Eagle wrestling head coach Jake Groth welcomed 25 total kids to the practice mat for this season, but also knew he needed to replace several key contributors from the previous year. The team will need to find that right combination in the lineup to keep their progress moving forward.
“This team’s main strength is their cohesiveness and work ethic,” said the ninth-year coach. “After the first practices, I’ve noticed that these guys all get along well. They support each other when needed and call each other out when they mess up or aren’t drilling the correct way. We have yet to have a practice where they didn’t give their best. I am really proud of how they just jumped right in and didn’t worry about all the negativity the world is bombarding us with right now. Once they step in the room they get down to business!”
The team went 18-17 in duals a year ago, but also graduated two state wrestlers in Joel Mendoza (6th place) and qualifier Mark Dawson. However, Groth notes they lost more than that. “We graduated twin brothers who were team leaders and had another set of twin brothers move out of the area,” said the coach. “Altogether, those six guys totaled 196 wins. This will be hard to replace, but I know our team will be up for the challenge. They always are. We will be young and somewhat inexperienced, and will need a lot more mat time this season. We will make that up with extra morning running and lifting during the week and individual drilling sessions on the weekends.”
Senior Felix Gonzalo Gaspar is projected at 182 pounds, with the team picking up another good senior leader in Derricklee Harms who wrestled previously at CGD. He is currently penciled in at 145. A large group of returning juniors will make up a good share of the lineup. Those include Peyton Larsen (24 wins a year ago), Andrew Dencklau (19 wins), Justin Agtun, Isaac Olson and Jensen Cooper. Larsen is projected to fill the heavyweight slot, while Dencklau will go at 138 pounds. Agtun should be at 152, Olson at 195 and Cooper at 145 pounds.
Kaden Pritchard heads the sophomores on the roster, and returns 38 wins and will likely be at 113 pounds. He is joined by Dustin Dawson (19 wins) and Trent Sorenson. Dawson is penciled in at 126 and Sorenson in the 160 slot. A couple of other wrestlers join Harms as top prospects according to Groth. Those are sophomore Jack Mendoza (220) and freshman Mack Morgan (106).
Groth is assisted by Aaron Schafer and former Eagle wrestling brothers Brayden and Saxon Lyman. Team managers for this year are Madi Axtell, Emily Dawson, Cael Schafer and Olivia Conaway.
Groth feels that Lake Mills and Osage will be the toughest Top of Iowa opponents on the schedule. “Osage is returning 2A state champs, and likely to win the conference,” said Groth. “Forest City will be another tough team again this year, as they have some good younger guys coming up through the ranks.”
