Coach says team will determine what success looks like in a pandemic season
~courtesy of The Scranton Journal
Winter sports will get underway soon with more restrictions and fewer fans in the stands. Each team will meet requirements set by the Iowa HS Athletic Association.
The first high school wrestling meet is on the calendar for Dec. 1 at Prairie City-Monroe. Zach Beekman begins his third year as the Ram head coach. He is assisted by Kirk Davis, Clint Flack, Chris Conner and Jared Taggart.
Greene County had a strong team last season going 23-5 in duals with four district and two state qualifiers.
Returning letterwinners are seniors Chance McCollom, Sawyer Schiltz, Brady Stauffer; juniors Nate Black, Brenner Gallagher; and sophomore McKinley Robbins. Promising freshmen include Gavin Scheuermann and Michael Rumley.
Robbins placed second as a freshman at the state wrestling tournament in the Class 2A 103-pound bracket. He was the first Ram wrestler to reach the state finals since 1995.
He lost the title match to top-ranked and undefeated Camron Phetxoumphone (42-0), a sophomore from Webster City, by a 5-0 decision.
Needless to say, Robbins has some lofty goals for his sophomore season.
Coach Beekman noted the team strength will be the senior leadership. He expects the seniors will guide the rest to be able to battle the adversity that comes with this year’s season. He also noted the great community support. Even though they may not be in the bleachers this season, their support helps push the team regardless of the circumstance.
Beekman stated their weakness will be the limited amount of practices and competitions to be able to prepare for the postseason. No matter what the schedule looks like, the goal is to prepare for February. He has a good number of freshmen and they will be asked to fill some big shoes from last year.
Asked about the top conference contenders, Beekman replied, “This is difficult to comment on because we do not know what other schools are doing. We have a good sectional draw in which I feel good getting several on to districts. Assuming the team stays healthy, we could have a successful postseason run. All of our returning varsity letterwinners should make some noise come February.”
Talking about the season outlook, Beekman had this to say, “Regardless of what happens this season, our goal is to make the best of every situation. We cannot worry about what other teams are or are not doing. We cannot control if competitions are cancelled. We can control our attitude and reactions to what is given to us. If we can learn to control that in a positive manner, then we will have a successful season. Success cannot be measured by the same numbers it has in the past. We as a team will determine what success looks like.”
