Badger/Greenbush-Middle River

Isaac Novacek and Badger/Greenbush-Middle River Wrestling

By Brian Jerzak

Sometimes coaches come into a program, and for whatever reason, they just don't fit. Be it personality, different technique, or familiarity with the people in the area, things sometimes don't work out. Then there are other times when a coach and a program seem meant to be. That is the case with Badger/Greenbush-Middle River's wrestling program and head coach Isaac Novacek. It was a pairing, years in the making.

"My dad is an assistant wrestling coach in Greenbush," Novacek said. "He is from a wrestling family from around Greenbush. My mom grew up in Mahnomen, and she grew up in a wrestling family too. I have been going with my dad to wrestling practice since I could walk."

It didn't take long for the younger Novacek to make his mark on the Gators' program.

"I don't think I was that good my first year. The older I got, the more I bought into it. I won a youth title in 4th grade, 6th grade, and 8th grade. When I transitioned to high school, I took sixth (at State) as a freshman, won a state title my sophomore year, and got third my junior year. I made it to State as a senior but didn’t place."