KHS pins down new wrestling coach

Kingfisher High School will have a new wrestling coach for the first time in more than three decades when it takes to the mats next winter.

The board of education on Monday unanimously approved Bryan Dutton as that person.

A Guthrie native, Dutton has been the head wrestling coach at Newkirk for the last three years.

In the same motion, the board also approved hiring Morgan Marks as a high school softball assistant coach.

Marks has also coached and taught at Newkirk the last three years.

She is currently the high school softball and girls basketball assistant coach as well as other junior high coaching duties.

Marks graduated from Seiling High School in 2014 before attending Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Dutton is certified to teach history while Marks is certified in multiple areas of high school science.

Extra coaching duties are expected for both and will be assigned at a later date, said Superintendent Jason Sternberger.

Dutton was a standout athlete as he was a fouryear starter in football, wrestling and baseball before graduating in 2013.

He was a four-time state placer in wrestling, a two-time finalist and won state as a sophomore.

He was also the Blue jays’ starting quarterback for four seasons, including the 2011 Class 5A state championship team.

Dutton wrestled at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami where he was a two-year starter and a member of the 2014 national championship squad.

He then started two years at the University of Central Oklahoma and was an NCAA tournament qualifier in 2017.

Dutton takes over for Ed Evey, who is retiring after 40 years at Kingfisher.

Evey has been with the KHS wrestling program since 1981 and became head coach prior to the 1986-87 season.