By BROOKLYN BROWN
One Feather Reporter
CHEROKEE, N.C. – Tsalagi Anitsvyasdi nole Tsalagi Anata Anitsvyasdi (Cherokee Braves and Cherokee Lady Braves) wrestling kicked off the 2025-26 season with the Maroon and Gold intrasquad scrimmage on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 6 in the Charles George Memorial Arena. This year, the squad has a new coaching staff, and a drove of new wrestlers, including head coach Todd Odom who is implementing the historic legacy of Cherokee wrestling to ignite excitement for a new season.
“The great part about being at Cherokee is the fact that they do have such a rich history. If you go all the way back to Bruce Carney, he was the guy that’s credited with building this program. Cherokee High School was the first Smoky Mountain Conference school to have wrestling,” Odom shared.
Todd Odom, Cherokee High School head wrestling coach, gives instructions during the Maroon and Gold intrasquad scrimmage on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 6 in the Charles George Memorial Arena. (BROOKLYN BROWN/One Feather photo)
“Coach Carney left to go to Carolina and actually be an assistant coach at UNC Chapel Hill. When I was growing up, Cherokee was the benchmark. So, the situation that I think we’re in now is that these are either the kids or grandkids of when Cherokee had its heyday in the 80s and early 90s. I’m not working from scratch. I’m just trying to build on what was already laid 30, 40 years ago. That’s amazing,” he said.
“I’m also blessed to have Roger Neadeau and Adam Jaimez with me as coaches. Between us, we’ve got over 75 years’ worth of coaching experience, so that’s immeasurable. We all coach together and we all have the same goals. Our goals are for our kids to be great people, whether it be great husbands, great wives, good moms, good dads, people that give back to the community. That’s our goal. If they win a bunch of matches along the way, good for us, but that’s our goal. We’re going to take some lumps along the way, but at the end, if they’ll trust the process, they’ll get a better kid at the end of this.”
Odom said second to coaching student athletes into great community members, is coaching winners. “I didn’t take this job, Adam didn’t take this job, Roger didn’t take this job for us to be second. Our goal is to win. Our goal is to be on top. Our goal is to produce state champs after we produce great kids. That’s the most important thing that I want the community to know, is that we’re not going to accept bad behavior. We’re not going to accept bad decisions. I’m not asking them to be angels, but at the same time, I want to make sure that they understand that there’s a right way and the wrong way to promote and put yourself out in public eye,” he said.
“We want to represent Cherokee High School and the Braves and Lady Braves with the utmost respect so that when we walk into a gym and we put our foot on the line, people not only respect us, but fear us.”
The Cherokee Braves and Lady Braves will open their season with the Koga Doyanida Tournament dedicated to the late Braves Wrestling State Champions Noland Crowe and Anthony Toineeta on Nov. 11 in the Charles George Memorial Arena beginning at 9 a.m.
