By: Zach Stoel and Seth Lappinga
March 6, 2024
History of Wrestling:
Hamilton wrestling has been known as a very dominant program in the last few years but it definitely didn’t start that way. Way back in 1969 Hamilton’s was looking to start a wrestling program but didn’t know any of the rules or who to have coached. Then Bob Stoel took the job because no one else wanted to do it and it seemed like a challenge.When the program first started Bob started reading textbooks about wrestling and the rules that follow because he had no prior knowledge of the sport.While he was learning about the sport he also had to teach the players the techniques and rules of wrestling as well.
The first state champion in wrestling was Gregg Stoel in 1980. He was also Bob’s son, so this was special as his son won the first state championship. This is only 10 years after they just started the team and were learning the rules and technique. Just the next year he won his second state championship going down in weight to 197, but still winning. This was the first back to back championship along with 2nd championship Hamilton had ever won.
The 2000s were a success for the Hawkeyes.As they continue to build up their program having individuals making a name for themselves along with the team making huge strides in team placement showing that Hamilton is a legit wrestling school. During these times this was the start of Gregg Stoel’s coaching career. Which was only the beginning of a long successful run as a coach.
In the 2023 the team was great and the players all played well but there was one player on the team who just out performed everyone he faced during this season. Malachi Kapenga dominated his sophomore season. He said “I think my season went very well last year, there were some low points and tough losses that I was able to come back from.” This showed Malachi’s ability to overcome adversity and perform his best ability when it mattered most. This has been his best season so far with him taking 1st in the Ok blue conference tournament, 2nd in a tough district, 3rd in the rational tournament and an amazing performance at the state tournament in Detroit winning it all in the 113 weight class.
Hamilton has not always been the most dominant team ever and not even in their district. One team that was very dominant was the 2023-2024 team that won their conference championship that ended a 11 drought. This team then went on to win the district championship the next week. They had 7 individuals from the team qualify for the individual regional championship and they were Malachi Kapenga, Jacob Chase, Remington Foster, Shane Dams, Bryce Morrison, Trace Lopez, and Tyler Block. This team was one of the best of all time. Their record was 27-2 this isn’t the best record for the Hawkeyes all time but it is close. All of these players had an excellent season with 4 of them qualifying for the final state tournament at Ford Field in Detroit. During the time at the state championship the 4 wrestlers had a solid performance with Bryce Morrison doing the best in the bracket taking 5th place. Malachi Kapenga also made the podium with a very tough bracket that he had to face. This team will always be known as a scary good team and they proved that on the mats.
Hamilton wrestling has come a long way over all of these years. From reading books to learn how to wrestle to having a brilliant program performing at the top level against top competition. Having multiple state champions, Coach Gregg Stoel achieved over 600 wins and many players reached the 100 win mark in their high school career. This program is going to continue to succeed at the top for years to come.