Rey Reyes(center) signs his National Letter of Intent surrounded by family and coaches. Front row(left to right) Edna Reyes, mother; Rey Reyes; Alex Reyes, brother. Back Row: Roger Barlow, CHS head wrestling coach and Randall Jennings, assistant wrestling coach.
Coffee County Central High School senior Rey Reyes made history on Wednesday. The Red Raider became the first to sign an NCAA National Letter of Intent to compete as a wrestler at the collegiate level. Surrounded by family, coaches and former and current teammates; Reyes signed his National Letter of Intent to attend Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
Reyes competed at the TSSAA state tournament in February posting a 2 and 2 record in the 182 pound class. At the collegiate level, Reyes says that the coaches want him to compete in either the 174 or 165 pound class. When asked about the significance of being the first Red Raider to receive a college scholarship, Reyes humbly remarked that he is proud and a little surprised. “I am just a small part (of this program)” said Reyes. Reyes was impressed with the small school feel at Ouachita and “the facilities are amazing” added Reyes.
Raider coach Roger Barlow was exceptionally proud of Reyes and sees his success as vindication for the hard work of everyone in the program. “Rey has bought in to what we are doing and has done everything we have asked him to do. But in the end, this is all about his hard work.” Barlow called out Reyes for his strong work ethic. “Rey is gonna work his tail off because he is not afraid of hard work. He has been the heart and soul of this team and we are like family” added Barlow.
Reyes caught the attention of the Ouachita coaches at a recent Greco-Roman wrestling tournament. “We have found that the work we are doing in the off-season is crucial to the growth of our program” said Barlow. “(The Ouachita coaches) were impressed with how he performed against high quality competition” added Barlow.
The Ouachita wrestling team has excelled since its inaugural season in 2010. The Tigers have finished in the top-25 six times in the past nine seasons. Ouachita competes in the Great Lakes Valley Conference at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)’s Division II level. The Tigers are coached by head coach Kevin Crutchmer.
