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Many pins, many wins: Cole Ranweiler’s hot start for NUA

File photo by Travis Rosenau New Ulm Area’s Cole Ranweiler gains control of Marshall’s Ilija Milanovic in a home-opening quadrangular at New Ulm High School on Dec. 5, 2019.

NEW ULM — Piling up pin after pin and win after win to start the 2019-2020 high school wrestling season, New Ulm Area’s Cole Ranweiler has made his impact on the mat so far.

After missing a large share of matches a year ago due to nagging injuries, Ranweiler finished last season with a 26-6 record, 16 pins and a third-place finish in Section 3AA.

This season, he’s compiled a 24-1 record with 17 pins and little signs of slowing down. With his health back and an aggressive approach, Ranweiler has been making opposing teams, coaches and fans around the area take notice.

Ranweiler is currently flying under the radar, being unranked by The Guillotine this season in Class AA. His only defeat this season, however, came at the Redwood River Riot in a 7-5 decision loss to Tracy-Milroy-Balaton’s Jace Paplow, the third-ranked 170-pounder in Class A. Ranweiler hasn’t let the rankings bother him, but he has used them as fuel.

“It definitely helps me work harder to know where my goal to be on the rankings is,” Ranweiler said. “So every day I have something to work for.”

With more than 70% of his wins this season coming by pin, Ranweiler said that staying aggressive has been key for him in keeping opponents down.

“I feel like the pins come from just the aggressiveness of my style of wrestling,” he said.

Ranweiler, a junior, has stayed active throughout his career at New Ulm High School, sandwiching wrestling in between football and baseball as a standout three-sport athlete. Right now, though, he’s focused on wrestling his way back to state after making it to the state individual tournament his freshman year.

He said that he thinks conditioning will be the main factor in getting back to state.

“I feel like I need to work on my conditioning,” Ranweiler said. “That’s probably the biggest issue with my wrestling right now is that I burn out a little too quick.”

Ranweiler’s aggressive approach has led to a stellar start to the season so far. NUA head coach John Rieser said that in addition to that aggressive style, he also thinks Ranweiler’s ability to stay focused couldn’t go overlooked.

“You see him warming up and he’s really concentrating on that match, not worrying about what else is going on, preparing himself to do the best that he can on the mat,” Rieser said. “Then when he gets on the mat, he’s focused and ready to be aggressive.”

So far this season, Ranweiler has finished first at 170 pounds in the Glencoe-Silver Lake/Lester Prairie Don Hall Invite and third at the Redwood River Riot.

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