Black Tornado Wrestling

He may not be an Oly anymore, but Sprague alumni and assitant coach, Nolan Harris is set to lead North Medford. Medford Tribune article......

He's only 26 years old and has never been a head coach, but Nolan Harris made a favorable impression when he interviewed for the head wrestling coaching position at North Medford High last month.
On Monday, Harris officially landed the job,
"My concern was his lack of experience, but everyone we talked to who knew him said, 'You've got to hire this guy,'" North Medford Athletic Director Tim Sam said. "He's very knowledgeable, very enthusiastic and he's mature well beyond his years.
"There's no doubt in my mind that we hired the right guy," Sam added.
Harris also was hired as a full-time English teacher at North and will serve as an assistant coach in football next fall.
A graduate of Sprague High of Salem and Southern Oregon University, where he was a three-time All-American, Harris spent the past three years as an assistant coach at Sprague.
Harris, who spoke before North Medford wrestlers, fans and the media at a press conference Monday, said his formula for success will be to relentlessly recruit the halls for athletes and outwork his coaching peers in the mat room.
"I believe that hard work solves all problems," said Harris, who will pick up a master's degree in teaching from Western Oregon University later this month. "Wrestling is an honest sport. You basically get out of it what you put into it, and we're going to put a lot into it."
Harris plans to implement an aggressive, in-your-face style of wrestling.
"That's what the kids like, the fans like and it's what gets me out of my seat as a coach," Harris said. "We'll be coming at you non-stop and trying to score at all times. We're going to take pride in how hard we wrestle."
North Medford has never won a district wrestling title since Medford split into two high schools in 1986. The Tornado, which finished fourth at the Southwest Conference district tournament last winter, has been competitive at times but its numbers have vacillated. Last season, only 20 participants finished the season, Sam said.
"I'm going to do my very best to get kids out," Harris said. "I've got a lot of energy and hopefully some charisma, and we'll see if we can't get this thing rolling. Coaching football will help me get to know a lot of kids in the fall and hopefully I'll be able to recruit a good share of them for wrestling."
Harris said there's no reason why a school with an attendance of about 1,800 students and one that is rich in sports tradition can't excel in wrestling.
"I know there are athletes running around here who could be great wrestlers," he said. "It's a matter of getting them out and cultivating their skills."