The veteran, award-winning coach stood in the middle of the wrestling room on Monday afternoon – the first day of practice for the 2007-2008 Tennessee prep season – looked at five, first-year varsity wrestlers and gave them a short, but important history lesson.

“Hey guys, you are making history today,’’ said Soddy-Daisy head coach Steve Henry to the quintet of fresh-faced wrestlers from Sale Creek High School. “It takes a lot of pride and guts to be on the ground floor of anything.’’

And Henry, with two traditional and three state dual championships to his credit as leader of the Trojans, knows something about making history for one’s school.

After six years of middle school wrestling, the Panthers from Sale Creek are stepping up a level – actually, a big level – and fielding the school’s first varsity wrestling squad.

Sale Creek principal Jeff Chastain believes that the time is right for this move.

‘‘We have grown in student population from 100 to 400 (grades 6-12) during the past six to seven years and have seen success in our middle school program,'' he said.

In order to speed up the learning curve, the Panther wrestlers – Kenny Avila, Jordan Clark, Ethan Kelley, Jamie Nichols and Cody Varner – plan to work out with the Soddy-Daisy mat men for a couple of months.

“In this room we are a brotherhood,’’ Henry stated. “It’s not you over there and us over here. But, we are all working together and we are glad to have you here.’’

And Chastain knows that he has his man – coach Danny Gilbert – to lead this band of brothers through the ups and downs, wins and losses and triumphs and disappointments in the legalized world of hand-to-hand combat known as prep wrestling.

“Danny is a great math teacher and super coach and it is the old adage of right place, right time for both himself and Sale Creek,’’ said Chastain. “He can walk into any situation and make everyone around him feel comfortable.’’

Clark, a senior and first year wrestler, echoes Chastain’s words.

“Really, that man (pointing to Gilbert) is the reason I am wrestling. It’s a high compliment when I say ‘He’s a beast.’’’

Clark’s senior project is to research and learn about the sport of jujitsu and he believes that the discipline of wrestling will be invaluable in completing that course assignment.

“I have wanted to wrestle for a few years and when the school offered it as a varsity sport I knew I was in,’’ stated Clark.

A veteran of many mat wars as a coach and wrestler, Gilbert knows oh, too well, what lies ahead for this team.

“Wrestling is a marathon, not a sprint and you have to pay your dues,’’ said Gilbert, who is a head coach for the third time with previous stops at his alma mater of East Ridge (1988-1993) and most recently at Ooltewah (1999-2000-01). ‘‘But trust me when I say that the rewards at the end are worth every minute and every day of the long, hard workouts.’’

Kelley, a ninth grader, is the team’s example of not giving up.

“Ethan didn’t score a point as a sixth grader and two years later he wins the middle school championship at 141 pounds,’’ said Panther middle school head coach Tom Moss.

“I am real excited about this first varsity team,’’ stated Kelley. “I know it takes a lot of hard work at the varsity level, but it will be worth it.’’

Gilbert, Moss and assistant middle school coach Jon Young plan a schedule dotted with three- and four-team meets against small schools and some junior varsity tournaments along the way.

“We have to get our feet wet against competition at our level,’’ said Gilbert.

“We are basically starting from scratch and under Danny’s tutelage, Sale Creek wrestling can grow,’’ Chastain stated. “He is patient and level-headed and can work through limitations.’’

At the close of yesterday’s first team practice, Gilbert also pointed to the importance of applying wrestling’s keys of success off the mat.

“At this time, I am not so concerned about the wins and losses as I am about what life lessons this great sport can teach each of us,’’ said Gilbert, whose contagious smile and likable personality complement his coaching style to a young wrestler hungry to learn.

He stressed that wrestling teaches such core values as a strong work ethic, discipline and mental toughness to go hand in hand with responsibility, dedication and goal setting.

Eighth grader Varner, who tips the scales just under 240 pounds and who will most likely wrestle heavyweight, described the first practice as ‘‘tough’’, “But I have put my mind to it and I am not going to quit.’’

Gilbert believes that his guys can translate these key fundamentals of success to being good students in the classroom and overall good citizens and leaders in the school.

Proof that the former Pioneer state champion’s dedication to the sport has paid off is evidenced by the fact that he is one half of the answer – McCallie middle school principal Lynn Goss is the other – to a trivia question.

What two men in Tennessee prep history have captured the sport’s trifecta; won an individual state title, been a member of a state championship team and have coached a team to a coveted TSSAA state crown?

In 1975, Gilbert won the 105-pound class state championship in helping the Mike Parker-coached East Ridge squad to the team title.

Sixteen years later, he guided the Pioneers to the 1991 small school state duals crown.

Success breeds success and coach Henry analyzed the first year program by saying, ‘‘Danny’s the perfect fit.’’

Contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net