WAUKEE, Iowa — For most first year programs, that first season is about building a foundation and setting expectations with new players. It’s a Little different for the Northwest wrestling program as they hit the mat with their eyes on a state championship.
“First year program is deceiving a little bit. We were fortunate that a great percentage of the kids coming back from last years second place team were living in these bounds,” said Northwest Wrestling Coach, Chad Vollmecke.
That’s made it a little easier for Coach Vollmecke. The Wolves bring an experienced lineup to the mats.
He said, “To have a complete team, you have to have kids in every weight class who understand their role. They know what’s expected of them, they know how to provide what’s expected of them and continually working and creating the team aspect of this individual sport.”
Among those individuals a returning state champion.
“You know Carter Freeman, he was our defending state champ last year, he’s one of those guys that super quiet, but the kids love to be around him,’ said Vollmecke.
Just a sophomore, Freeman has already become someone wrestlers can look up to.
Freeman said, “Just leading by example, whether that be just in the practice room, outside, kid of just letting my results show, and then showing them how to do it.”
Then you have a division one commit headed to Virginia next year with Griffin Gammell
Vollmecke said, “Grif is uh, Griff is something special. He’s a great leader, he’s got a maturity that is embarrassing to me, because he is more mature than I am in a lot of ways.”
That stands out on the mat, from effort in practice to the results in the matches.. Its building blocks in life for the senior.
“A lot goes into the little that you see, I think the cool thing about it, is that you can spend so much time doing this, and things around you are still going to be really hard, but it makes things when you go out of the room and off the mat that much easier, because you have the right mindset to attack anything,” said Gammell