Woodford wrestling has been one of the longest sports teams in the county. With over 250 state placers and close to 100 state champions, the school’s wrestling program has been nothing but elite since the 1970s. Woodford wrestling has had its ups and downs throughout the years, but for the new coaching staff and new wrestlers of this era, the team is on its rise to fame once more. With a new head coach, Coty Lewis, and the assistant coaches, David Hernandez, Rusty parks, and Tyler Baldwin, Woodford has changed the trajectory of its legacy for the good. Just in the last year, Woodford has produced four placers of which all four went on scholarship for either wrestling, football, or cheer. All of these athletes wrestled all four years of high school.

                I was able to interview the head wrestling coach and former 2x state placer and 1x state champ Coty Lewis. Coach Lewis was adamant about the progressiveness of the sport, not only as a coach but to better each young man and woman to be the best that they can be. “Well, with the new coaches, new programs, and having more kids come in, we are able to achieve the goals Woodford was set to achieve. With the newly added middle school program, which we really haven’t had in 3 years, and the youth program, we have a large feeder program now,” said Coty Lewis when asked if Woodford’s program was on the rise. Coach Lewis was very genuine when asked if the tradition of the program was still there: ”The tradition has always been there, but now we are trying to create new traditions. As far as state titles, state champs, and state placers, that’s the go-to every time. The tradition we’ve held for years is family. It’s not just a sport, it’s a family among the athletes, coaches, and parents.” 

                After a long conversation with Coach Coty Lewis, it is clear to see the goals of Woodford County. With legendary coaches such as Joe Carr Sr., Joe Carr Jr., and Bill Burrows, Woodford is one of the top programs, teams, and families in the state. With athletes wrestling in colleges such as Chase Yost (Bellarmine University), David Carr (Iowa State), and Gavin Andreoni (Campbellsville University), Woodford produces elite athletes yearly. Many of these elite athletes still pay homage to their roots at Woodford. Now, it is time for a new era of Woodford, new state champs, new traditions, and new families to be brought into this county’s legendary sport.