In the Wayne Badida Wrestling Room near the gymnasium at Conner High School is a hallowed place. It’s a spot where Cougars wrestlers can stand and check out all the Conner wrestlers that came before them who had success at the state tournament.
“It’s the wall of state placers,” coach Zack Fisher said. “It goes all the way back to 1970-71 when the program started and has every Conner wrestler who has placed at state.”
The Robbie Clarkston Wall of Champions was started shortly after the legendary Badida retired in 2016 following 46 years as the first Conner wrestling coach. Every Conner state placer for 53 years and counting is remembered with a plaque made of red plywood. On each red plaque is a wrestler’s name etched with white lettering, his weight class, state placing and the year. If a state placer is a finalist, he gets a blue shape of Kentucky added to his plaque.
The ever-growing Clarkston Wall of Champions is two walls on both sides of a doorway. The plaques hang above protective gym wall padding in the wrestling room.
It’s a family project.
Badida, whose likeness on the team’s wrestling mat was unveiled when he retired, always liked the idea of a wall of champions and so did his son, Johnny Badida, a member of the Cougars’ first and only state championship team in 1983. When the wall finally got started in 2016, Wayne Badida became the resident historian. When coach Fisher took over the program in 2017, he also took over the wall of champions project and added his wife as calligrapher. He wound up adding two of Johnny Badida’s sons, Tristin Badida and Clayton Badida, to the wall. Tristin has three plaques.
“There are a lot of brother combinations up there,” coach Fisher said. “Brothers can add a lot to a wrestling program.”
Brothers Tom Cole and Troy Cole, both of whom won state titles in 1983, are on the wall. Kevin Delk and Lewis Delk are on the wall. Twins Jacob Grandstaff and Samuel Grandstaff are up there. And so are Mike Clarkston and Robbie Clarkston, the wall’s namesake.
Wrestling names don’t get any bigger at Conner than the late Robbie Clarkston, one of three high school wrestlers in Northern Kentucky history with four state crowns. Conner, one of five Northern Kentucky teams to win a state title, was state runner-up in 1981. One of that year’s most outstanding wrestlers was Robbie Clarkston, who won state titles from 1978-81 before heading to college at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.
Tristin Badida went on to wrestle at Thomas More University. Clayton Badida is currently one of the best wrestlers in Kentucky and he’s only a sophomore. His grandfather, Wayne Badida, remains a presence around the program. The elder Badida supports his grandson. He’s now an assistant coach, and he’s a walking encyclopedia on Conner wrestling.
“I learned a lot from coach Badida,” said Fisher, a 2012 Conner graduate. “He always cared about us and that’s what I want to do. Having him around is great for a multitude of reasons. He has been around for so long. He knows what to do to be successful.”
Coach Fisher is also on the wall of champions. Coach Fisher’s wife, Megan, does the lettering for each new plaque. During Fisher’s seven seasons at the helm, Conner has 15 state placers, four state finalists and one state champion, Samuel Grandstaff at 106 pounds in 2018.
The Cougars hope to add to those totals this week at the KHSAA boys state wrestling championships at Kentucky Horse Park’s Alltech Arena in Lexington. The boys tournament begins Thursday. The first-ever KHSAA-sanctioned girls wrestling tournament is Saturday.
“We want to place as many as we can,” Clayton Badida said. “I was seventh last year at 106 pounds. The goal for me personally is to win at 113, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
This is not idle boasting. Badida is a seasoned wrestler. His father wrestled. His grandfather is the “father of Northern Kentucky high school wrestling.” Clayton Badida is the reigning Region 5 champion at 113 pounds.
“We’ve got a nice group of sophomores and a nice group of seniors. It’s been a
team effort,” Fisher said. “They’re not afraid to learn. Everybody’s trying to do their part to get better.”
Seven Conner wrestlers are at the state tournament. In addition to Clayton Badida, there’s also fellow regional champions Cordion Abernathy (132 pounds) and Bryce Sizemore (285) plus Keaton Dicken (106), Maalik Washington (120), Nathan Seth (157) and Chase Bailey (190). Badida is No. 2 in the state at Kentuckywrestling.com. Abernathy is No. 5. Washington is No. 11.
Conner is 18th in the statewide team rankings after a third-place finish at the regional. Coach Fisher is hoping for a top-10 finish at state.
“We’ve never quite cracked it but I know that it will happen,” the coach said. “I think we can surprise some people this year.”
Rose Thomas, a junior, is the first Conner wrestler to qualify for the initial girls state event. She is a regional champion at 132 pounds.
Every Conner wrestler will be pulling for her to make the Clarkston Wall of Champions.
“We have a great tradition here at Conner. It’s awesome to keep that going,” Clayton Badida said. “That’s the goal for us, get as many people on the podium as possible.”