Cole Amende’s goal is state championship for wrestling

Post Falls High wrestling coach Dennis Amende knows there’s a fine line between being dad and being coach.

Trying to strike a balance and be both, simultaneously, to his wrestling son, Cole, can be difficult at times. The line has become blurred more often than he cares to count.

“I’ve had to leave the mat during his matches because I was confusing dad and coach,” Dennis said. “I’ve wanted to say something out loud when he wasn’t making the right decisions and that was more of the father thing. So I had to let the assistants coach. I haven’t had to walk away so far this year. But I’m sure there will be a place when it happens this year.”

Cole Amende, a 6-foot-2 junior, wants to match what his father did in high school – win a state championship.

He gained more than 30 pounds since last year thanks to weightlifting and a healthy appetite. He moved up from 171 pounds to 215 this year. He certified at the start of the season at 189, but he most likely will finish the year at 215.

A state qualifier as a freshman and sophomore, he earned his first state medal last season when he placed sixth. He was a win away from placing as a freshman.

While he was pleased to capture a state medal last year, he was disappointed in how the season ended.

“Once I knew I had placed, I sort of lost motivation,” Cole said.

Dennis agreed.

“His goal was to place and once he had done it he quit wrestling with the same intensity,” he said.

He brought a 22-1 record into the week. He was ranked second in the state, but he could drop a spot after defaulting out of a tournament in Nampa last weekend when he came down with food poisoning. He won all three of his matches on Friday, but became sick during the night.

His one loss was against the top-ranked wrestler in his division, senior Brian Warden of Idaho Falls, at the High Country Duals tournament last month in Idaho Falls. Warden won 11-2.

“I didn’t wrestle as well as I wanted to,” he said. “I wasn’t on my ‘A’ game.”

He wants a rematch at state next month.

“Winning state is a pretty lofty goal,” Dennis said. “There are some good kids in the state and the league. He’s going to have to get better. If a state title wasn’t his goal there would be something wrong with him.”

Among Cole’s big wins this season was capturing a championship at the Inland Empire Classic at Central Valley last month.

Cole, who is 13 wins away from 100, has made measurable improvement since last season. So much so that he scored his first takedown on his dad during a preseason practice.

“It was legitimate, too,” Dennis said.

“I hit a high crotch (move),” said Cole, who has been wrestling since he was 4 years old. “He was very proud, but he was a little upset. His intensity went up and he came back and took me down quite a few times. He can still beat me. Hopefully by next year I can beat him.”

Cole is getting more takedowns this year, and that allows him to use his best skills when he has opponents on their backs. The majority of his victories this season have come by pin.

“Wrestling on my feet was my weak link last year,” he said.

He credits assistant coaches Chad Jennings and Mike Booth, both former Post Falls wrestlers, for much of his improvement.

“I get pushed hard in practice every day,” Cole said. “It’s nice to have people who are better than you helping you get better. They show me what I’m doing wrong.”

Cole also plays football and baseball. In football, he’s been a two-year starter on varsity at middle linebacker.

His parents have insisted that he play three sports because they believe it will make him a more rounded athlete and person.

“We didn’t want him to just be a wrestler,” Dennis said.

But there’s no question Cole’s passion is wrestling.

And he especially loves sharing the sport with his dad.

“He’s one of my best friends,” Cole said. “He’s hard on me, but he’s always pushing me to the next step.”

Even if the line for Dennis Amende – father and coach – is fuzzy at times.

“You know how parents can get,” he said. “My wife says I’m far tougher on my son than anyone else (on the team). I try to be as equitable to him as anyone else. But I’m not completely successful with it.”

How realistic is a state title this year?

“Winning a state title is a lot more about whether you’re prepared than technical,” Dennis said. “I think he’s going to have to wrestle as well as he has. He’s got a ways to go. That’s coach talking.”

What is dad’s opinion?

“Whatever that kid puts his mind to he can do,” he said.