Clarion, Iowa – Second-year boys wrestling coach Dillon Anderson and his Cowboy grapplers are looking to improve on last year’s impressive 16-5 record. On a team that will “Have a lot of younger and new wrestlers that will see time.”
Anderson will want to lean heavily on the experience and savvy of his returning state qualifiers. Senior Ashtin Willms (220), Junior Caleb Saeba (145), and Sophomore Ryan Hartwig (106) will all help captain the Cowboys this season. They earned trips to Des Moines last winter and played pivotal roles in their team finishing as finalists in regional team duals.
Like many coaches, Anderson says he is first and foremost a fan of the sport: “I always love watching wrestling in general. I love when wrestlers go out and score points and open matches up.”
There will be no shortage of talented wrestlers to watch this year in the historically difficult North Central Conference, where Anderson says “Everyone is always a threat”. The Cowboys placed 3rd in last year’s NCC tournament after finishing with four runner-ups and two third-place finishers.
Anderson is quick to credit his former coaches, Kurt Morgan, Dan Gabrielson, and Carl Valley, for helping shape him into the coach he is today. He looks to pass the discipline and toughness he learned from them on to his own team. Anderson says that he loves “Seeing them have success. That’s why I coach.”
With the season about to get underway, the “young but talented” team has been putting in work in the wrestling room and getting in their necessary reps. So far, the coach and his assistants have been impressed:
“I have seen a lot of good things so far and am excited to see this team grow throughout the season.” You can catch the Cowboys in action at their first varsity meet of the year on December 1st at Independence High School.
