WESSINGTON SPRINGS — It’s not rare for football players to wrestle during the winter months. 

In fact, most offensive and defensive linemen use their wrestling backgrounds to gain leverage in the trenches. But quarterbacks on the wrestling mat, that’s another story and a rare combination. 

Enter Holden Havlik, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound quarterback for the Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central Blackhawks. He’s also an accomplished wrestler, finishing second at the Class B state wrestling tournament in the 215-pound weight class in February.  

Havlik admits it’s unique for a quarterback to also be a wrestler, but said it’s made him a tougher football player and especially when running the ball. 

“It’s definitely rare,” said Havlik, who also throws the javelin and runs sprints in track and field. “I embrace it. My dad (Brian) pushes me super hard and I’ve kind of built my work ethic around the wrestling room with coach (Kevin) Haider. They really push me hard and it’s transitioned to the field and I am grateful for it.”

Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central's Holden Havlik lines up in shotgun against Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan on Aug. 23 in Bridgewater. (Trey Kaul / 605 Sports)

On the football field, Havlik has evolved into a prolific passer for the Blackhawks in recent years. After starting his high school career at Kimball/White Lake, Havlik transferred to Wessington Springs and needed time to adjust from nine-man to 11-man football. 

“That two extra players, it’s a lot,” Havlik said. “It doesn’t seem like a lot. But I never really got into a whole lot of coverages and knowing where to go with the ball if a certain guy goes somewhere and it’s something I had to get used to. It was kind of tough the first year. But I have gotten used to it.”

Last season, he was an honorable mention all-state selection. During his junior campaign, the dual-threat QB completed 114-of-203 passes for 1,752 yards and 17 touchdowns, while rushing for 542 yards and nine more scores. 

Michael Schmitz, who was previously at Huron High School, took over the WWSSC program this season. Schmitz said Havlik’s physical tools immediately jumped out and said “he's got a cannon for an arm.”

In addition to Havlik’s physical tools, Schmitz was also impressed with Havlik’s demeanor, willingness to improve and “he’s got a lot of humility. You don't typically see that sometimes in some kids that have a lot of just raw talent.”

“He’s the first one in drills and he’s the last one to leave,” Schmitz added. “He wants to get better. He asks really good questions and he asks questions that are constructive to getting better as a football player and even better as a leader.”

Havlik’s drive to succeed continued this offseason, preparing for the new scheme with WWSSC assistant coach Eriq Swiftwater.  

“I have known Swiftwater for a couple of years now and he got the opportunity to be OC and we’ve done a lot of work in the offseason,” Havlik said. “He’s helped me with that transition and getting those concepts, getting through my reads and he’s been a really good help. I am really excited for this season with him.”

It translated into the season opener. The Class 11B No. 4 Blackhawks defeated perennial contender Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan, 28-13, on Aug. 23 and Havlik was sharp in the opener. 

He completed 23-of-40 passes for 294 yards, tossed four touchdowns and engineered an offense that racked up 426 total yards. 

“He did some really good things,” Schmitz said. “We have some things we have to work on. But he was able to kind of slow the game down I think in his head and do some really fun things.”