Last week, Muldrow Public Schools hired Vian Wolverines assistant coach Bryce Brown to take over the newlyformed middle school program, which in a year or two will then create a high school wrestling program.

“When I first heard that Muldrow was starting to get a wrestling program, I was in my second year at Vian,” Brown said. “I was just looking forward to the opportunity to run a program the way I think a program should be ran, and also just the challenge of getting in there and getting kids out to enjoy the sport, get some interest in it and build something that will last. I couldn’t be more excited (for this opportunity).”

Muldrow Athletic Director Jana Armer is excited for the new athletic program being added.

“We’re extremely excited to get wrestling in our middle school and get that going for our kids,” Armer said. “It’s just another step in the right direction for us in the athletic department. In a couple of years, they’ll be up there in hign school. We’re really excited about it.”

Armer said there has been immediate interest in the program from the middle school athletes.

“We had a good amount of kids sign up in showing interest in it,” she said. “We’ve seen a lot of excitement and a lot of talk going around at the middle school with wrestling coming and getting it going.”

Brown said that he plans on doing things the right way to ensure a successful wrestling program at Muldrow.

“Whenever I went through wrestling, one of the key things we harped on was just consistency, just showing up every single day and making sure you’re dedicated to the sport not only in the practice room but outside of it because it goes a little bit more than practice,” he said. “You have to watch your weight, so that’s where it falls down on the kids. I can’t be there with them to make sure they’re eating what they need to be eating. So it’s the dedication to improvement and making sure that we’re consistent and looking to improve.”

Brown is foreseeing the high school program starting up a year after the middle school program gets started next school year, since any freshmen would be eligible to wrestle at the high school level.

“This first year will be middle school only,” the new Muldrow coach said. “We’ve talked about rolling into 202627 with the high school program.”

“We’re excited to get Coach Brown in here, someone who’s already established being a wrestling coach and get that program going,” Armer said. “We’re moving in the right direction. We’re really excited about it.”

Brown’s wife Brooke is a Muldrow High School graduate, and he said she has done all but ordered him to make sure and not wear any orange — the color of Muldrow’s archrival Roland.

“The rivalry is something she’s told me about,” Brown said. “She told me I could never wear orange at school, but orange really isn’t my color.”