Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Will Hoeft is hoping the most memorable moments of his prep wrestling career lie ahead in the upcoming postseason.

The West High senior has already logged several lasting memories to close the regular season.

First, Hoeft won the first Mississippi Valley Conference crown of his career helping West High win its first MVC team title since 2012 last Saturday.

“It was surprising, I was expecting to feel good about my individual MVC title and I did but the biggest thing for me was I was so happy with the team title,” Hoeft said. “We hadn’t done that in seven years and to be good as a team and fight for each other it meant a lot to us.”

Hoeft followed up the excitement of Saturday with an emotional effort on senior night at West High on Thursday.

Hoeft was one of seven Trojans to win by fall on Thursday as West High closed the regular season with a 66-12 win over Waterloo West in a Mississippi Valley Conference Valley Division dual meet at West High.

“It was a pretty sentimental night for me kind of taking it all in one last time,” Hoeft said. “It was nice to breathe it all in and cheer on your team one final time here.”

In between the MVC title on Saturday and Thursday’s senior night festivities Hoeft found time to lock down his future plans.

A Harvard wrestling recruit, Hoeft signed his national letter of intent on Wednesday.

“It’s been memorable few days,” Hoeft said. “I’m just trying to enjoy it all and take it all in.”

Thursday was certainly a fond farewell, at least to the regular season, for Hoeft and his fellow seniors.  

West High won 12 matches on Thursday, 10 via fall or forfeit while capping an impressive end to the regular season.

The late season surge started on Saturday as the Trojans crowned five champions on its way to the MVC team title.

Hoeft putting the finishing touches on the Trojans first MVC crown in seven seasons with his tech fall in the 182-pound title match.

“I didn’t really know we were even a contender until a couple days before (the meet) Coach Pudil and Coach Moore were telling us that we were darkhorses to win the thing,” Hoeft said. “In my head I thought it was something that coaches say but after every round we were winning and that was a great feeling.”

Hoeft closed out the regular season on Thursday with a second-period pin of Waterloo West’s Christian Chapman.

The second-ranked 182-pounder in Class 3A, Hoeft improved to 17-1 on the season with the senior night victory.

“Will is a guy who is all business,” West High coach Nate Moore said. “He comes to practice every day with a positive attitude and he is a team leader and we are going to miss him.”

It was business as usual for Hoeft on senior night.

The senior had two takedowns a pair of nearfalls in the first period while building a 9-1 lead.

Hoeft started the second period with a quick escape and took Chapman down and straight to his back less than 30 seconds later recording the pin 56 seconds into the second period.

“It’s just one step after the other and that’s how you have to approach it this time of year no matter how you feel,” Moore said. “He’s wrestling great.”

For Hoeft the biggest matches are still ahead starting with the Class 3A, District 6 meet on February 15 at West High.

There are eight days between Thursday’s senior night match at the start of the postseason leaving plenty of time for practice.

That’s fine with Hoeft who prides himself on the work ethic he learned from older teammates early in his career.

“I’m not a huge vocal leader but I try to lead by example and get after it every workout,” Hoeft said. “That’s how the guys before me did it so I want to set a good example of if you want to be successful putting in the work is the best way to do it.”

West High 66, Waterloo West 12

106 – Grant O’Dell (ICW) won by forfeit

113 – Isaac Liao (ICW) won by forfeit

120 – Kaden Karns (WW) pinned Connor Morris 1:35

126 – Parker McBride (ICW) pinned Jackson Westemeier 1:51

132 – Marteus Denton (WW) pinned Abram Collaguazo 2:53

138 – Hunter Garvin (ICW) pinned Cole Knight 2:35

145 – Drake Davis (ICW) dec. Jackson Hicks 10-9

152 – Graham Gambrall (ICW) pinned Amarreon Sykes 4:38  

160 – Collin Leavy (ICW) won by forfeit

170 – Ashton Barker (ICW) pinned Gabe Gekpoah :55

182 – Will Hoeft (ICW) pinned Christian Chapman 2:56

195 – Anu Dokun (ICW) dec Adam Teare 12-8

220 – Brett Pelfrey (ICW) pinned Armin Hadziric 2:43

285 – Ben Alden (ICW) pinned Yve Josena 2:16

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