Rec Wrestling Gets a Hold on Kids

Coach Will Dodd restarts the program as a competitive pipeline for boys and girls. By Mario Marroquin Will Dodd, head coach of the Dover High School wrestling team and head coach of the town’s newly formed recreational wrestling team, is obsessed with developing highly sought-after skills in the town’s youths through wrestling. That’s why he says he is excited to head the new Dover Recreation Wrestling Clinic and Team.

Dodd wrestled for Dover High School and The College of New Jersey. He graduated from college in 2010 and returned to his hometown to teach and coach. Since then, he has been one of the town’s most prominent voices for the hard work and discipline that wrestling instills. 

He says that, while the revival of the recreational program has expanded his responsibilities, he is thrilled it will prepare boys and girls for high school wrestling and beyond. 

“There are a lot of people who grew up in Dover and went to school here,” says Dodd. “Whether they wrestled when there was a rec program or at the middle school or at the high school, people have told me that they wish [rec wrestling] would come back so they could get their kids involved. I am just happy that now it’s back and those people can get them involved at a younger age.” 

Dodd says he is pleased with the progress the young grapplers are showing since the program began in November as a free weekly clinic; they are gaining significant exposure to competition through NJ Future Stars Wrestling, a junior varsity-level league. Today, the program offers opportunities to children from kindergarten to middle school. The newly formed team consists of roughly 25 wrestlers. Dodd says the program continues to add a steady stream of new athletes.

Dodd also notes that girls' wrestling was one of the fastest-growing sports in the country in 2024. And while he says that recreational wrestling is ultimately intended to prepare boys and girls for high school wrestling, the majority of the athletes are elementary school-aged children, including his own daughter.

Eighth-grader Patrick Sharp was among the first to sign up for the program. The 14-year-old says he is especially excited to train with his future high school wrestling coach and is happy to wrestle for the middle school and rec league teams.

“[Rec wrestling] will help me be more prepared because I am getting more practice and I am getting better conditioning,” he says. “I am learning things from Coach Dodd that my middle school coach isn’t teaching us. I am going to have to get to know Coach Dodd for high school wrestling, so I am getting ahead and know what it will be like for high school wrestling.” 

Patrick remains undefeated this season. He is also a baseball player in the spring and summer, but credits wrestling for shaping him into a self-reliant individual. He says the young kids in the rec program are developing that same attitude, coupled with the discipline and conditioning necessary to master the sport, and will be prepared for the challenges of middle school wrestling.  

The town’s new recreational program has also been buoyed by a number of local officials, including Councilman Arturo Santana, who has a background in wrestling and is now promoting the sport among their own children. Santana signed up his daughter, Mia, to the newly formed team.

Mia, 11, is currently enrolled in Dover Middle School. She says that watching old videos of her father inspired her to give wrestling a shot. Like many of her peers in the program, this is Mia’s first time competing as a wrestler. She says that Dodd’s message of hard work and discipline, instilled by the sport, resonates with her and her teammates. 

The recreational wrestling program will run until early February, providing Dover’s young athletes with an opportunity to compete against teams from towns across Morris and Sussex Counties. Practices and matches will continue to be held at the Dover High School wrestling room during weekday evenings. For more information about the program, email thetgertakedownclub@gmail.com.