End of an era; Lippelmann retires as Scott City’s head wrestling coach
Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–In February, the Scott City wrestling team won their fifth state championship in program history at Gross Memorial Coliseum. Coach Jon Lippelmann just concluded his 33th season as the head coach, and the 38th year in the program. As a high school wrestler, Lippelmann closed out his high school wrestling career in that same building by placing second at the Grand State Wrestling Tournament in the unlimited weight class as an Oberlin Red Devil. That’s where the coincidences collide. At Monday night’s USD 466 Board of Education Meeting, the resignation/retirement for Lippelmann was approved.
Lippelmann came to Scott City in 1979 and was an assistant from 1980 to 1985, where he took over as the head coach. From there, the program flourished and has been a consistent power in the Class 3-2-1A/Class 4A ranks. Under his direction, the Beavers were finished in the top five 14 times, with 1 third place finish (1989), and two runner-up finishes (1993, 2001). They were five-time state champions, winning the Class 4A State Title in 1990, 1994 and 2004, before winning Class 3-2-1A in 2012 and 2018. His teams won the MSAA title in 12 of the 14 years that Scott City was in the league, five times they won the NWKL title, and won the GWAC in 2018.
In his coaching career, Lippelmann was selected the Class 4A Assistant Coach of the year in 1983, three-time Class 4A Coach of the year (1990, 1994, 2004), two-time Class 3-2-1A Coach of the year (2008, 2018), Class 3-2-1A State Tournament Coach of the Year in 2018. His dual record finished out at 325-151-4. Early in his career, there were more duals than individual tournaments. Lippelmann had 237 state qualifiers, 113 state medalists, and 24 individual state champions, four multiple state champions and one three-time state champion under his direction, and one four-time state placer.
With those stats over a 34-year career, Lippelmann, who is one of many in the great Buzz Matson coaching tree from Oberlin, is a sure hall of famer and legend in Kansas high school wrestling. Where does the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association post all of their Hall of Fame members? Inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
Jon Lippelmann
