Dave Williams to officially start 2nd tenure as Charles City wrestling coach

To The Press
CHARLES CITY — After a rewarding season rebuilding the Charles City Wrestling program, the interim coach title is being removed, and a familiar name will take over head coaching duties for Charles City wrestling.

Dave Williams, a 30-year coaching veteran, will be named the Charles City High School head wrestling coach pending board approval by the Charles City Community School District Board of Education.

Mr. Williams is a math teacher with the Charles City High School. He was hired in this role in 1995.

Williams returns to the Charles City head wrestling coach role after 19 years of accomplishments in the program. He formerly coached wrestling in Charles City from 1996 – 2014. During his first tenure as a wrestling coach, William’s leadership helped Charles City Comets qualify five times for the state dual-championship. In 1999 the team he coached placed third in the Iowa High School Athletic Association State Wrestling tournament.

Before coaching in Charles City, Williams coached in Fort Madison, Lewis Central High School in Council Bluffs, and coached Team Iowa Greco for ten years through Iowa/USA Wrestling.

“Coaching this year’s Comet wrestlers was very gratifying. I enjoyed working with the coaching staff, our dedicated students, and our passionate Comet fans,” says Williams during the team meeting held Friday afternoon. “I believe when all of us work together, we bring pride to our school, our community, and ourselves. There is immense pride in this community and Iowa for wrestling, and when we all work together, we can accomplish some amazing feats. This is one of our goals – to get everybody to work together to build the program. I’m thrilled to continue in the head wrestling program and build upon the foundation we established this year.”

The continuity established this year in the program will carry forward as the existing coaching staff looks to return. Assistant coaches are Rob Pittman and Les Staudt. Middle school coaches are Tyler Mitchell and Corey Schmidt. Kids club coaches are Dennis Sonberg and Cody Blunt. Volunteer coaches Dario Gamino, Luke Johnson, and Jordan Smith who help at all levels, complete the leadership for wrestling athletes.

“I am confident in the direction the Charles City wrestling program is going after this year,” says Director of Activities Todd Forsyth. “The growth, dedication, and synergy this year’s wrestling team demonstrated was a great step forward for the program. Our students, parents, and the community who are passionate about wrestling have much to look forward to in the upcoming years under Dave’s and this coaching team’s leadership.”

Williams graduated from Charles City High School and the University of Northern Iowa. He is married to his wife Ginger Williams, Marketing and Tourism Coordinator with the Charles City Area Chamber of Commerce. They have two children, Emma, Class of 2018 studying abroad in Prague, Czech Republic, and Cade, who is a junior at Charles City High School.