After the first four coaches helped build and sustain a historic program with eight Wisconsin Team State Championships, Carson Huppert is set to become the fifth head coach of Ellsworth wrestling.

With Mark Matzek stepping away from the position, Huppert had a discussion with his wife and knew it was what he wanted to do.

“It’s very important to me,” Huppert said. “I’m only the fifth one now and it’s one of the best, successful programs in the state, so it’s a huge honor.”

Huppert coached middle school wrestling in Hudson in 2005 before volunteering for Ellsworth’s varsity squad. Huppert went on to officially join the staff as a varsity assistant and eventually became a coach for the middle school team for three years.

“He knows the system, he knows a lot of alum that I think will help him as well,” Matzek said. “I think it’s a great choice.”

Now, Huppert has major shoes to fill. Ellsworth’s four coaches each found massive success at Ellsworth, and Huppert has had the chance to learn from them.

“I’ve watched and coached alongside Jack Radabaugh, Chad Steldt, who’s running a very successful program over in Fennimore now and recently Mark Matzek, who’s a two-time All-American in college and a National Champion college coach as well,” Huppert said. “Just putting everything I’ve learned from all of them together and just kind of twisting it and making it my own.”

Matzek said it is an exciting time for Huppert, and it is a big opportunity to coach the program.

“It’s just exciting for the next man up in the program that was started by Kirby Symes, continued on for quite a long time by Jack Radabaugh and Chad Steldt and myself,” Matzek said. “That’s exciting to see what can happen.”

Matzek said like himself, Huppert is a product of Radabaugh, a long-time Ellsworth wrestling coach that led the team to five state titles from 1976-2012. Radabaugh is Huppert’s father-in-law, which Huppert said gave him a lot of experience of what it takes to lead the program.

The historic coaches are not the only reason Huppert feels ready for the challenge, as he has also been a part of countless important duals and tournaments as an assistant at Ellsworth.

“All those matches and every one had their own twist to it,” Huppert said. “You’ve seen the dominant ones; you’ve seen the close ones.”

“He’s been in the biggest matches and the biggest duals,” Matzek said. “He was my head assistant. I had all the confidence in the world with him in cornering somebody.”

Huppert said he has learned that student-athletes respond differently to the high-stress matches, and it is important to know how to coach each wrestler differently.

The key to Huppert’s success, according to Matzek, will be to continue to build the youth programs and keep the students and parents involved all the way through high school. Huppert agreed on Matzek’s points, saying high participation rates are key in high school sports.

“One hundred percent agree. That’s step one for me,” Huppert said. “They are the future, and if you want to keep this thing rolling, you’ve got to put in a lot of time, you’ve got to have good coaches down there keeping kids interested, keeping the numbers up.”

Huppert is looking to bring more home duals to Ellsworth over the coming years.

As for Matzek, the decision to leave the position after a decade came due to the time commitment of coaching the team. Matzek wants to designate more time to his family as well as his position as administrator of St. Francis School.

“Missing so much of their lives, honestly,” Matzek said. “It’s hard, you know after a decade, and before that being involved with wrestling on such a deep level for my entire life.”

Matzek has coached youth wrestling in recent years, and said he is excited to continue to help out in the youth program.