Former Creston/O-M assistant Hemann enjoys trip back to area

CORNING —New Hampton wrestling coach Nick Hemann recalled what its like to be a part of a winning tournament team at the John J. Harris Invitational wrestling tournament when he was an assistant at Creston/Orient-Macksburg in the early and mid 2000s.

This time, he was doing it for the team he’s leading.

Hemann’s powerhouse New Hampton squad won the 62nd annual event last weekend.

The Class 2A top-ranked Chickasaws won with 263 points. Atlantic was second with 211 points. Creston/Orient-Macksburg was third with 207.5 points.

Hemann’s squad crowned five champions and had 13 of 14 wrestlers place.

New Hampton snapped Creston/Orient-Macksburg’s five-year run as champions at the John J. Harris Invitation.

“I was a part of some of those streaks when I was down here,” Hemann said.

Hemann expected a stiff test from his former team.

“We know what kind of program they have, know what kind of coach coach Frain is,” Hemann said.

What he learned under Frain has been a model for his own program in Northeast Iowa.

“A lot of what we do is what they do,” Hemann said. “We’ve adapted a little bit, but a lot of it is straight from coach Frain’s book.”

Some of the practices, drills that Creston/Orient-Macksburg does is what New Hampton does.

“The majority of what they do is when we went to those granby camps, learned the essence and art of drilling,” Hemann said. “We didn’t do a lot of live wrestling until after Thanksgiving, then it’s go time for the competition schedule. We definitely have the same philosophy. It’s worked for us. We do two-a-days, structure them like he used to. It’s the same thing.”

This year’s New Hampton team has depth up and down the lineup, similar to what Creston/Orient-Macksburg has had in previous years.

“What we’re looking for is team depth like what I had when I was here, like the powerhouse they had last year,” Hemann said. “They’ve won them (state titles) when they’ve had the horses individually. They definitely have those.”

For New Hampton, the four hour trip, complete with an overnight hotel stay, is similar to what they’ll have in a month when the state tournament rolls around at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

“It’s preparing us for Des Moines,” Hemann said.

The Chickasaws battled with both the Class 2A third-ranked Panthers, fourth-ranked Trojans and Class 1A second-ranked Missouri Valley for the team title.

Hemann expects a similar tussle between his team, Creston/Orient-Macksburg and Atlantic at Wells Fargo Arena.

“We’ll be battle with them in three weeks, probably at state duals, hopefully at the state tournament,” Hemann said.

The quality of wrestling made the long drive worthwhile for New Hampton.

“There’s good matches,” Hemann said. “People got their money’s worth.”

For Hemann, it was an opportunity to catch up with some former students he taught at the elementary school, such as Trevor Marlin and one of the cheerleaders as well as former fellow teachers.

While the trip is long from Chickasaw County — located 45 minutes north of Waterloo — it’s enjoyable for Hemann.

“I really enjoy it,” Hemann said. “I like to get back, meet up with friends, with coach Frain.

“It’s well worth it.”

Contact the writer: Twitter @ryankronberg. Email: rkronberg@crestonnews.com