New Geary Wrestling Coach Ready for First Season at ‘Historic’ Program

GEARY – It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

Oh, the holidays? Those are nice, but in Geary the schedule revolves around wrestling season, and wrestling season is back.

There will be a new face taking over the historic Geary program in 2021, following wholesale changes this summer among Geary coaches, teachers and administrators. Cedric Powell, an Oklahoma native who has wrestled at the Geary Tournament himself, is taking the reins and hoping to reinvigorate Bison wrestling.

“It kind of brings the pressure,” Powell said of taking over a traditional powerhouse. “This is a historic program. Being able to come in and take the helm of something that is not only known in Oklahoma, but known across the country – that’s something big for me.”

Powell grew up in Duncan and graduated from Duncan High School, where he wrestled under Geary alum and state champion Tom Brack. Powell said he started wrestling on the advice of a soccer coach, and turned into a successful wrestler.

“I kind of liked it,” Powell said of his first season, “so I stuck with it.”

Powell was a two-time state wrestling champion at Duncan and a successful track and field athlete, too, capturing state titles in both shot put and discus. He wrestled at the Geary Tournament as a sophomore, junior and senior, and finally won his class on his final try. “I’m pretty familiar with the tournament,” he laughed.

He continued wrestling in college but bounced around a bit, from Meramec College in St. Louis to Arizona State University and finally to McKendree University in Illinois, where he graduated.

After moving to Texas, Powell ended up back in Oklahoma with his family and scored his first job coaching wrestling as a Southmoore assistant in the 2014. Powell says his last job as a wrestling coach was with Del City after that; he has since been living in Oklahoma City and keeping up with wrestling and martial arts as an instructor for Pro Martial Arts.

Powell heard about the vacant Geary wrestling job through the Bison’s new head football coach, Jason Goodknight. “(He) let me know about the wrestling program out here, that they were still looking for a wrestling coach,” Powell said, “and that’s how I ended up here.”

Powell said his time at the Pro gym made him realize he wanted to coach again. “I felt like that was the best way forward,” he said, “to be most effective in helping students.”

He recently relocated to El Reno from Oklahoma City, and hopes his proximity will make him more accessible to his athletes.

Powell said he wants to bring stability to Bison wrestling and build the program back up. “That’s what a lot of the students are missing, is stability,” he said.

“You have a revolving door with a lot of … coaches and stuff that students get close to, so they’ll kind of be hesitant with you, as far as opening up and wanting to reach out and be there for you.

“I think they’re seeing that my kids are actually there” – Powell has three children at Geary schools – “I actually purchased a house 20 minutes from the school so that I could be more accessible and available for students. I think that’s really helped open that door for the connections that are being built there.”