Showcase Q&A: West Hancock’s Siegfried discusses fishing, trips to Canada and future in education
The fourth annual Muddy River Showcase takes place June 21 at John Wood
Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game will tip at 2 p.m.
with the boys game to follow at 4 p.m. General admission is $10.
HAMILTON, Ill. — Lewis Siegfried and Gavin Grothaus’ fishing trips won’t have to stop now.
This fall, the two West Hancock guards are headed to Carl Sandburg College, where they will be roommates.
“I’ll have a friendly face,” Siegfried said. “That will make it easier. That will be really fun. I’m excited for that.”
Siegfried said he and Grothaus are like two peas in a pod.
“We do everything together,” Siegfried said. “We both fish and hunt. We both love sports. Like this summer, for example, we fish all the time. We’ll have to find some ponds to fish at while we’re there.”
Whether they are fishing for bass, crappie, bluegill, catfish, or even walleye or pike, there is always some friendly competition.
“I have to (say I’m the better fisherman),” Siegfried said. “He’d probably say himself and tell you about all the fish he’s caught. It’ll be a story.”
Siegfried and Grothaus will have more stories to tell after they represent West Hancock for the Illinois boys team during the Muddy River Showcase.
“I’m looking forward to it because I’ve watched it in previous years and some of my past teammates have played in it,” Siegfried said. “I’m excited to play in it against the Missouri players because I also played with some kids on the Missouri team.”
Siegfried chatted with Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey about his annual trip to Canada, his future as a school administrator and more in this Showcase Q&A.
Q: Who are some players on the Missouri team that you’ve played with?
A: I played with Preston Brewer on Harrison Parker on my travel ball team this previous summer. Two summers ago, I played with Joey Lagemann on Crossover Hoops, and Mason Smith, I played with him, too.
Q: What was your senior season like?
A: It was a fun senior season. It didn’t end the way we wanted it to. We would have liked to have won a few more games, but it was still fun. We won a lot of games. We won some tournaments. It was a good season. It just didn’t end how a lot of people expected or wanted it to.
Q: Who has caught the biggest fish between you and Gavin?
A: Well, when it comes to walleye — we each get to go to Canada each year to fish for walleye and pike — he’s caught the bigger walleye, but I don’t know about bass, crappie and blue gill.
Q: When do you take that trip to Canada?
A: This year, I’m going at the end of June, like after the all-star game. In previous years, I’ve gone during the dead week in August when there are no sports or anything because I’m usually at travel ball or something so I don’t have time then. But this year, we have time in the middle of the summer, so we’ll get to go sooner this year.
Q: When did this tradition start?
A: Whenever I started dating my girlfriend. Her family owns a cabin in Canada, so we get to go up there and stay for a week or so. It’s nice.
Q: How many times have you been up there?
A: This is number four, I believe.
Q: What part of Canada?
A: It’s on Rainy Lake. That’s the lake we fish on.
Q: Do you think you might surpass Gavin this year when it comes to bigger walleye?
A: Maybe becuase we’re going up when it’s a little bit better fishing this year. It will make it a little easier. I don’t know, but I hope I can get at least the same size as the one he’s got.
Q: Who does Gavin go to Canada with?
A: He goes with a couple other kids who are involved with the cabin, like Brayden Hurt, who was on our team this year, he and his brother Nolan Hurt go. They actually just got back.
Q: Have you heard any stories from that trip yet?
A: Not yet, but I’m sure I’ll hear some, that’s for sure.
Q: What’s the dynamic between you and Gavin on the court?
A: We do a lot of the same things. We make the right reads and we know what to do with each other on the court. It makes it a little easier, like with ball-handling, for example. I don’t have the stress of bringing the ball up all the time because I have him to help me with that, even scoring or anything like that because we can do the same things.
Q: What was your favorite class in high school?
A: P.E. is always fun. I’d rather do that than sit in class. Other than that, I took a wildlife management class my sophomore and junior year. It was fun to learn about more stuff like that that I didn’t know. P.E. would probably be my number one, though, because I can move around and don’t have to sit at a desk.
Q: Do you know what you’re studying in college?
A: I’m going to do physical education, but I’m going to work to get my master’s in teaching so eventually I can be a principal or superintendent someday.
Q: What made you want to be a principal or superintendent?
A: I have an uncle who’s a superintendent. That’s something I’ve always felt like is something for me. I know some people who are principals, too, and I talk to them about it a lot. It seems like something that fits my interests.
Q: Would you be a fun principal? Strict principal? A little bit of both?
A: I’d probably be a fun principal. I think people would like me. Well, I hope people would like me.
Q: What are you nervous and excited about when it comes to college?
A: Nervous, I would say just going out and being on my own and just moving away, even though I’m only going to be like an hour away. It’s still the fact that it’s just going to be me and Gavin on our own. That’s probably the most nervous part, but I’m also excited to get away for a little bit just to see what it’s like to be on my own.
Check out more of the Muddy River Showcase Q&As at the links below:
Payson Seymour’s Blake Schwartz
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