With a roster of 16, Highland starts girls wrestling program, names Aaron Boucher coach

Add another program in the ever-growing sport of girls wrestling .

Highland High School announced the hiring of Aaron Boucher as the Hornets’ first coach with competition beginning this fall.

“The Highland athletic department is thrilled to welcome Girls Wrestling to our program lineup this year and we cannot wait to see what they do in their inaugural season,” Highland athletic director Jon Bailey said in a news release. “Our student athletes will be well-served by the wealth of experience and tenacity that Coach Boucher will bring as we kick off this exciting new program.”

Boucher, who has lived in the Highland district for 17 years, is the lead on the sales team for SAP, a German software company.

That doesn’t mean he is new to the wrestling world.

He has 35 years of experience as a competitor and over 20 years as an assistant coach at Highland, Brunswick and Holy Name. He’s coached at the youth and middle school levels at Highland.

Boucher, 47, was a two-time state qualifier at Mt. Vernon and a three-year starter, Mid-American Conference placer and team captain at Miami (Ohio).

“When I was young, I had the benefit of so many great coaches in my life,” Boucher said. “They shaped my love of the sport and me as a person. When my competitive days were finished, I felt compelled to give back in the same manner that others selflessly invested their time with me. I felt like I owed it to the sport.”

Highland won’t come in empty handed either as the Hornets expect a roster of 16 to compete in the fall under Boucher.

“I’ve been blessed to be able to coach for multiple decades now, and it’s one of the most rewarding joys I have,” he said. “I’m looking at the growth of the sport on the girls side. They need people like me to step up and pass on that knowledge. If not people like me, then who?”

Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: With a roster of 16, Highland starts girls wrestling program, names Aaron Boucher coach