Huskies pick new wrestling coach

The Owatonna High School activities department has selected Derek Johnson as the new head wrestling coach pending school board approval.
“We are very pleased and excited to have Derek joining our coaching staff at Owatonna High School,” said Owatonna Activities Director Marc Achterkirch. “Coach Johnson brings a tremendous amount of wrestling knowledge and experience to the position. Coach Johnson will be an excellent leader and role model to help develop great students on and off the mat.”
Johnson is no stranger to Owatonna wrestling as the Owatonna High School alum was a four-time state participant, two-time state champion, and All-American Honorable Mention for the Huskies during his senior year. He’s also a member of the Owatonna High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
Johnson has coached in the Owatonna youth program for six years and was a high school assistant in 2014. Prior to his coaching career, Coach Johnson competed for one season on the University of Wisconsin-Madison wrestling team.
While attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Johnson earned his bachelor of arts degree. He currently serves as a mortgage banker and marketing strategist with Roundbank.
Prior to Johnson becoming head coach, Adam Woitalla served as head wrestling coach for five years, including his first year when he was co-head coach with Scott Seykora. Under his leadership, the Huskies won fourth place at the state team tournament in 2020 and have sent multiple individual wrestlers to the state tournament each of the past two seasons.