When David Foster arrived at White County High School, wrestling was not part of the Warriors’ identity. Now, three seasons later, it is a growing program built from the ground up, and Foster has been there for every step of it.
Foster enters his third year coaching White County wrestling, the same amount of time the program has existed. Originally hired to coach football, a role he still holds today as the Warriors’ head coach, and teach math, Foster said he never expected to help launch an entirely new sport at the school.
But when White County previously co-oped with other Upper Cumberland schools for wrestling, Foster saw an opportunity. Having watched his sons wrestle in middle school, Foster said he felt a pull to help.
“I just wanted to be helpful,” Foster said. “We ended up having 45 kids, or 60 kids express interest, including a bunch of our football players, but a bunch all over the school.”
That enthusiasm came before the infrastructure. Practices initially required a 45-minute walk to the gym, and equipment was scarce. Foster said he asked around the school to see if anyone had a wrestling mat he could borrow. When administrators saw how many students wanted to participate, they asked Foster if he would take on the challenge of coaching the program.
Foster said the Warriors were starting late and starting from scratch.
“We were just practicing in the indoor football facility on the turf and I had a little ten by ten mat that I brought for everybody to work for a little bit and everybody in the district, in the area has been super helpful as far as schedule matches and the competitive part of it and what we need to do to have a team.”
Not a single wrestler on that first roster had prior experience. Foster said the learning curve was steep, but those original athletes stuck with it, and now make up the core of the program entering its third season.
“There’s a lot of different levels on wrestling,” Foster said. “Having somebody that kind of knows what they’re doing, being able to help somebody that is brand new has been really great, because you’re not always just starting over from scratch.”
Progress has followed. In the program’s first season, two wrestlers advanced to sectionals. One returned the following year to do it again, marking early competitive milestones for a team still finding its footing.
What began with borrowed mats and curiosity has turned into a stable, growing program with experienced wrestlers, increasing participation, and a foundation for future success. Foster said he looks to continue building something from nothing, one practice, and one wrestler, at a time.