This story is sponsored by Forward Bank
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – Marshfield High School wrestling coach Jackson Hein has resigned and will take over as the new Athletics and Activities Director at his alma mater, Wausau West High School, later this summer.
Hein, who was a physical education teacher as well as head varsity wrestling coach for the past four years, leaves the Tigers’ program after a pair of historic seasons.
Marshfield won the Wisconsin Valley Conference championship the past two seasons, going undefeated in dual meet action and taking first at the WVC and WIAA Division 1 regional tournaments in both 2017 and 2018. The WVC title in 2017 was the first for Marshfield since 1958.
This past season, the Tigers qualified for the WIAA State Team Wrestling Tournament for the first time since 2003 after winning the team sectional. Marshfield lost its D-1 quarterfinal at the UW Fieldhouse in Madison, 47-13, to Stoughton.
Hein said it was a difficult decision to not only leave the Marshfield wrestling program, but the community itself.
“Leadership has always been something I wanted to be better at,” said Hein, a 2009 graduate of Wausau West. “With teaching and coaching, through that journey, I have developed a passion for helping others. I will be able to impact a school and its culture through athletics and extra-curriculars.”
Hein said there are still a lot of staff members at Wausau West who helped him through his high school years and now it will be his time to give back to both the school and the Wausau community he called home during his youth.
Hein was a three-time WIAA state individual wrestling tournament qualifier, winning a state title in his senior year in 2009 with a 51-3 record. He went on to wrestle at the University of Wisconsin, graduating in 2014. Hein began teaching at Marshfield that fall and took the wrestling team to heights not seen in nearly six decades.
“What I’ll remember most are the people I did it with,” Hein said. “To work with and experience that with some of my best friends was great. The support I received, both as a phy-ed teacher and a coach, I will be grateful forever.
“I want to thank the Marshfield athletic department, and athletic director Nathan DeLany. He has been a huge support for me in my coaching career. The school district has been great and the Marshfield Youth Wrestling program was so helpful. With a project that started when I got there, we now have what I think is a top-five training facility in the state. A lot of time and effort was put in with the continued support of parents and staff.”
DeLany said Hein was not only an asset to Marshfield High School and its athletic department, but for the entire community.
“Coach Hein has been an integral part of our success not only in wrestling, but across all sports and with all students,” DeLany said. “In just four short years, he has made a positive impact on our wrestling program and physical education department that will long outlast his time in Marshfield. He became a leader and excellent teacher in our building, and is an excellent role model for students, coaches, and teachers alike.
“Jackson will be missed in Marshfield for many reasons, but it was the little things, the extra time, his values, and the determination that our programs could be the best that set him apart from many.”