Now a Panther, Wagner having ‘a blast’ back coaching basketball


            Mark Wagner, a Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau graduate and boys basketball coach for 17 years, has led West Salem to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Tournament in his first year with the school.            (Times photograph by Benjamin Pierce)

Shortly after accepting a job as West Salem High School’s boys basketball coach last summer, Mark Wagner logged into the team video account to scout his new team.

Minutes in he was giddy with excitement over the potential of his new program, and the first day of practice just a few weeks later only proved to accelerate what he thought of the team.

“The first practice during the summer when we got together, I just saw the chemistry the kids had with each other and really just how coachable they were. They were like sponges, and I really felt like they really wanted to be a good basketball team.”

After 17 years coaching against the Panthers as the head coach of the Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau program, Wagner helped West Salem clinch its first berth to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Tournament in program history with a 63-48 win over No. 3 Baldwin/Woodville in a sectional final Saturday in Arcadia. The Panthers earned the top seed in the state bracket.

Wagner coached at G-E-T for nearly two decades before stepping down after the 2017-18 season to be able to watch his children play college basketball. He compiled a 252-102 record at G-E-T with two state tournament appearances, including a second-place finish in 2012 when the Red Hawks lost to Brillion 40-35 in the state title game. On Thursday, his West Salem team will play Brillion. 

Wagner is in his first year of retirement after 20 years of teaching physical education in G-E-T schools. His ties to the area remain as he still lives between the G-E-T middle and high schools, and his wife still teaches in the district.

Wagner said he has enjoyed his return to coaching.

“I had the itch to coach again, and I was kind of torn between having to miss some of their games with the time demands of coaching,” Wagner said of his children. “But when I talked to them they were really excited to see me give it a go. So that was the deciding factor to get back in.”

Wagner was intrigued by the West Salem opening because it was the perfect combination of being in the Coulee Conference, within driving distance and in a strong program.

He said some of his former players–and his kids–occasionally give him a hard time for being a Panther now. But they’ve also been quick to support him and are happy to see him back on a court, even if it’s for a rival school.

“They seem to understand. I think maybe Lexi, my daughter. ... probably had the biggest rivalry with West Salem, and it took her a while to warm up to the idea. But she’s happy to watch West Salem games now,” he said.

Wagner had some initial concern over how his new players would accept him being that he was coming from a rival program, but he said they clicked right from the start. 

“The kids made it very easy to put on West Salem pants or a shirt and to wear black. I can’t wear orange yet,” he joked, “but once you’re among the kids, you realize kids are kids wherever they’re at. Great kids are great kids–and these are great kids–so they made it really easy to kind of switch sides of the rivalry.”

The seamless transition has shown on the court, too, as the Panthers closed the regular season ranked as the top team in the state with a 22-1 record and a Coulee Conference championship.

There’s still the occasional jab from his new team, though, for the G-E-T product.

“Last Saturday we won a regional championship, and they were quick to mention that the last two regional championships West Salem has won, I’ve been at both of them because they upset us in 2015,” Wagner said.

Taking a few years off refueled Wagner, who gave all of the credit for this year’s run to his players. 

As he prepared for Saturday’s chance at a bid to the state tournament, it was obvious that West Salem’s coach believes in his group and their potential to keep a standout season going. From the first practice to now, he said success has come as a result of a deep, talented team working hard every day.

“Our goals quickly were to get to that state tournament and to win a state championship. You hate to set your sights that high because anything less can kind of seem disappointing,” Wagner said. “But this group does have the potential, and they have a chance to beat any team they play.”

Wagner said he has enjoyed the ride so far.

“I’ve just had a blast this year, and it’s been nothing short of a great experience. So hopefully we keep this run going for a couple more weeks and enjoy the rest of the season.”

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