By Derrick Smith

There are defining moments in each of our lives that help shape us into who we become. This could be one specific moment or a string of events that led to it. Trent Holland figured out what he wanted to do while he was serving his country.

“I joined the Marine Corps right out of high school,” he said. “Towards the end of my time with the Marine Corps, I was teaching young Marines and I enjoyed it. That was when I realized that teaching and coaching would be a good fit for me.”

Holland is the head wrestling coach at Enid High School, where is in his twenty-first year as a teacher and coach. Over his time coaching wrestling at Enid, Holland has coached a few different champions.

“Justin Glenn and Chance Davis were both state champions,” he said. “Also, Austin Loza was runner-up. We have had some solid wrestlers come through this program.”

There is more to coaching than just teaching about the sport. Holland says it is about the growth of the athlete.

“It is really great to watch freshmen enter this program and by the time they are seniors, they have developed into outstanding young men.”

Along with coaching wrestling, Holland spent some time on the gridiron coaching the football team. He has some great memories from those days and some memorable games.

“In 2007, the football team made a deep run in the playoffs,” he recalled. “We had playoff games against Booker T Washington, Owasso, and Mustang. Then we had the state championship game against Jenks. It was one of the coldest games I have coached. They had to push the game back a week because of a snow storm.”

As he looks back on his coaching career and even before, coach Holland says that there are a couple of coaches that had an impact on him, both as a coach and as a person.

“Corey Clayton was the head wrestling coach in the late 1990’s at Enid, then he was the head wrestling coach at Union High School, and now he is back at Enid as an assistant wrestling coach. Also, Tom Cobble was the Enid High School head football coach. Both of these men helped me become the coach that I am today.”