This June , Brock Henderson carried a specific goal with him when he returned to the 10-Day J Robinson Iowa Intensive Camp . A native Iowan , Henderson is an incoming senior at North Linn High School in Coggon , a dot-on-the-map farming community of 659 people in East Central Iowa . He trained with us in 2015 , leaving with an I DID IT shirt but without the prize he really wanted — the Black Hat . That summer , he was edged out by Cael Carlson , a 113-pounder and Minnesota State Tournament runner-up from Willmar , Minnesota . One year later , he set foot on the wrestling mat at Waldorf University with a more powerful build , another year of experience , and an Iowa state championship on his wrestling resume .
When I met Brock Henderson on a hot summer afternoon in Forest City , Iowa , he had just finished a hard practice on the fourth day of the Iowa Camp , having been awarded one of the two “ positives ” for the session — a points reward given to the wrestlers who exert the most effort during hard practices and morning workouts — his fourth in as many days . A quiet-natured redhead from rural Iowa , Henderson responds with a succinct , “ Ag ,” when I ask him about his favorite subject in school . Having grown up only in cities , I feel the need to confirm with him that there are indeed entire high school courses devoted to agriculture . “ Oh yeah , of course ,” he
With little physically to distinguish him from the crowd , Henderson ’ s competitive drive and fierceness on the mat belies his soft demeanor off of it . It wouldn ’ t come as a shock to find out that an opponent underestimated him — even with the knowledge that his # 1 ranking in the state of Iowa came at the expense of wrestlers who had made the same mistake — content to put up an indolent fight against the wolf in sheep ’ s clothing that stood on the line opposite . Don ’ t mistake that for a suggestion that Henderson wins simply because opponents may underestimate him — he wins because he dominates his opponents both physically and mentally . He wrestles like an ambush predator , lazily bobbing and weaving his head in stance and motion , waiting patiently until the moment is right to explode towards his spellbound opponent ’ s legs . And once the decision has been made to go on the offensive , a strategy that initially depended on patience turns into a devastating salvo of sequential attacks designed to score as many points as possible . Henderson barely hides his disdain for low-scoring matches . “ My mindset isn ’ t just winning ,” he explained . “ I want to score as many points as I can , and then the winning will take care of itself .” “ Plus , it ’ s always fun to score a lot of points for the fans ,” he adds with a smirk . It doesn ’ t take long after walking into the Waldorf wrestling
IT WOULDN ’ T COME AS A SHOCK TO FIND OUT THAT AN OPPONENT UNDERESTIMATED HIM , EVEN WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT HIS # 1 RANKING IN THE STATE OF IOWA CAME AT THE EXPENSE OF WRESTLERS WHO HAD MADE THE SAME MISTAKE .
says , with a hint of joy in his voice , shocked that I had not been aware of the concept . Brock proudly informs me that he showed the Junior Champion holstein cow at last year ’ s Iowa State Fair , educating me about what factors are used to judge dairy cows — turns out there are a lot , all revolving , unsurprisingly , around milk — including his winner “ Mindy .” Fittingly , Henderson will be the President of FFA during this school year , leading
2016 Iowa Intensive Camp Black Hat winners , from left to right : Laine Frazee ( Fountain Central HS , Hillsboro , IN ; Jake Baldwin ( Coleman HS , Lena , WI ); and Brock Henderson ( North Linn HS , Coggon IA ). the school club at competitions such as dairy cow judging , meats judging , and soil judging . room to figure out that Henderson is the best wrestler in the room . His quickness is unmistakable , reversing his opponents from bottom position with lightning-quick ease , and dropping them to their backs with repeated takedowns that overpower even those who know exactly what ’ s coming . Find a random passer-by with no wrestling experience to come in to watch practice , and he or she would quickly conclude the same . That ’ s the norm for elite athletes — they stand out in any environment they ’ re put in , from after school practices to summer camps to the pressure-packed spotlight of the state tournament . Henderson ’ s innate instinct , physical gifts , and years of dedicated training are on full display each time he sets foot on the mat , overwhelming all but the most talented foes he faces . Today , Henderson has been wrestling mostly with Sammy Dietz , a state qualifier from Illinois and an out-
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