Enterprise High launches wrestling program

Enterprise High School hired former Russell County High School wrestling coach Matt Pipkins on Tuesday, July 17, to signify the official launch of the new EHS wrestling program.

Enterprise will jump straight into Class 7A competition this coming up school year with the addition of wrestling as a winter sport. Enterprise is just the third school in the Wiregrass to have a wrestling program, joining Northview and Charles Henderson.

Enterprise will compete in wrestling from November through February and is expected to compete in Section 1 alongside Auburn, Central-Phenix City, Fairhope, Foley, Hoover, Jeff Davis, R.E. Lee, Oak Mountain, Prattville, Smiths Station, Spain Park and Thompson.

“Anytime we can allow another opportunity for kids to get involved (an extracurricular activities) it’s exciting,” Enterprise Athletic Director Trent Trawick said. “That’s what we want to do. We want to help kids find something they’re interested in and help them be successful at that.

“This is just another opportunity for us to do that and it’s extremely exciting to offer wrestling here at the high school.”

Pipkins will be Enterprise’s first wrestling coach and comes from Russell County High School in eastern Alabama but grew up in Dothan and graduated from Rehobeth High School.

Pipkins had never wrestled or coached before becoming an assistant wrestling coach at Russell County in 2016.

“I just thought it would be a good opportunity to learn something new and wrestling has always been really interesting to me,” Pipkins said. “I figured I would give it a shot and I really loved it. It feels good to come and help start the program in Enterprise.”

In Pipkins first year as an assistant, Russell County had just seven wrestlers and sent one athlete to the state meet.

In 2017, Pipkins took over as head coach and Russell County’s wrestling program ballooned to 20 wrestlers and it sent three wrestlers to the state meet along with a 19-14 record, which was Russell County’s first winning season in more than five years.

“I’m excited to come in and get those guys working hard and to try and bring some pride in a different sport to Enterprise,” Pipkins emphasized. “I feel like Enterprise has a lot of support in the community and I’m just ready to get started see what we can do.”

The Enterprise wrestling program will also be a benefit to the football program, according to Pipkins.

“It really helps with aggressiveness, endurance and hand and feet coordination,” Pipkins said of the benefits of wrestling for football players. “The coordination, especially with hand placement and footwork, is big and in football endurance is very important. In wrestling you’re going full speed for six minutes straight at a time.

“I would say if the (football) players aren’t playing any other sport they should definitely be joining the wrestling team.”

A number of former college football and NFL stars were wrestlers in high school. Hall of Famer Ray Lewis was a state champion wrestler in high school, former UAB and Atlanta Falcon great Roddy White was an all-state wrestler in high school and former All-Pro fullback Lorenzo Neal was an NCAA All-American wrestler at Fresno State.

“We had a tournament in Opelika where (Alabama coach) Nick Saban came one year and (Auburn coach) Gus Malzhan came the next year,” Pippins said. “College football coaches look at every aspect of an athlete.”

Trawick said that EHS will have an meet and greet with Pipkins after school starts in August for students that are interested in joining the wrestling program.