MORGANTOWN — Behind every great team is a great leader. Ironically, that leader is hardly ever physically behind their team. That leader is in front, helping others reach their goals and setting a positive example and is the cornerstone to which the team’s success is built around.
For Nate Tallman and his Morgantown High golf team, Jack Wiedebusch is that guy for the 2018 season and beyond. The junior comes into this fall as the Mohigans’ top golfer and will be looked upon to help his team get back to the state tournament. And after talking with his head coach, Tallman knows that Wiedebusch has been preparing for this moment early in his career.
“Jack lettered as a freshman, he played in every match during his sophomore season and now he’s our number one golfer statistically,” Tallman said. “He has improved, on average, by 12 strokes in two short years. His progression didn’t happen by accident.”
And if you think that being thrust into the limelight is something Wiedebusch would shy away from, that could be your first mistake in underestimating him.
“I like being the number one,” he said. “I think it’s really fun and you get to see some good golf. Some of my friends I’ve met over my high school career are the ones which make it fun, so I embrace it.”
Tallman recognized that Wiedebusch’s work ethic mixed with his passion for golf is what has propelled the young man to the top and the Mohigan’s linksman attributed that to family, especially his father.
“I used to watch my dad play all the time when I was little and he was really good,” Wiedebusch said. “I want to be as good as him when I’m older. I’ve been working really hard and my family has been supporting me ever since I started.”
Wiedebusch went on to say that his coach’s assurance in his abilities allows him to succeed, saying that Tallman “tells me just to play my game and to just go out and have fun. He has confidence in me and I try to play my best.”
Another aspect of a great leader is a person’s attitude off the playing surface as well as on and Tallman says that’s the kind of player you get excited to coach.
“Jack is a fan favorite among the Morgantown High faculty,” he said. “His parents raised him to be an ultra-polite young man with an abundance of humility. He’s always willing to lend a hand and has texted me on more than one occasion about helping the younger players in practice. You look forward to coming to work when you get to be around people like Jack.”
Along with work ethic, passion and a great attitude, Wiedebusch also possesses a great pride in what he does and who he represents – himself, his coach, teammates, school, family and community. And there may be no greater feeling than to represent those people in a winning effort over a rival. And outside the state tournament, the Mohawk Cup, the coveted trophy for defeating rival University High, is something that means a great deal to Wiedebusch.
“We have been looking forward for the Mohawk Cup for a long time,” he said of his team’s recent success after an 8-year skid. “It’s always a close match and it’s my favorite event of the year. It would mean a lot of we can go back-to-back this year.”
