Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Ask anyone associated with West High athletics over the past several seasons to describe senior Will Hoeft and the same word seems to come up over and over again.

Toughness.

Coaches, administrators and fellow students at West High offered up plenty of other complimentary characteristics possessed by Hoeft but it was the same one (or two) words that kept being tossed around.

“I would describe Will in two words, toughness and maturity,” West High football coach Garrett Hartwig said. “I think he epitomizes both of those. I don’t know if there has been a more mentally or physically tougher kid to come through our program than Will.”

Over the course of his high school career Hoeft has certainly earned his reputation as a tough competitor on the football field and the wrestling mat.

It is more than just the physical toughness that Hoeft has displayed that has stood out over the past several seasons.

It is the mental toughness that Hoeft has shown that has impressed those around him.  

“Will is a great representative of West High’s tradition of excellence, epitomizing the characteristics of successful people, as well as athletes,” Huegel said. “He does not fear adversity, is tough mentally and physically, and is one of those people who knows what it takes.” 

The mental and physical toughness of Hoeft was put to the test over the past 12 months.

Hoeft tore the ACL in his knee at the Mississippi Valley Conference wrestling tournament in January of his junior season in 2019.

Less than a month later he finished sixth at the Class 3A state tournament while wrestling with the injury.

“I recall talking to Will briefly after he tore his ACL after the 2019 MVC tournament, he told me he was going to wrestle with the injury and I thought to myself, ‘great, he will at least get to have that experience’,” Huegel explained. “He wrestled four matches at state, finishing sixth, on one leg.”

As soon as wrestling ended Hoeft underwent surgery to repair his knee and then real work began.

Hoeft spent the entire spring and summer rehabbing in the injury in hopes of a memorable senior year.

“I knew I could do it because I would have a good three months of training but I knew I had to get going,” Hoeft said. “I knew I had to take those three or four months serious with training. I never thought I wouldn’t be able to do it but I knew I couldn’t waste any time because I missed those seven or eight months with an injury. That was it more than anything, not doubt but knowing I had to put in more work.”

The work and toughness showed by Hoeft paid off.

Seven months after surgery he returned to the football field and helped West High win four of its final five games.

Hoeft ranked second on the team in tackles from his linebacker spot despite missing the first three games.

“He is one of a number of leaders we’ve had the last few years who led with action not words,” Hartwig said. “When you see a guy who tore his ACL in February jogging on the sideline during summer workouts and conditioning doing everything in his power and then playing at a high level when he is probably at 65 or 70 percent and not making a single excuse you can’t help but respect that.”

Hoeft capped his prep athletic career with a dominant wrestling season.

He went 23-1 on his way to the Class 3A 182-pound title, going unbeaten against in-state competition.

With his 5-4 win over Taner Harvey of Boone in the state title match Hoeft capped a 3-for-3 performance by West High in the state finals that boosted the Trojans to a fourth-place team finish.

“It meant the world to me,” Hoeft said. “It was a pretty stressful three days because you are always thinking about the next match and kind of stressing over it but in the end it felt really good and I am really happy that I could do it with two of my friends. Those last three days really meant a lot to me.”

Athletic success is just a small piece of the puzzle for Hoeft who boasts a GPA over 4.1 and is headed to Harvard in the fall.

Hoeft is undecided on his career path at the moment but is considering pursuing degrees in pre-medicine or economics.

“I’m thinking about going the pre-med route and going into orthopedic surgery, after my junior year when I had surgery I got kind of intrigued with that and if I decide I don’t want to do that maybe economics and a minor in mathematics or something like that,” Hoeft said.

Along with his academic and athletic success, Hoeft has been active in the West High community as a part of multiple extra curricular activities including PALs and Food for All.

“The extracurriculars that I am involved in beyond sports are something that I am very proud of,” Hoeft said. “I’m involved in PALS and I’m a part of Food for All and that is a really rewarding experience as well to be a part of that. Those two things have been really rewarding for me.”

Hoeft, who will wrestle at Harvard, believes his best wrestling is ahead of him.

People like Huegel believe the best days for Hoeft are even further down the line.

“I am excited for Will’s wrestling career, but even more so, what he will be doing 5-10 years from now and later,” Huegel said.

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