Taylor Smith, Sports Editor
Cory Yoder, the new head wrestling coach for Clarion-Goldfield-Dows, possesses a profound passion for wrestling and has strong connections to Wright County.
“I started wrestling in 1979 as an eight-year-old, following in my dad’s footsteps,” Yoder told The Wright County Monitor in a recent interview. Â
Cory’s father, the late John Yoder, was an Eagle Grove native who went on to coach for Belmond. John would quickly show his son what it meant to be a champion.
“I had a very successful high school career,” Cory stated matter-of-factly.
As the popular saying goes, “it ain’t bragging if it’s true.” Â
Yoder was a three-time North Iowa Conference champ, a four-time district qualifier, and qualified for State twice. He finished 5th as a junior in 1989 and 3rd as a senior the following year.Â
After two years spent grappling at Iowa Central Community College, Yoder found fulfillment in coaching the future generations.Â
“My first coaching job was at Hawarden, West Sioux as an assistant in 1994-95,” he recalled.Â
Cory returned to Belmond (now Belmond-Klemme) in the 1996-97 season and then ran the school’s youth program from 2006-2009.  From there, he went on to coach high schoolers as an assistant for Garner-Hayfield-Ventura (2022-24) before finding himself at Clarion-Goldfield-Dows as an assistant last season.
And what a season it was.
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows’ boys’ program placed 3rd in the Class 2A State Dual Tournament and 17th in the Class 2A Traditional State Tournament under Head Coach Dillon Anderson’s guidance.
The Cowboys will return thirteen of their fourteen starters this coming winter and are expected to contend for even more hardware.
“We have eight returning state-qualifiers, plus the addition of two state-qualifiers coming into our program. We will be tested early in the season at the Cliff Keen Invitational (December 5-6), and The Battle of Waterloo (December 19-20) will set the stage for an early season dual meet with the defending dual state champs from Algona. The most highly anticipated dual will come on January 15th as Don Bosco comes to Clarion for an epic showdown. The tough duals and tournaments will prepare our kids mentally and physically for the postseason.”
If Cowboy fans are curious about what to anticipate from Yoder’s coaching style, they should examine his approach from his high school days.
“People that watched me wrestle in high school knew I was a strategist and a very tactical wrestler,” he said. “This style frustrated a lot of my opponents. I picked my spots in matches to take advantage of mistakes in certain situations by watching film and preparing in practice. I love to scout other wrestlers to see their tendencies and what they do at certain times in matches. The one pet peeve I have as a coach is letting your opponents hang around in matches and keeping it close. Just put your opponent away and leave no doubt!”
Regardless of what unfolds next season, there’s no doubt that it will be an unforgettable one to witness.
“It is an honor and means a lot to me personally to lead the prestigious CGD wrestling program,” Yoder said in closing. “Coach Dillon Anderson, Coach Kurt Morgan and Coach Dr. Dan Gabrielson played a big part in bringing me into the wrestling program. I just want to thank the CGD Administration and the school board for believing in me and to the CGD parents and families that welcomed me into their storied wrestling program. There is a lot of excitement and expectations heading into this season and we are ready for the challenge!”
“Oh, and GO COWBOYS!”
