Before the season, Pennridge’s Cole Coffin knew he could raise the bar after a 32-12 season in which he was fifth at regionals and was a state qualifier.
His expectations began to surface into reality when he won the 114-pounder title at the Cumberland Valley Kickoff Classic in early December.
Beginning this week, Coffin was undefeated with an 11-0 mark, having five falls in the process. He and his teammates had a key showdown against Quakertown Wednesday night (results unavailable at press time).
So far, Coffin is enjoying the moment.
“My season is off to a great start,” said Coffin, who also has wrestled at 121. “I won the Cumberland Valley tournament, where I took fifth last year.
“I feel like I am wrestling better every week, and hopefully, I can keep that going. I see great improvements on the little things, which matter the most.”
Head coach Brian Kuhns isn’t surprised by Coffin’s sudden rise.
“He had really found his game,” said Kuhns about Coffin. “He is one of the hardest working kids in the room, and he is very determined.
“He gained a lot of confidence being a state qualifier last year. This year, he has gone out there and taken care of business.
“We have a young team with only one senior in our lineup, and Cole gives us some needed experience. He is going to have a big year.”
Along with Coffin, the Rams return senior Gio Iadonisi (152), a fifth-place finisher at districts last year, junior Sam Kuhns (145) – the coach’s son – who placed sixth at regionals last year, and sophomores Colby Martinelli (114) and Talan Hogan (172), who both were regional qualifiers last year. Freshman Ryan Rowe has been a surprise at 189, and junior Riley Cullen has excelled at 215.
During the offseason, Coffin worked on his escapes.
“A big thing I worked on was getting out on the bottom,” stressed Coffin. “So far this year, I have made some good progress.
“Compared to last year, I am 10 times better on the bottom and getting out a lot more.”
Coffin began wrestling at the age of 6, and has amassed a cavalcade of experiences along the way.
“I have had a lot of memories,” he recalled. “In seventh grade, I pinned a kid in the blood round of the state junior high high tournament and it will always be a great memory. I remember jumping into my dad’s arms.
“One of my best recent memories was when our team beat CB East by one point last year. We were all cheering for our heavyweight and the end result made it a great night and memory.”
With his fast start, Coffin appears to be ready to make plenty of his own memories this season.
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