Turnaround season for local wrestler

CNA photo by LARRY PETERSON Medal march: Clarinda Academy wrestler Isaac Adamson meets with coaches P.J. Hedrington (left) and Matt Darrah during a break in a state tournament match. Adamson placed fifth at 140 pounds in Class 1A, tying teammate Ivan Rodriguez for the best state finish in school history.

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Receiving a fifth-place award on the medal stand in front of a capacity crowd at Wells Fargo Arena and a statewide television audience two weeks ago was a far cry from where Isaac Adamson stood nine months earlier. Brushes with the law and repeated probation violations had landed the Creston High School student in a court-ordered residency at Clarinda Academy. The school, established in 1992, is a residential foster care facility providing treatment and shelter care to at-risk and delinquent male and female youths from several states. Such court-ordered youth placements are state-funded. Failure to comply with terms of probation after a criminal mischief charge in Creston, and habitual absence from school, were factors in Adamson’s assignment to Clarinda Academy. Adamson’s academic turnaround and success as a wrestler for the Eagles was not his immediate mindset last June. “When you’re first told you’re going there, you don’t want to comply with the program,” Adamson said Tuesday afternoon, during his second day of school in returning to Creston from the Clarinda facility. “You just want to do your time, and get out.” Coming around But, within the first week, he had begun accepting the academy’s strict approach in challenging students to make positive changes. “I realized if I just sit here, I’m just going to go back and do the same things,” Adamson said. “I guess I just had enough motivation to start making changes for myself and for my family.” Isaac’s own brother had attended the academy, but hadn’t made changes as swiftly and fell into more trouble. Isaac wanted to take a better path, and got encouragement from wrestling coach Matt Darrah, who was familiar with the family. “The first day I was there, coach Darrah came and talked to me,” said Isaac, son of Keith Adamson of Creston and Johanna Turner of Minnesota. “He knew my brother was there before. We talked about wrestling. I saw it as a chance to get off campus and do some good things.” The previous year, as a freshman at Creston, Adamson was a promising 119-pounder for a Creston/O-M team that ended up second in the state. But he faded away from wrestling as his school attendance became more erratic. He finished the year in an alternative school setting, but still needed summer courses at Clarinda Academy to get back on track to return as a sophomore this week. “I was into a lot of negative stuff, using alcohol and drugs and stuff,” Adamson said. “When I first got there, they asked me to go to a wrestling camp in Clarinda. I decided right then I would try to do my best to make it to state if I ended up staying there.” Familiar face Cody Nordstrom of Creston had already been assigned to the academy when Adamson arrived. Nordstrom was a dorm exec (student leader) in the Jackson Dorm where Adamson was placed. It turned out to be a good break. “He was one of my best friends,” Adamson said. “In fact, we had gotten in trouble together. When I got there he had been there four months, and he was doing good. He helped me a lot.” Nordstrom was a standout defensive lineman and Adamson was a defensive back on Clarinda Academy’s best ever football team (4-5), until an injury curtailed Adamson’s season. Nordstrom was released in time to finish his football season with Creston/O-M. P.J. Hedrington, a teacher at the academy and assistant football and wrestling coach, was impressed with Adamson’s attitude. “He was a very respectful young man,” Hedrington said. “I had wrestled in high school and college in California, but I also had a tough home life. Our bond started to grow. I gave him a hard time about the ‘Creston roll,’ the cheap tilt they use to get (nearfall) points. I teased him about not being coachable, because that was the knock on him. “I found out he is really, really coachable and wants to learn and listen. He was amazing in the wrestling room. He wanted to better himself.” Two medalists Adamson and teammate Ivan Rodriguez of Marshalltown each placed fifth at the state tournament, the best finish in Clarinda Academy history. Rodriguez was 41-6 at 112 pounds, and Adamson set a school victory record at 44-6. “My first match of the season I wrestled the seventh-ranked kid in the state and he beat me by a stalling point,” Adamson said. “I wasn’t in very good condition then.” Adamson went on to win 23 straight matches before losing to the nation’s fourth-ranked wrestler in a meet at Omaha Burke. At the Big Red Invitational in Centerville, Adamson beat Winterset state qualifier Brady Betcher, 5-2, before getting pinned in the semifinals by Seth Noble of Columbus Junction. Noble topped Bret Kautz of Creston/O-M in the 2008 state finals. Adamson then lost a 2-0 decision to Missouri state champ Colton Schmitz of Kirksville in the third-place match. “After Centerville, my goals were to beat the takedown record at Clarinda Academy, get most wins in a single season, and not get taken down until the state tournament,” Adamson said. “I achieved them all.” Adamson finished with an Eagle program best 89 takedowns. Adamson was a district champion, and at state started out with a 7-2 decision and a quarterfinal win by fall. “The first time I wrestled there it was ... wow ... an adrenaline rush,” Adamson said. “I had been there to watch, but it was nothing like wrestling there.” State runner-up Levi Peters of Twin River Valley pinned Adamson in the semifinals, and No. 1-ranked Chris LeClare of North Linn, who had been edged 10-9 by state champion Colton Wagner of Belle Plaine, pinned Adamson in the consolation semifinals. On Saturday, Adamson finished his season on a strong note by scoring an 11-2 major decision over Brad Cabrera of Northwest Webster for fifth place. Potential cited “As a wrestler his talent is unlimited,” Hedrington said. “He’s college-ready in his technique and work ethic. He just needs to work on some little things and his conditioning. As a student he was great. We gave those two guys study halls during state, and he did all the work he needed to get done. He earned the status of Eagle, by following the core norms we have on campus.” Hedrington and Adamson still communicate, just to make sure things are on track. “He is a kid who will probably be one of those success stories,” Hedrington said. “He wants to coach someday. I’ve been through what he’s been through. We’ll still talk to each other as he gets adjusted to school there. To make it, he will need a push every once in a while.” When they talk, Adamson and Hedrington share a favorite quotation: Through life we all make mistakes. But a winner capitalizes from his mistakes. It is important at Clarinda Academy that students stay busy and occupied. There is little idle time allowed in order to ensure maximum opportunities for growth and education, and minimum opportunity for boredom and wasted time. The following is a typical daily routine: 6-6:45 a.m. — Wake up, chores, hygiene. 6:45-7:45 a.m. — Breakfast. 7-9 a.m. — Chemical dependency groups. 7:55-8:55 a.m. — Group intervention/discussion. 9 a.m. - noon — Academics. Noon-1:15 p.m. — Lunch. 1:15-2:10 p.m. — Academics. 2:10-6:15 p.m. — Athletics/intramurals/study hall/chemical dependency continuing care groups. 5-6:15 p.m. — Supper (athletes eat 6:15-6:45 p.m.). 6:45-8 p.m. — Personal hygiene/study hall/primary one-on-one sessions. 8-9 p.m. — Life skills. 9-9:30 p.m. — Townhouse/snacks. 9:30-9:50 p.m. — Lights out/bedtime. —————— Larry Peterson can be reached at 782-2141, ext. 232 or lpeterson@crestonnews.com