Sports

The rise of PV boy’s wrestling

Katy Babcock, Copy Editor • January 8, 2023

Jack Miller pins Bettendorf’s Tycho Carmichael at Spartans-Bulldogs dual.

For 14 years, senior Jack Miller has participated in wrestling, recently achieving his 100th career win. However, he is not the only wrestler at PV to find success this year.

Seniors Caden McDermott and Rusty VanWetzinga also achieved the milestone of having over 100 career wins.

McDermott is ranked first in the state for his weight class.

Miller has seen the PV boy’s wrestling program come a long way in his four years on the team. “As a team, freshman year, we weren’t even a top 25 team and now we are a team that has a chance to make state duals,” said Miller. PV hasn’t gone to state as a team for duals since they won it in 1997.

After a successful 2021-2022 season, the PV boys are ready to make a change.

Beating cross-town rival Bettendorf High School has propelled the Spartans this season. Prior to last year, the last time PV took down the Bulldogs was in 2004.

Miller says this is thanks to a close-knit team and great coaching staff.

Jacob Larsen has been the PV boy’s head wrestling coach for seven years. The rest of the coaching staff consists of Justin Fah, Jamie Fah, Travis Wheelers, Keith Minekey and Matt Miller.

Around fifty students are part of the boy’s wrestling team this season. With such a strong group of seniors graduating this spring, Larsen is preparing the underclassmen to lead the team. “We’re going to need to reload after the seniors graduate. The younger guys will have to step up,” said Larsen. He has also been recruiting potential wrestlers at the PV Junior High for future seasons.

Starting last season, the team has been meditating before pre-meet practices. Miller says the meditation helps them get in the right headspace to practice hard and compete the next day.

Aside from recent success and embracing mindfulness, the team has flourished with growing community support. “We’re not just a team, we’re a family,” said Miller. The team is passionate about building relationships with the local community, especially with younger generations. They have received a substantial following in their youth wrestling program for kindergarten through seventh grade.

Led by three star seniors with over 100 wins, the team is hopeful to make it to state duals for the first time since Larsen has been coaching.

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About the Contributors

Katy Babcock, Copy Editor

Katy Babcock is a junior at Pleasant Valley and serves as a Copy Editor for the Spartan Shield. At PV, Katy is involved in A Positive Place, PV Pals, and Young Women's Group. Katy is a member of the girl's swim team and enjoys swimming with her friends. She is also on an all-girls robotics team called Flourish & Bots. During the summers, Katy is a lifeguard at the Davenport Country Club. Her favorite subjects are English and Spanish. In her free time, she enjoys sleeping, watching TV, listening to Taylor Swift, and being with her dogs.

Gretchen Highberger, Copy Editor

Gretchen Highberger is a senior at Pleasant Valley High School and serves as a copy editor for the Spartan Shield. Most afternoons in the fall, she can be found at cross country practice. Since freshman year, she has been a member of Pleasant Valley Girls Cross Country and has had the opportunity to compete on the varsity squad at the state level multiple times. During home football games, she can be found behind the endzones or on the field as a member of the marching band. This year, she has the honor of being one of five drum majors. During concert band, she plays clarinet and was selected for All-State Band her sophomore year and junior years. She enjoys meaningful conversations, which lead her to compete on the Ethics Bowl team that advanced to nationals last spring. When not at school, she enjoys experimenting with the same 10 ingredients in her kitchen and using an inordinate amount of dishes to make very rudimentary meals, much to the annoyance of her family, as well as trying to fit 8 hours worth of sleep into a 6 hour period.