Kimball Area Wrestling
By Brian Jerzak
When Kimball Area Cubs' wrestling coach David Joseph was a senior wrestling for the Cubs, he helped the team get a section title. It was the program's first section title in years and started a string of some of the best years in Cubs' wrestling history. The future head coach had no idea how his time as a wrestler in the program would affect a second run of success – and the school's first state title ten years later.
"I got involved in wrestling at an early age," Joseph said. "My dad was a wrestler and wrestling kind of runs in the blood. My first practice was a Hi-Flyers practice – it was trial by fire. I was about five years old at the time. I think Brandon Paulson was running the practice, and I don't think I had run so many sprints in my life. I have been addicted ever since."
Joseph was a three-sport athlete for the Cubs, but wrestling had a certain appeal.
"You get to control a lot of the variables," Joseph explained. "I played football and baseball, and there is a lot more chance in other sports. In wrestling, you get out of it what you put into it. The harder I worked, the more success I had; I think that connected me to the sport."
Joseph was a one-time state entrant – taking fifth as a senior.