It’s a mat time to honor these Driller grapplers
Bakersfield High to induct 2002 state championship team, 10 others into school’s wrestling hall of fame next month
Bakersfield High School will celebrate the 67th anniversary of Driller wrestling with a hall of fame banquet on May 4 at Hodel’s Liberty Hall.
The event is scheduled to start with a social hour at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 and the induction ceremony at 7.
Hall of Famer Darryl Pope, a two-time NCAA Division-II champion while at Cal State Bakersfield, will serve as master of ceremonies.
The inductees include: BHS’s record-breaking 2002 CIF State Championship team, along with former Bakersfield wrestlers Brett Clark, Navonte Demison, Brad East, Drew East, Dave Edmonson, Coleman Hammond, Josh Sherley, Andrew Spradlin, Andy Varner and Steve Varner.
Here’s a look at the inductees’ accomplishments:
2002 CALIFORNIA STATE CHAMPIONS
This team raised the bar in California state wrestling history, setting state records in achievement. The Drillers were the first team to score over 200 points at state. They also put seven wrestlers in the state finals (half of their team), followed by being the first team to crown four individual state champions simultaneously. This team also placed nine wrestlers in the top-8. Darrell Vasquez became the California’s first four-time state champion. As a side note, this team also crowned all 14 individuals as league champions for the first time in Kern County.
BRETT CLARK, 1995
As a heavyweight, he placed first in league and area, was second in the section and fourth at state during his senior year. At Fargo, he was runner-up in Greco and fourth in freestyle. After high school, Brett played football at Bakersfield College for two years and then two years at Southern University. In 2001 he returned to BC and wrestled. He went 32-1 and took second in the state tournament, and won the state title the following year. From 2014 to 2020 he was the wrestling co-head coach for the Renegades. He moved to Georgia where he coached high school wrestling, and has also been on the Georgia National Team coaching staff the last three years in Fargo and has coached the Schoolboy Freestyle team in 2023. He continued to wrestle in the Master’s Division from 2014-2020. He won silver in Freestyle in the 2015 Masters Worlds and bronze in the 2015 Greco Worlds.
NAVONTE DEMISON, 2017
Started wrestling at the age of 4, following in his brothers’ footsteps. He was a four-time league champion, two-time Masters place-winner (third), two-time Masters champion, two-time state place-winner (3rd, 2nd) and a twotime state champion. He was a Fargo runner-up, a two-time Iowa Folkstyle national champion, and a NHCSA Virginia Senior Nationals All-American. After high school, he attended Arizona State where he pursued a bachelor’s degree and wrestled.
BRAD EAST, 1986
Placed first in league, the section and Masters and was undefeated heading into the semifinal at state during his junior year. After suffering his first loss of the season, he recovered to place third. He won league, section and Masters, and was undefeated his senior year going into the state semifinals before placing fourth. He wrestled for Fresno City College. He was injured during his freshman year and placed fifth his sophomore year. He then transferred to Fresno State to finish his education and graduated with a degree in kinesiology. In 1999, he moved back to Bakersfield to open a cellphone business that he ran for 10 years. He then moved into medical sales where he has been for the last 15 years.
DREW EAST, 2002
A member of the 2002 state championship team, he was a four-time league Champion, a three-time divisionals champion, two-time Masters champion (the Drillers first freshman Master’s champion). He was a state champion his senior year in 2002 and finished high school 189-13. After high school, he received his bachelor’s degree in Christian studies from Cal Baptist, a Certificate of Worship Leadership from Mid-America Christian University, and a master’s degree in Christian ministry leadership from Liberty Seminary. He serves as life-resource pastor with Illuminate Church.
DAVE EDMONSON, CLASS OF 1959
The wrestling program at BHS started when he was a sophomore and helped the Drillers win three straight South Yosemite League championships. He was third in the section at 191 pounds as a junior. He was unbeaten in SYL matches his senior year and placed runner-up in the section with a 19-2 record. He was the first to place twice at Masters. He taught and coached at Foothill for 35 years, including 10 as wrestling coach before retiring in 2003.
COLEMAN HAMMOND, 2013
Became the first four-time All-America wrestler in California history when he placed fourth at the 2013 Senior Nationals, taking first his freshman and sophomore years and third his junior year. He was a two-time Fargo All-American placing second and fourth. He won a section title as a freshman and was runner-up the next three years. At the state championships, he placed fourth as a freshman, third as a junior and fourth as a senior. After graduating, he attended CSUB where he finished his career 26th on the all-time career wins list with 87. He was a four-time Pac-12 place-winner
and took second his junior year. He reached the NCAA tournament three times in his career. On four occasions he was named All-Academic Pac-12 and named an Academic All-American by the NCAA in 2017 and 2018. Coleman is currently serving as a board member on the California Blueberry Commission Board and is the head wrestling coach at Kingsburg High School since 2020.
JOSH SHERLEY, 2002
Part of the 2002 state championship team, he was a three-time league champion, two-time Masters champion, placed runner-up in the state tournament as a junior and won a state title as a senior. He placed third in the Senior Nationals. Sherley was honored as All-American by Amateur Wrestling Magazine, Wrestling USA Magazine and Asics. After high school he attended Fresno State where he played football and earned a bachelor’s of science degree in business administration. He recently went into full-time ministry where all his time is dedicated to helping people find faith in Christ and grow in their relationship with him.
ANDREW SPRADLIN, 2002
A member of the 2002 state championship team, he was a four-time league champion, four-time state qualifier, three-time state placer (8th, 3rd, 2nd), and a two-time section and Masters champion. He also won and placed in other tournaments throughout high school, earning Wrestling USA Magazine All-America status his junior and senior years. After high school, he left wrestling to prepare for a life of ministry. He graduated from Cal Baptist and later Southern Seminary with a master’s degree, graduating both with honors. He serves as the co-senior pastor at Valley Baptist Church. He loves wrestling as much as anyone and is eternally grateful for the important role wrestling played in preparing him for a life in ministry.
ANDY VARNER, 1995
He was a three-time league champion, a threetime section medalist, and a two-time state medalist. As a senior, he won a section title to help his team to a championship. He went on to place third at state. He continued his wrestling career at CSUB from 19952000, where he was a threetime Pac-10 place-winner. He was a member of two Pac-10 championship teams and qualified for the NCAA Championships three times. In Freestyle, Andy finished fourth at the Espoir and University Nationals/World Team Trials. Andy became the head coach of the Drillers after coach David East retired in 2002. As the head coach from 2003-2020, his teams won two California state championships and were state runner-up three times. In his 18 years as the head coach, BHS finished in the top 10 in the state 15 times. During this time the Drillers won two Central Section championships and were second six times. His individual wrestlers amassed 50 high school national All-Americans, 26 Fargo All-Americans, seven high school nationals champions, eight NCAA D-I All-Americans, an NCAA D-II All-American, four NAIA All-Americans, two NCAA D-I titles and an Olympic gold medal. Andy was named the state Coach of the Year twice. He continues to teach at Bakersfield and helps coach his son, Silas, who is a sophomore at BHS.
STEVE VARNER, 1967
Wrestled for Hall of
Fame coach Olan Polite, where Varner was SYL, San Joaquin Valley and Masters champion his junior year. He went on to wrestle at Bakersfield College and San Francisco State. While in San Francisco, he boxed, unattached, and won the Examiner California Golden Gloves Welterweight championship. He returned to coach at BHS in 1973, where he guided the Drillers first two individual champions, including one who went undefeated. His 1980 team placed in the top 5 in the state for the first time. He also coached an AAU All-Star team, along with Drew Wiliams, Ray Juhl and Polite, the team leader, that traveled to Germany. He also coached his own AAU team that competed in the Netherlands. He was inducted into the California Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012, and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla.
Tickets are available online only at https:/ Bakersfield.crowdchange. co/39540. The cost is $65 for individuals or $520 to reserve a designated table of eight in your name. Reserve early as seating is limited to 275 people. For questions or concerns, call (661) 632-6809.