We caught up with Iowa City West head football coach Garrett Hartwig and talked to him about his team and their off-season now!
How has the off-season been going for your team?
“It is good. We finished with three losses and all of them were good teams. The two in the regular season were to quarterfinal teams and the third was in the state championship. We didn’t play our best football all year but I think the junior class really embraced it and played a huge role in the playoffs. That has been a huge motivation. We started lifting two weeks after the season ended and the guys have been committed. We have had solid numbers in the weight room. We are working hard but that doesn’t guarantee you anything. All you can ask for is a chance to compete and that is the #1 goal. It has been fun. We have a roster of 87 sophomores through juniors and 45-50 of them are in track. We have twenty others who will be out playing baseball. I like the multi-sport athlete. It has been a good off-season but it comes down to how we prepare for the game on August 25th.”
Do you sense a change in the kids after the run to the title game?
“That is a good question. I don’t see a lot of change but the players have more confidence because of what they have done. As a head coach, you are always trying to make your program better. We want to do things the right way and I am always learning because things change. There is a level of commitment and hard work from these kids. It is just like any other quality program in the state. They understand how hard it is to get there and we made it last year. There won’t be a chance if we don’t put the work in. When you do things the right way, we have a chance and that is all you can ask for.”
What are the strengths of this group?
“Leadership is to be honest. A lot of coaches can point to team size, strength, or speed. In this senior class, they have won at every level they have played football starting in junior high. They are really good kids. I got eight seniors that all have ACTs at 30 or higher. They are smart and great leaders. Does that translate to running fast or hitting hard? No, but when you can combine that with hard work it helps. We have a solid group of seniors and leadership is our biggest strength.”
What are the biggest concerns about this team heading into the spring/summer?
“We lost a lot of talent, no doubt about that. The best thing about the team I have now is we don’t approach it that we got to replace players. 2016 is done. We look at what we have in 2017. We got a quarterback who played as at an all state level. We got eight returning starters coming back on defense. We have juniors who played up and down the offensive line. We got a gritty, tough group of athletes who will compete at a high level. I have to give the coaches credit. We are not worried about not having Devonate Lane or Oliver Martin. We know that we have great kids and we’ll work hard.”
What are the toughest tests early in the season?
“The first game is always scary. We have Southeast Polk at their place and they’ll be ready for us. That is incredibly tough to be them there. Our preseason is incredibly tough with Southeast Pol, Muscatine, at Cedar Falls, and our rivals from City High. All four of those teams last year could have been in the playoffs. Then after that we have the returning district champs from Prairie coming to our house. They are tough to defend and have a lot of momentum. After those five games, we could be 0-5.”
How has the off-season been going for your team?
“It is good. We finished with three losses and all of them were good teams. The two in the regular season were to quarterfinal teams and the third was in the state championship. We didn’t play our best football all year but I think the junior class really embraced it and played a huge role in the playoffs. That has been a huge motivation. We started lifting two weeks after the season ended and the guys have been committed. We have had solid numbers in the weight room. We are working hard but that doesn’t guarantee you anything. All you can ask for is a chance to compete and that is the #1 goal. It has been fun. We have a roster of 87 sophomores through juniors and 45-50 of them are in track. We have twenty others who will be out playing baseball. I like the multi-sport athlete. It has been a good off-season but it comes down to how we prepare for the game on August 25th.”
Do you sense a change in the kids after the run to the title game?
“That is a good question. I don’t see a lot of change but the players have more confidence because of what they have done. As a head coach, you are always trying to make your program better. We want to do things the right way and I am always learning because things change. There is a level of commitment and hard work from these kids. It is just like any other quality program in the state. They understand how hard it is to get there and we made it last year. There won’t be a chance if we don’t put the work in. When you do things the right way, we have a chance and that is all you can ask for.”
What are the strengths of this group?
“Leadership is to be honest. A lot of coaches can point to team size, strength, or speed. In this senior class, they have won at every level they have played football starting in junior high. They are really good kids. I got eight seniors that all have ACTs at 30 or higher. They are smart and great leaders. Does that translate to running fast or hitting hard? No, but when you can combine that with hard work it helps. We have a solid group of seniors and leadership is our biggest strength.”
What are the biggest concerns about this team heading into the spring/summer?
“We lost a lot of talent, no doubt about that. The best thing about the team I have now is we don’t approach it that we got to replace players. 2016 is done. We look at what we have in 2017. We got a quarterback who played as at an all state level. We got eight returning starters coming back on defense. We have juniors who played up and down the offensive line. We got a gritty, tough group of athletes who will compete at a high level. I have to give the coaches credit. We are not worried about not having Devonate Lane or Oliver Martin. We know that we have great kids and we’ll work hard.”
What are the toughest tests early in the season?
“The first game is always scary. We have Southeast Polk at their place and they’ll be ready for us. That is incredibly tough to be them there. Our preseason is incredibly tough with Southeast Pol, Muscatine, at Cedar Falls, and our rivals from City High. All four of those teams last year could have been in the playoffs. Then after that we have the returning district champs from Prairie coming to our house. They are tough to defend and have a lot of momentum. After those five games, we could be 0-5.”
