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Wharry resigns post at South By Kris Henry For the past three years, the only thing South Medford High wrestling coach Ken Wharry truly wanted was a job inside the Medford School District. Passed over on each application, Wharry finally gave up and passed on the district he so longed to be a part. The 37-year-old resigned from his wrestling post at South in late August, and recently was hired to help build the club wrestling program at the University of Nevada-Reno as one of the school�s assistants. "I love the community of Medford," said Wharry, who began coaching at South in 1998. "The people here have been very supportive of me over the years. I really wanted to stay in Medford and make a home here. But at some point you have to sit back and decide what�s best for you and your family." Wharry and his wife Summer have a 4-year-old daughter, Kendall, and a 2-year-old son, Kenny Jr. The former NAIA national champion at Southern Oregon University will dive into yet another shallow pool at Nevada-Reno. The school has 31 athletes willing to compete this season and an interest in earning full accreditation as a varsity sport in the near future. "It�s a chance to build something from the ground up so it will be a nice challenge," said Wharry. At South Medford High and previously at Sacramento�s Florin High, Wharry helped turn single-digit turnouts into numbers ranging in the 30s and 40s. Those numbers dipped at South last year, however, as some athletes grew weary of Wharry�s approach. Following last year�s rough season, Wharry said he had planned to revamp his approach this season. Instead, he�ll take that revision to Reno. "I think it�s a big loss for us," said Dennis Murphy, athletic director at South Medford High. "He is a guy who obviously knows his wrestling and relates well to the kids. There�s no question we went through a down year last year, and I would think even Kenny went through a pretty good learning curve. "To find another coach of his caliber will be hard to do." Murphy said South is out "beating the brush" to develop an applicant pool for the vacated head wrestling position. He said he hoped to begin the interview process this week and name Wharry�s successor as soon as possible. "Time is short," said Murphy. "We all know this is a difficult thing to do, especially at this time of the year. Of the people that are available, we�re going to try to find the best ones to make this work for us." Whoever is tapped will inherit a Panther program that will have its fifth coach in the past 15 years. "I do appreciate the chance to even be a head coach in the Southern Oregon area," said Wharry, adding that he has a great deal of respect for Murphy. "I didn�t think that would happen in the first place and I appreciate the opportunity." Wharry may have felt slighted by the Medford School District in being passed over for five positions, but the district acted well within its rights in not showing favoritism to find what it deemed was the perfect fit for each position. Lacking a teaching degree, full-time options were also slim in the district for someone with Wharry�s credentials. The frustration grew to its highest point when Wharry was passed over for a campus monitor position at South Medford High, vacated by former baseball coach Pete Whisler. "That was probably the backbreaker," said Wharry. "In order for me to build a program like I wanted to build I wanted to be on campus and they just weren�t able to do that. When that happened, it really made me feel unappreciated. It hurt." In an interesting twist, a day after agreeing to join the coaching staff at Nevada-Reno, Wharry also accepted a full-time position at nearby Wooster High School similar to the campus monitor job at South. Even though everything didn�t work out the way he hoped, Wharry said he has no hard feelings and hopes for nothing but success at South for the athletes and friends he leaves behind. "It hurts me to have to leave those kids behind because those are the kids that I had as freshmen," he said. "I think they�re really going to do some good things this year. I really enjoyed working with those kids and the parents were very supportive." Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.