Racing to the record
After just three seasons, Hunter Colden is one victory away from the school mark for career wins (123). Here's how he got there:
Freshman (2009) 39-7
Sophomore (2010) 40-5
Junior (2011) 43-5
BRODHEAD - Tonight, the Brodhead-Juda wrestling team will roll into Palmyra for the first dual meet of the season. Senior standout and three-time state qualifier Hunter Colden will lead the way for the Cardinals. The senior will step off the bus with 122 career wins, just one away from tying the school record of 123. At most, he will have one match, one opportunity to tie the record. On Saturday, he will have several more opportunities at a tournament in Cambridge.
The record is sure to fall within the next few days, but Colden is anxious to break it. It's an important accomplishment for him and one that he has been working toward for years. In fact, Colden's path toward the record actually started before he was even wrestling in high school.
In 2008, Colden was in the eighth grade. That year, as he had in years prior, Colden attended Brodhead-Juda wrestling practices with his dad Tim Colden who was and still is the head coach. On the team that year for the Cardinals was Tyler Lincoln, a senior wrestling at 135 pounds.
Lincoln was a family friend that Hunter had grown up with and a wrestler he looked up to. Lincoln wrapped up his high school career in 2008, having compiled 123 wins. His is the record that Hunter is on the cusp of breaking.
"At the time, I probably wouldn't have admitted it, but I definitely looked up to him," Hunter said. "He was a hard worker and a team leader. You lead by example, and he was always a class act in high school. He never attracted drama to his matches. A lot of people had respect for him."
The fact that Hunter is breaking Lincoln's record makes the feat extra special for him especially since Tyler's dad, Dan Lincoln, is the assistant coach of the wrestling team alongside Tim Colden.
"Number one and number two (in wins) will be coach's kids, and I think that's special," Hunter said. "We basically grew up together."
The Coldens and Lincolns are two families with multiple intertwining paths in the world of wrestling. Tim Colden coaches the varsity team with Dan Lincoln, and their sons Hunter and Brady Colden and Reave Lincoln are all on the team. Tyler Lincoln used to be on the team, and Hunter is chasing his record. And, as chance would have it, when Tim Colden was a wrestler he was coached by none other than Dan Lincoln.
With so many paths crisscrossing and coming together, it's no surprise that Hunter would become familiar with Tyler as a wrestler. As for them being the two winningest wrestlers in the history of the school, that's probably more due to hard work than chance.
Tim Colden said one of the big things he thinks Hunter picked up from Tyler was his work ethic.
"Tyler worked hard," he said. "I don't know if he ever missed a practice. And up to this point, Hunter has never missed a practice."
On top of that work ethic, Tim Colden said Hunter added his own never-say-die attitude.
"He (has) won a lot of matches on heart," he said. "He won a few matches because he never gave up on any of it."
"He's wrestled at a high level for three years now. We said when he came in as a freshman he'd win 20-plus."
Hunter went above and beyond that, winning 39 matches his freshman year. He won 40 in his sophomore season and 43 last year as a junior, and he still has one season left to go. Approaching the record at the beginning of his senior season, Hunter stands to set the bar even higher than Tyler did back in 2008, but that's not his ultimate goal.
"The career wins record is a goal, but the number one goal is working for that state title and this is just another step," Hunter said.
However, he admits that breaking the record will be a special moment and one he is glad will most likely be an intimate moment on the road, devoid of the hype that may have come at a home meet in front of the home crowd.
"Personally it's a big deal but not when it comes to the attention," Hunter said.
And when it happens, the audience will most likely consist of fans that have no knowledge of the record and what is about to happen. They will cheer and jeer as if it is any other match, and in the front row of the Brodhead-Juda bench will be Hunter's dad and Tyler's dad, knowing full well what Hunter is about to accomplish.
"It will feel good," Hunter said of having those two at the edge of the mat. "Not a lot of people know what it's like to have your father as your coach. It's not always easy, but at the end of the day I'm always happy that he's the one that's coaching me.
"I'll enjoy (the record) for that half hour, and then it's on to the next match."
Tim Colden is also looking forward to the moment, especially when he thinks of how far Hunter has come in his career.
"It's pretty special, that's for sure," Tim Colden said. "When he started coming up through the youth stuff he wasn't always that successful. He always stuck with it. He stuck with it, and he far surpassed my expectations."
The record is sure to fall within the next few days, but Colden is anxious to break it. It's an important accomplishment for him and one that he has been working toward for years. In fact, Colden's path toward the record actually started before he was even wrestling in high school.
In 2008, Colden was in the eighth grade. That year, as he had in years prior, Colden attended Brodhead-Juda wrestling practices with his dad Tim Colden who was and still is the head coach. On the team that year for the Cardinals was Tyler Lincoln, a senior wrestling at 135 pounds.
Lincoln was a family friend that Hunter had grown up with and a wrestler he looked up to. Lincoln wrapped up his high school career in 2008, having compiled 123 wins. His is the record that Hunter is on the cusp of breaking.
"At the time, I probably wouldn't have admitted it, but I definitely looked up to him," Hunter said. "He was a hard worker and a team leader. You lead by example, and he was always a class act in high school. He never attracted drama to his matches. A lot of people had respect for him."
The fact that Hunter is breaking Lincoln's record makes the feat extra special for him especially since Tyler's dad, Dan Lincoln, is the assistant coach of the wrestling team alongside Tim Colden.
"Number one and number two (in wins) will be coach's kids, and I think that's special," Hunter said. "We basically grew up together."
The Coldens and Lincolns are two families with multiple intertwining paths in the world of wrestling. Tim Colden coaches the varsity team with Dan Lincoln, and their sons Hunter and Brady Colden and Reave Lincoln are all on the team. Tyler Lincoln used to be on the team, and Hunter is chasing his record. And, as chance would have it, when Tim Colden was a wrestler he was coached by none other than Dan Lincoln.
With so many paths crisscrossing and coming together, it's no surprise that Hunter would become familiar with Tyler as a wrestler. As for them being the two winningest wrestlers in the history of the school, that's probably more due to hard work than chance.
Tim Colden said one of the big things he thinks Hunter picked up from Tyler was his work ethic.
"Tyler worked hard," he said. "I don't know if he ever missed a practice. And up to this point, Hunter has never missed a practice."
On top of that work ethic, Tim Colden said Hunter added his own never-say-die attitude.
"He (has) won a lot of matches on heart," he said. "He won a few matches because he never gave up on any of it."
"He's wrestled at a high level for three years now. We said when he came in as a freshman he'd win 20-plus."
Hunter went above and beyond that, winning 39 matches his freshman year. He won 40 in his sophomore season and 43 last year as a junior, and he still has one season left to go. Approaching the record at the beginning of his senior season, Hunter stands to set the bar even higher than Tyler did back in 2008, but that's not his ultimate goal.
"The career wins record is a goal, but the number one goal is working for that state title and this is just another step," Hunter said.
However, he admits that breaking the record will be a special moment and one he is glad will most likely be an intimate moment on the road, devoid of the hype that may have come at a home meet in front of the home crowd.
"Personally it's a big deal but not when it comes to the attention," Hunter said.
And when it happens, the audience will most likely consist of fans that have no knowledge of the record and what is about to happen. They will cheer and jeer as if it is any other match, and in the front row of the Brodhead-Juda bench will be Hunter's dad and Tyler's dad, knowing full well what Hunter is about to accomplish.
"It will feel good," Hunter said of having those two at the edge of the mat. "Not a lot of people know what it's like to have your father as your coach. It's not always easy, but at the end of the day I'm always happy that he's the one that's coaching me.
"I'll enjoy (the record) for that half hour, and then it's on to the next match."
Tim Colden is also looking forward to the moment, especially when he thinks of how far Hunter has come in his career.
"It's pretty special, that's for sure," Tim Colden said. "When he started coming up through the youth stuff he wasn't always that successful. He always stuck with it. He stuck with it, and he far surpassed my expectations."
