HELENA — Stretching back to 1976, a picture of every individual state wrestling champion from Helena Capital hangs in the school’s wrestling room. And while senior Cole Graham already earned his spot on the wall of champions last year, he’d like to fill the empty spot next to his picture from last year with another picture from this year.
“It would mean a lot," Graham said. "Being able to do it for a second time in this school would be really cool."
While some might feel satisfied after winning one state title, that certainly hasn’t been the case for Graham.
“If anything, it’s extra motivation, for sure,” said Shawn Graham, Capital’s head wrestling coach and Cole’s father. “He’s really wants to repeat, and he knows that’s a tough task, and there’s a couple really tough kids in his weight class. So, he hasn’t been able to take a break all season, I can assure you that.”
The Class AA state wrestling tournament runs Thursday through Saturday at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark in Billings. Graham enters as the Western AA’s top seed in the 190-pound weight class — something he and his coach admit makes the goal of back-to-back state championships feel that much more attainable.
“He’s right on the threshold, right? He’s the No. 1 seed in the West,” said coach Graham. “So, he’s set himself up to have a good shot at it. We’re excited. Going to take it one match at a time, for sure, but (he’s) still got to get through four matches at state, and Cole’s putting in the work to do that.”
Cole said that securing the tournament’s top seed “helps.”
“It puts you in a good position for the state tournament,” he said. “But, you can’t just be satisfied with being No. 1, winning the division. You got to be ready to wrestle, because if you’re not, you can get upset at any moment, especially in the Metra. You know, a lot of crazy things happen there.”
