School Spotlight: Van Meter High, ia

In this issue of School Spotlight, I interviewed head coach Eric Trudo of Van Meter High School in Van Meter, Iowa. Coach Trudo has been coaching at Van Meter for the past 25 years and head coach for the past 18. Before that, coach Rick Roberts, currently the schools Athletic Director and current Offensive Coordinator, started a winning tradition for the school. Before coach Roberts started in 1993/94, the school would squeak out three maybe four wins per season.

The Van Meter Bulldogs has developed into a power house program in Class 1A. They have not missed the playoffs since 2007. Since 2007, they have won two State Titles, been runner up three times, and two quarter finals appearances. Coach Trudo said, “It starts with the kids. Our kids are bought in to what we are doing here. We don’t have the biggest kids, the fastest kids, or the most talented kids. What we have here are hard working kids that want to succeed. Second, I have great coaches. Most of the coaches have been here the entire time I have been here, with a few minor changes. I cannot say enough about my coaches. They put in the work and develop our kids to be the best they can be. We do not have a lot of DI guys here, only three or so of my former players went off to play DI ball, while the rest go to either NAIA or DIII. Our kids here are multi-sport athletes, playing 3-5 sports. We know we do not have those three or four star players, so we focus on developing all 30 of our guys. We only have two or three guys that play both ways, so we are just gonna wear you out and beat you down both physically and mentally. Our kids both work hard and play hard.”

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