What do you think you know about John Marshall High School? Did you know the school was first built in 1950 and was eventually moved to the new location in 2005? Did you know R. Wayne Baughman, a three-time member of the U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling team and head coach of the U.S. Air Force team for 27 years, graduated from JMHS?
Did you know under head coach Robert Turner the wrestling program is growing into a powerhouse and is poised to explode? Coach Turner said the strength of this program comes from the student-athletes.
“The strength of the program comes from the willingness of the students. Many of my student lack any wrestling experience or interest in the beginning. They are athletes that are unpolished and misguided many of times. Having the chance to teach and train them properly from scratch makes this program stronger than most others you see around,” said coach Turner.
Taking over the program from another great coach, Turner said the foundation is there for great things to happen at JMHS.
“I took over as head coach the year before last year from ACAC Football Coach of the Year Andre Caldwell. He had personally begun the growth in his first year,” said Turner.
There were a lot of positives this season that coach Turner will use as building blocks from next season.
“For the team, the season was full of positive outliers. My girls dominated this season, which was unexpected coming from a single girl the year before. As a team we banded together, but my girls pushed us over the finish line in many ways with three first place finishers and a third place finisher. All of which were first timers to the sport. The biggest improvements I saw the most were in their technique and the aggressive fight they had to win. They took all the constructive critiques and applied them perfectly,” said Turner.
The excitement around the future of the program is growing.
“The future of this program is bright! I keep getting more and more girls, which I love to see! My boys are getting stronger, and the word of mouth is getting more students on the team. Grades come first in my program D’s and F’s may be passing for some, but not us at John Marshall. We are trying to build a culture and a standard that our community can be proud of,” Turner said. “I am excited for the possibilities. No school year is the same, so next year I am looking forward to new training sessions, new students to mold, and improving my current students by testing and finding their new limits. My young student athletes are beginning to see the possibilities of scholarships in the future.”
