It hasn’t taken long for Mark Kolmer to make a name for himself at Emporia High.
He’s already become the first freshman to play for coach Bill Lowe in his 25 years of coaching football by starting at running back opposite Edd Noonan for the 6-3 Spartans this past year.
On the wrestling mat this winter, Kolmer has been a standout for the Spartans. In compiling a 28-6 record this season, Kolmer — ranked as the No. 4 wrestler in Class 5A at 189 pounds — has defeated some of the best the state of Kansas has to offer, including his title-bout victory over No. 6-ranked Matt Rice of Seaman on Saturday to win his first Centennial League title.
By the way, Rice is a senior who placed fifth at 171 pounds at last year’s State tournament.
But Kolmer will be the first to tell you that the process wasn’t easy.
“It took some time to get adjusted to the speed of things in high school and get used to the fact that I’d be wrestling against junior and seniors — guys who have a couple years on me,” Kolmer said. “The adjustment was really more of preparing myself for each match. Before, you could take a couple of matches off and choose when you wanted to get ready. Now, every match is a big match.
“The transition was bigger than what I thought it would be.”
Though the process wasn’t exactly perfect, the results are becoming increasingly unblemished.
Kolmer has not lost a match since the Newton Invitational on Jan. 13, where he finished fourth. Since then, he has gone 6-0 in dual bouts and has earned two tournament titles with victories at the Garden City Invitational and Saturday’s league meet.
“To come in as a freshman in that weight class and to be able to compete the way that he has competed is phenomenal,” EHS coach Greg Buckbee said. “He has done a tremendous job so far.”
It’s clear from just one look at Kolmer that he’s not your typical freshman.
He stands at 6-foot and wrestles in the 189-pound weight class, giving him a physical stature not often seen in a first-year high school student.
“We haven’t had a freshman with that size and with that build,” Buckbee said.
Though he came to Emporia High with the physical tools needed to succeed, Kolmer also brought with him a firm knowledge of wrestling, having participated in the sport since the third grade. As a member of the Emporia Kid’s Wrestling Club, Kolmer was introduced to many of the teachings and techniques used at EHS thanks to the club’s coach, Matt Collins.
“Coach Matt Collins got a lot of the things that we do up here (at EHS) and starting mixing that in with us,” Kolmer said. “What they teach here and what he teaches is pretty much the same thing.”
With more than five years of training under his belt, it hardly came as a surprise when Kolmer planted himself on the varsity squad at Emporia basically from his first day.
“He’s definitely above most freshmen,” Buckbee said. “He’s advanced in his skills beyond his age.
“It’s a different level going from Kid’s Club to the high school level, and especially going from Kid’s Club straight to varsity. That’s a big jump.”
Kolmer experienced just how big of a jump it was, though, when it came time for his first high school tournament. At the Arkansas City Tournament on Dec. 2, Kolmer finished fourth in a field that included Maize junior Karl Oeser, the second-ranked wrestler in Class 6A, and Arkansas City senior Scott Elliott, the top wrestler in Class 5A.
“Because he is that much bigger and still just a freshman, he’s competing against juniors and seniors week in and week out,” Buckbee said. “In the smaller weights, you’re competing with basically all the different classes. It (his size) is kind of a disadvantage in his case.”
But that just makes Kolmer’s success this season all the more impressive. And he still has plenty of chances to make it even more special.
This Saturday, the Spartans will play host to a 5A Regional in their own gymnasium. One of the teams in the field will be Arkansas City, which means there is a chance Kolmer could face Elliott again, most likely in the title bout. Elliott won the first meeting between the two in what Kolmer called “a big learning experience.”
One thing is guaranteed though: Kolmer will no longer go into a match with the wide-eyed look of a high school freshman.
“I don’t even think about it anymore. I just go out there and wrestle my match,” Kolmer said. “Each week, there has been improvement, and I’m working harder and harder.”
As for Kolmer’s chances should he face Elliott again, Buckbee said crazier things have happened.
“You never throw out the possibility,” Buckbee said. “Wrestling is just a funny sport. On any given day, anybody can win a match.”
So far this season, Kolmer has proven that to be true time and time again.
Even if he is just a freshman.