ST. PAUL — Wrestling with the correct mentality allows Caledonia/Houston sophomore Cole Allen to succeed, and his decision to accept that is one reason he gets to compete for an MSHSL championship on Saturday.
Allen (32-11) continued to mow down the competition at the Grand Casino Arena on Friday and will meet up with Holdingford senior Jaxon Bartkowicz (41-1) to determine which will be the Class A 215-pound state champion this season.
Allen turned in a strong performance in an 11-1 major decision over Frazee senior Tanner Moe (28-17) in a Friday semifinal to position himself for the title shot.
“Honestly, he’s been a lot more relaxed,” Caledonia/Houston coach Shay Mahoney said of Allen. “Having the right demeanor is something we talked about, and I think that has really helped him.”
Allen has put together this state run after being sick for the past couple of weeks. He pushed through at the 1A section meet and has taken advantage of the opportunity once it was secured.
“He was back there with a pillow and blanket, and we’d nudge him when he was in the hole,” Mahoney said of the section meet. “He was sick as a dog.”
Allen said he has also worked on top position and being dominant in it. He didn’t get a takedown against Moe until three seconds remained, but he managed to put Moe on his back twice for eight of his points.
“It’s been about being a hammer on top,” said Allen, who beat second-seeded Cael Fier of Minneota 4-3 in the quarterfinals. “We’ve been working a lot on that and staying composed.”
Allen won his first match by technical fall and hopes he is saving his best match for last. Bartkowicz is ranked first among Class A 215-pounders by The Guillotine, and Allen is fifth.
Eighth-grade teammate Kiplyn Meiners (30-14) also advanced to Friday’s semifinal round, but he lost his 107-pound match to Staples Motley freshman Garrett Bjerga (44-1).
Meiners is still alive in the consolation bracket and could place as high as third.
