Greene County wrestler McKinley Robbins broke the all-time school record for wins Saturday, Jan. 14 in Perry, securing his 148th career victory. He needed only 154 matches to secure the mark.  PHOTO BY ABBY DAVIS

Robbins breaks all-time Greene County wins record with 148th victory

By BRANDON HURLEY    
MANAGING EDITOR

News@beeherald.com

McKinley Robbins wins, it’s simple as that.

The Greene County wrestler broke the all-time career wins record last weekend, securing victories 148 and 149 at the Perry tournament, surpassing previous record-holder, the late Chase Flack, who won 147 matches during his career.  
Robbins emphatically staked his claim as the greatest wrestler in school history, securing a pin of sixth-ranked Carson Turnis of West Delaware (25-6) in the second period of their semifinal match in the 138 pound bracket Jan. 14.
Robbins followed up his record-setting victory with another pin, this time of Woodward-Granger’s Peyton Nixon (27-5) in the second period of the 138 pound championship match. The senior secured pins in all three of his matches over the weekend, improving to a perfect 33-0, which lifted his win total to 149 wins before two more wins a few days after that, leaving him at 151 victories. He’s now creeping up on 160 wins with several weeks left in the season.
Robbins, who is ranked No. 1 at 138 pounds in Class 2A, needed just 154 career matches to break the all-time mark. He easily surpassed the 150 wins mark, and could very well threaten to crack the 175 plateau before the year is said and done.

Living up to the hype has never been a problem for Robbins.

He’s only lost six matches in his entire career, including a magical sprint to the state finals as a freshman and highlighted by an undefeated run his sophomore year, which ended with a championship and Jefferson’s first individual boys’ state in more than 25 years. He continues to win, tallying a career-best 45 victories last winer en route to his second runner-up finish at state, getting better each step along the way. His unmatched success led to a commitment to Oregon State University to wrestle at the Division I level.

Greene County head coach Zach Beekman knew Robbins was destined for greatness the moment he entered the Rams’ wrestling room. The victories have piled up with relative ease.

“Based on our competition schedule, his commitment to the sport, and his work ethic it wasn’t a matter of if, but when he would break the record,” Beekman said.
Robbins has continued to wrestle the best, welcoming high profile matches whenever chance arises. All four of his losses last year came at the hands of eventual state champions, while both of Robbins’ losses as a freshman were to two-time state champion, Cam Phetxoumphone of Webster City. In fact, Robbins has only lost a total of four matches in the last two and a half years, winning 112 of 116 matches during that span. He’s tallied 10 state tournament victories in his career, never failing to reach the state final in all three of his appearances in Des Moines, doing so in three different weight classes.
All his success and achievements have been apart of the plan, from day one, Beekman said.

“McKinley has high expectations for himself, but understands the work it takes to get there and that is why his win percentage is so high,” the coach said.

Robbins now sits at the top of the Greene County record books as he continues his pursuit to become the only two-time state champion in the school’s history. He’s already the school’s only three-time state finalist.

Though, the man he Robbins surpassed was a legend in his own right.

WHO HELD THE OLD RECORD

The late Chase Flack, who graduated from Jefferson-Scranton High School in 2011, passed away at the age of 26 in 2019 during the DAM to DSM 12.4 race in June of that year. He was an adventure junkie, who excelled on the mat during his four year high school career in Jefferson. Flack placed third at state in back-to-back years as both a junior and senior, tallying a staggering 85 wins during that span.

The Rams dedicated the 2019-20 wrestling season in the late Flack’s honor, wearing warm up shirts adorned with the slogan “Chase’N Dreams” on the back, along with the number 147. Robbins was a member of that Greene County team as a freshman, eventually finishing second.

Beekman, at the time, said wrestling was a great way to honor a young man who lived to climb mountains and seek out the extreme.

“It’s a constant reminder that sometimes wrestling, even though the sport seems like a big deal, there are things that are bigger than that. We just try to keep things in perspective,” the coach said in an interview with the Jefferson Herald in 2020. “Sometimes we don’t want to be here. We don’t want to go out and have to battle six minutes in a tough match. But, you know, when you keep it in perspective, there are people that would give a lot to be in that same position.”

Flack conquered the summit of Kala Patthar, a 18,519 foot peak in the Great Himalayas mountain range in Nepal just a few months prior to his surprising death. He had planned to scale many more like it in the coming years.  
Flack lost just 18 times in his four year career, including a single loss during his senior campaign. Chase entered the 2011 state tournament undefeated with a 38-0 record and a No. 3 ranking at 119 pounds. He captured the school-record in wins during said state tournament, with a third round consolation win over Missouri Valley’s Walker Marshall, 8-7 in a nail-bitter. He won his first round match but was knocked from the winner’s bracket. Flack recovered to blitz his way through the consolation bracket, securing his second bronze medal with a 7-4 victory.

Robbins and Flack share many common characteristics, but perhaps the two that defined them best were their dedication to improve and their ability to win when the lights shine brightest.

“Chase Flack set the bar high at 147 wins and it has taken McKinley the majority of four seasons and year-round training to reach it,” Beekman said. “When you look at what he has done and continues to do to be successful; that is the example. Success doesn’t come easy and it takes time and commitment. There are sacrifices that have to be made in order to reach goals and milestones of that magnitude.”

Robbins has several other achievements within striking distance, including a fourth-straight Heart of Iowa Conference title as well as a fourth consecutive district championship in addition to a second state title. The HOIC
tournament is set for Friday in Perry while the 2A district tournament will be held Saturday, Feb. 11 in Webster City. The 2023 state tournament is set for Feb. 15-18 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

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