THS hires Dallas Fudge as new wrestling head coach

The Talawanda High School wrestling program has a new voice. At the Oct. 15, 2026 Talawanda Board of Education board meeting, Dallas Fudge was officially hired as the program’s head coach. 

Fudge grew up in Eaton and attended Eaton High School, where he wrestled – as he did throughout his life. 

Six years later, Fudge found himself unable to stay away from the sport he loved and began coaching at National Trail High School in Preble County, Ohio. 

In his first year as a coach, one of his wrestlers defied all expectations and made it all the way to the state finals. Not only did this give him the experience of coaching at such a big tournament, but it showed him how much he enjoyed developing young wrestlers. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fudge stepped away from coaching before eventually talking to his brother-in-law, who was one of the coaches at his alma mater. He ended up joining the Eaton coaching staff in 2021 – eight years after he graduated from the school

While he was working at Eaton, Fudge noticed that after his wrestlers finished the season in the best shape and with the best mindset, the team had “reset” by the time next season rolled around. 

So, Fudge and his wife Kenzi sat down and had a conversation about what the best course of action might be. 

“‘We’re going to open a wrestling club,’” Fudge said. “Then, Silverback Grappling Club started … within three days of sign ups, we had over 100 kids at our club. And then we went into it not really knowing what was going to happen, and next thing I know, we’re traveling all over the country with an awesome group of kids, just helping kids get better.”

While working at the club seven days a week every month of the year, training both boys and girls in wrestling and jiujitsu, he remained a coach at Eaton and continued to travel around the country for tournaments. 

Through his experience as a wrestler and coach at his club, he became familiar with the Talawanda program and, more specifically, what ailed it. But with the ever-evolving sequence of events, including former Head Coach Andrew Merrell resigning from his position due to general changes in his life, including having young kids, an opportunity presented itself.

“I always remember Talawanda being pretty solid, even back when I wrestled,” Fudge said. “I’m not really sure what happened. I know they had a lot of changing positions at the high school level, so when the opportunity came, I was like, ‘I’ll apply. Let’s see what happens.’ And sure enough, I got a call back and ended up in the position. I’m so pumped to be a part of that community.”

Fudge’s first experience within Talawanda athletics and the Oxford community came with his wife, who will be an assistant with him in the program, at a Friday night home football game after he was told he was given the position. 

Watching how important sports are (and the atmosphere that comes with it) to those in the area and those who attend the school was an eye-opening experience for the two.

“We were just completely blown away,” Fudge said. “(We) were just sitting in the stands, and I was like, ‘This feels like home for us.’ We’re so excited to be (here).”

James Hatfield, a Talawanda alum, has been the head of the Brave youth wrestling program for eight years, and the upcoming season will be his fourth at the helm of the middle school program. 

When he has the time, Hatfield still helps out with the high school program, and has even sent some of his wrestlers to check out what Fudge’s club was all about before even meeting his soon-to-be colleague. 

Hatfield and Fudge officially met at the Spatola Classic Wrestling Tournament, with their paths crossing because of a couple of Talawanda wrestlers who were repping Silverback Grappling.

The two got along very well, and when the position at Talawanda opened up a few months later, Hatfield and another one of his assistant coaches badgered Fudge to apply for the job.

While being with the program, Hatfield has seen participation in wrestling fluctuate, and finding out that Fudge was on the same page as him in regard to development was a huge step in the right direction. 

“Don’t get me wrong, me and Dallas are both very competitive,” Hatfield said. “Just from a couple conversations we had, he and I got off on the right foot and were like, ‘If a kid wants to come in here because he just loves it and doesn’t really care about winning (a) state (championship), then let’s just teach this kid how to wrestle.’ We just want these kids to fall in love with the sport we fell in love with growing up, and why we want to give back to the kids.”

Talawanda High School Athletic Director Jake Richardson led the interview process after posting the job on the school’s website and the Ohio High School Athletic Association website. The school received four applications by the time the posting closed.

The first round of the hiring process consisted of looking at applications and resumes and putting together the top candidates, and then the interviews began. 

Richardson, Talawanda High School principal Scott Davie, another varsity coach and a select number of parents sat on the hiring board and created interviews based on who walked through the door. 

What stood out for the board was Fudge’s experience both in wrestling and coaching wrestling realms, but also the familiarity that Talawanda students had with his club. 

Along with Hatfield’s recommendation and the success of the feeder programs under his guidance, the vision for the program seemed to be laying itself out.

“I think Coach Fudge brings a lot of excitement to the program with his background,” Richardson said. “Keeping a consistent head coach at the top – someone that is passionate about the sport – will definitely help increase participation and get those kids to stay with high school wrestling from youth to middle school to up through high school.”

Fudge doesn’t like talking about himself. His focus doesn’t waver from building his program, his brand and, most importantly, his wrestlers. He takes pride in seeing kids win, but he takes more pride in seeing the sport he loves grow. 

While Talawanda has gone through its fair share of ups and downs in the wrestling department, a new head coach with as much influence in the sport as Fudge has could be exactly what the Brave program needs to get off the ground again.

And Fudge isn’t shying away from the challenge.

“My goals for the program are, I want to make Talawanda a school that is known for wrestling,” Fudge said. “There’s athletes in that school. We’ve seen them in other sports. There’s some good kids that are coming back to the program and kids that are coming up through the program this year. I want to take kids to state. I want kids to get that feeling. I want them to get that experience. I want to bring that to them.”