Battle of Waterloo will be a special event for West Delaware and Voss family

MANCHESTER – Jake Voss has experienced different vantage points of the West Delaware boys’ wrestling program.

First, he admired the varsity wrestlers and aspired to be one. Then, he became a four-year starter for the Hawks. Voss competed at Coe and became a coach at Benton Community, competing against his alma coached by his father, Jeff.

The opportunity to return to West Delaware as an assistant, alongside his father, was too much to refuse. Now, the reins of the program are in his hands, replacing Jeff, who stepped down after last season.

“I’d say there hasn’t been any pressure,” Jake said. “I’ve always been proud of the West Delaware wrestling community. Something you learn once you leave is that you are a part of something that’s way bigger than the wrestlers or the coaches.

“Dad was a great leader for the team and his marks are intertwined in everything that still goes on with the program. I’m proud to stand by the other coaches who also wrestled and now coach at (West Delaware) — they were my role models.”

The younger Voss will take his Class 2A top-ranked team into the Battle of Waterloo on Friday and Saturday at Young Arena in Waterloo. The three-day event starts with a 24-team girls’ tournament on Thursday and a 32-team field for the boys’ event, making it a marquee regular-season dual competition.

The Hawks are the No. 2 seed in Bracket D and face Clear Lake in the first round. Jeff Voss is one of five inductees with tournament and Wartburg connections, joining Water West grad and former Knights Coach Dick Walker, former Knight and Don Bosco Coach Tom Hogan, Pat Hogan, a former Union Community head coach and Wartburg assistant, and Nashua-Plainfield Coach Al Frost, also a former Knight assistant.

“Coach Dick Walker had a great influence on a lot of people at Wartburg,” Jeff said. “I was blessed to be one of them. I’m honored to be going into the Battle of Waterloo Hall of Fame associated with several great people with a connection to Coach Walker and Wartburg wrestling.”

The tournament honors the inductees by name the four brackets after them. Emotions could flow when Jake guides the Hawks in the bracket named after his dad – a mentor and friend over the years. He said he is proud of his dad’s achievements.

“The legacy he continues to build is really special,” Jake said. “I think he’s been a father figure to more people than just me and (younger brother and Coe 184-pounder) Jared, so I imagine there are a lot of people who are proud to see him recognized.

“His impact on wrestling will be timeless. There will be a lot of programs competing this weekend that in one way or another have been impacted by Coach Voss, and to be the program he led for so long is an honor.”

  Buy Photo

Wrestling is hard to purge from the bloodstream. Jeff, who retired from teaching, is a long-term substitute teacher at West Delaware. He was the Hawks head coach for 29 years, leading the program to four State Duals titles and three traditional state team crowns including state sweeps in 2019 and 2021. Eighty-two wrestlers won 98 state medals and 11 wrestlers combined for 13 individual state titles.

The elder Voss recently finished a season as the middle school coach and will remain involved as a varsity assistant. Jeff was able to pass the torch to a capable successor.

“West Delaware wrestling is in great hands,” Jeff said. “He is a great leader for the program and has surrounded himself with great people that care about the growth of the program.”

Jake cut his head coaching teeth at Benton. The schools are similar in size with hard-working multisport athletes. Jake learned the importance of surrounding himself with people that shared his vision and dedicated to accomplishing the mission.

Many good relationships were forged at Benton but the foundation for his coaching came from the tutor he studied the most.

“We coach very similarly,” Jake said. “The biggest thing I’ve learned from my dad is engaging the hearts and minds of kids – focusing on caring about each other and trying to make each other better. Find ways each and every day to try and be better than the day before, also knowing that our best is yet to come.”

The cupboard was full of experience and talent for Jake. West Delaware is powered by a large senior class and four ranked wrestlers in two-time state medalist and third-ranked 190-pounder Brent Yonkovic, No. 3 Liam Weber at 157, No. 4 Jax Miller (144) and No. 12 Jeryn Funke at 215.

The Hawks are 4-0, entering Thursday’s Wamac Conference triangular with No. 6 Mount Vernon and Marion. They have outscored opponents by a combined 285-21. West Delaware is also coming off a team title in the South Winneshiek Invitational on Friday at Luther College in Decorah. The Hawks crowned four champions and beat runner-up Denver by more than 40 points.

“Our team has 13 seniors, who have stuck together all four years of wrestling,” Jake said. “They’ve been a cornerstone for the culture of our program and the younger guys are starting to buy into it. Regardless of outcomes, this team puts their boots on and gets to work every day. The energy our guys bring to their teammates, JV and varsity, has been awesome. Needs to continue to happen.”

Alburnett, ranked No. 1 in 1A, is the top seed in the B Bracket. The Pirates join Bettendorf (Bracket A), Indianola (Bracket C) and Southeast Polk (Bracket D) as the top seeds. Alburnett opens with Cedar Falls and could face 3A No. 6 Ankeny or 2A No. 4 Independence in the Bracket finals.

Alburnett is one of the smallest schools in the field and could battle the state’s best and biggest programs.

“Our guys will get tested both individually and as a team,” Alburnett Coach Clayton Rush said. “Our goal this weekend is to be a top-3 team. We have a full understanding of who is there and who we are. That’s something we feel we can accomplish, and also know we’ll get tested along the way.”

Don Bosco, top-ranked in 1A, is the second seed to Bettendorf. Waverly-Shell Rock is the No. 2 seed with Indianola and No. 3 Linn-Mar. Iowa City High is the third seed in the Bracket A.

Teams will advance to round-robin pool competition based on bracket finish Friday. The bracket winners will wrestle in the championship pool Saturday evening.

“These competitions are few and far between,” Rush said. “It’s great for our guys to both find success, and also to compete against someone at a higher level. Fortunately, we have a group of kids who look forward to being tested.”

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com