COLEMAN — When you think of the city of Coleman, what comes to mind?
For most, it's likely the high school wrestling program.
After all, they’ve won 11 state titles in school history. This weekend the team will aim to make it 12 and become the first in WIAA history to move up a division and win a wrestling championship. The Cougars wrestling program exemplifies success, spanning generations.
"I mean, there's always new ones (from different families) coming and so that's kind of exciting," said head coach Jason Champagne.
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Champagne, who also wrestled at Coleman, says helping to uphold the legacy is his top priority.
"Jim Douglas started this program in the late 50s and created a winning tradition that has carried on for generations. We have 11 state titles and then we actually have 12 runner-ups," he said.
Last year, due to their success, the Cougars moved from Division 3 to Division 2 under the WIAA’s competitive balance plan. They finished runner-up at state in 2025.
"Us moving to D2 would just create a new challenge for us to try and be, you know, the first D3 team to move up and win a state title in Division 2. And so that's kind of been our focus for the last two years, and right now we're in a position to accomplish that," Champagne added.
The team’s ambitions may extend even further. If they finish in first or second place this weekend at state, a school the size of 212 will be bumped up to Division 1, competing against schools like Bay Port and Kaukauna.
He views this potential move as a double-edged sword.
"It is because some years you have really strong teams, and we have a team that can definitely compete with Division 1 and Division 2 this year, but that's an ebb and flow, and it’s not always a consistent thing," he said.
The athletes share this view.
"It’s a special thing moving up divisions. I think for how small we are, maybe we should stay in D2, but I don’t have control over that, and I think it’d be fun to go to D1," senior Devin Otto said.
Another added, "We wrestle D1 competition throughout the year and win a lot. So, I think we definitely could do it," said sophomore Bentley Nowak, a legacy wrestler a Coleman.
The Cougars begin their state tournament journey Friday night against Port Washington.
