Former Solon and Prairie head coach Blake Williams enters the Hall of Fame

DES MOINES — Good coaches. Good kids. Good people.

These key elements serve as the foundation for success in any sport.

Blake Williams has been blessed with all three as a competitor at Decorah and Wartburg, and a 400-plus win head coaching career at Solon and Cedar Rapids Prairie.

But when he got the call a few weeks ago informing him he’d be inducted into the Iowa High School Athletics Wrestling Hall of Fame Saturday at the state meet, it took him by surprise in the best possible way.

“A lot of people have come up already early in this tournament and congratulated me,” said Williams, who’s currently a volunteer assistant and middle school coach for the Spartans. “It’s nice hearing that from other coaches.”

Williams coached 124 state qualifiers, 71 medalists, eight state champions, and nine runners-up. He also led Solon to a traditional state championship in 2017, but none of that happens without a strong and connected team of coaches and competitors, along with a pride-filled town, behind him.

“(I’ve) just had a lot of good assistant — great, great assistant coaches, and a lot of great kids and families that always bought into what we were doing,” said Williams, who placed at state twice as a Viking and attained Division III All-American honors while wrestling for the Knights under Hall of Fame coach Jim Miller. “And the results kind of show (that). So I don’t think it was anything specific I did throughout the years. I just credit more of this to being around and surrounding myself with good people.”

There’s that three-pronged theme again. And while Williams’ head coaching days are over, going into the Hall of Fame in that capacity has turned into a full circle moment. That’s because Chet Bachman of MFL MarMac and Chris Krueger of Denver and Denver/Tripoli also joined the Hall of Fame on Saturday night.

They were contemporaries of Williams’ both as decorated high school wrestlers and celebrated head coaches.

“It makes you really just think back and (realize) this sport has kind of been my whole life,” he said. “My dad (Roger) was my high school coach at Decorah … It’s an honor, but it’s humbling.”

As is being honored the same season his son, Teague, a 165-pound senior for the Spartans, became a first-time state qualifier after multi-season battles with injuries.

“That’s icing on the cake,” Williams said. “For him to get down here and experience it, too, is much sweeter than any award or honor that I’m getting.”

Greiner grinds back to fourth

Washington’s seventh-seeded 138-pounder Caden Greiner lost his first and last matches at the Class 2A state meet.

But the five straight wins the tough-minded senior strung together in between those setbacks?

Gritty. Dominant. With a dose of revenge mixed in for good measure.

“I just stuck to the game plan,” said Greiner, who wrestled all the way back to place fourth and stand on the podium at the Casey’s Center for the first time in his high school career. “I did what my coaches told me to, and it worked out.”

As for that dose of revenge, Greiner beat the wrestler — Caiden Latch of Roland-Story — who beat him in his first state meet bout during his stirring run on the back side. And even though his last state tournament is over, he’s not done wrestling yet.

“(I know) I can keep building off that and do it in college,” he said.

Streaks continue

Don Bosco won its seventh straight Class 1A title and Southeast Polk won its third straight 3A crown. The Dons entered Saturday’s championship round with 191 points — 79.5 more than second-place Jesup. The Rams had totaled 207.5 points after the placing matches — 77 more than second-place West Des Moines Dowling.

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