys to return. It looks like the future could be bright.”

Constant also mentioned how wrestling helps bring a community together.

“One of the greatest things about the sport of wrestling is that it brings so many people together,” he said. “With a (fairly) new program, you obviously have your challenges about numbers (of wrestlers out) and getting people on board with it, but I feel like they have a very great community. If you’ve seen anything with the youth program (Gore Pirates Youth Wrestling) the last couple of years, they have really embraced the sport. I really think that we have a great opportunity to do some really great things over the next couple of years. We’re really going to come through and set the tone this year and hit the ground running.”

On July 12, the 2024 Gore Youth Wrestling Camp took place at Gore Event Center. Constant mentioned how important such an event is to the Gore Schools wrestling program.

“Anytime that we can get bodies into the gym and get people on the mats, it’s only going to benefit the program,” he said.