About the Contributor
Avery Atkinson, Journalist
As a senior™ at Sartell High School, I have very few talents. But the ones I do have include reading not ONE of my College English books and constantly...
State Wrestling 2019: Cole Fibranz
The Sartell Sabres sent two wrestlers to compete in the state tournament at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN: seniors Jackson Penk, and Cole Fibranz.
March 11, 2019
Leading up to the State tournament senior Jackson Penk, was the projected fifth seed according to Trackwrestling.org. But unfortunately, things didn’t go as well as he would’ve hoped and lost in his first match to Connor Higgins, a junior from Rochester, MN.
Fibranz placed 2nd in the 220-pound weight class, falling in his last round to #1 seed, Ezaya Oropeza from Rosemount High School. After a grueling six minutes on the mat, Fibranz lost 7-2.
Fibranz was a returning State Champion, placing 1st in 2017, and 3rd place in 2018. Fibranz is ranked 18th nationally by Flow Wrestling and ended his high school career at 42-2. He has seven recorded losses in the past three years, and over 150 career wins. In the fall of 2019, Fibranz will be attending the University of Chicago and will be wrestling heavyweight under Coach Leo Kocher. He also plans on possibly majoring in pre-med and is looking forward to the Greco-Roman wrestling season later this year.
Fibranz shared his experiences at state, and his feelings on the end of his impressive high school career:
Q: “So Cole, how are you feeling after everything that happened this weekend?”
A: “I feel great. I feel like I did everything I could have done at the tournament and I did my best, so I’m happy.”
Q: “What would you have changed about anything this weekend if you could go back?”
A: “I would probably switch up my style a little bit more in the finals. Probably line up some more shots.”
Q: “When you think back on your wrestling career for SHS, what are you proudest of?”
A: “I am really proud of being a captain of this amazing team. Our team has had the ability to bounce back from a lot, and I think we ended the season in a good place.”
Q: “Who do you think has had the biggest impact on getting you to where you are now?”
A: “My practice partners like Tyler Snowberger, Jack Engle, Beau Penk, Josh Halicke, and Noel Meyer, and my coach, Cody Olson was also a huge factor in getting me to where I am today. Also, Jake Clark. He’s a national wrestler, who owns Wrestle-Jitsu in Waite Park. I owe a lot of my success to him.”
Q: “Do you have a favorite memory from wrestling the last couple of years?”
A: “My best memory was accidentally advertising for McDonald’s, and then getting gift cards for McDonald’s after State.”
Q: “What are you going to miss about wrestling for SHS?”
A: ” I’m going to miss all the fun that we had, and the dodgeball. I’m also going to miss the team and wrestling in general. I’m not going to miss putting the wrestling room back together though. But I’m going to miss quite a few people. ”
Q: “What advice would you give to someone who wants to start wrestling?”
A: “You better be ready to give it your all. Wrestling is a tough sport that makes tougher people. Be ready for serious practices with some serious dodgeball.”
Q: “What’s next for you?”
A: “I will be attending the University of Chicago. I’m planning on wrestling, studying, all of the above. I’ll also be moving on to summer wrestling, which includes freestyle and Greco-roman. And then, later this year, I’ll be heading to Fargo for nationals in freestyle.”
Fibranz pictured during his first match, against Charles Dressel from Mounds View, MN.