Caledonia Argus

Kevan Meiners claims state wrestling championship

Posted: 3/4/03

by Andrew Miller
Argus Sports Writer

In the course of my upbringing mother taught me three Very Important Things:

(1) Be respectful of women at all times.

(2) Always keep a clean change of underwear on hand.

(3) Never pick a fight with Kevan Meiners.

What foresight she had, I realized as the weekendís events unfolded. Motherís first two maxims came in handy when, during the state wrestling semifinals at the XCel Energy Center in St. Paul, an overly enthusiastic female spectator consummated a cheer by knocking nacho cheese sauce on the front of my pants. The third adage proved useful after it became painfully clear that Kevan Meiners is without doubt a Force of Nature.

Meiners claimed the Class AA 215-pound state wrestling title by defeating Justin Bronson of Princeton in an 11-0 decision on March 1. While other championship match-ups that day saw wrestlers assume spastic, manic demeanors as they fought tooth-and-nail for each and every point, Meiners nonchalantly walked up to the mat and got down to business, without so much as a quiver upon his countenance.

One journalist in attendance remarked that heíd seen several spectators chew their fingernails down to the bone as they watched their hometown heroes duke it out for top honors. Caledonia fans, on the other hand, sat back, relaxed, and watched Meiners toss his adversaries around like so many sacks of soggy almonds.

The ease with which Meiners cudgelled his competition at the state tournament left fans flummoxed. If memory serves, he spent much of the championship match flossing his teeth, combing his hair, and applying French cologne to his wrists, as if preparing for a hot date on the town later that evening. All the while his opponent flailed and flopped and floundered in a vain attempt to put points on the scoreboard. This was to no avail, as Kevan Meiners does not mess around.

The road to the title was for Meiners not the high-velocity crash course of mental anguish and physical agony that was to be expected at the state tourney. He came, he saw, he clobbered. In his first round match, Meiners pinned Nick Steinmetz of Fulda in one minute, fifty-two seconds, and in the quarterfinals it again took just under two minutes to pin his opponent, Adam Roden of St. Michael-Albertville. A 6-1 decision in the semifinals against Kevin Robling of Scott West put Meiners in the championship match, and from there it was pure gravy.

ìComing in, we knew Kevan would do well,î said Caledonia Wrestling Coach Jay Tolleson. ìAnd on Saturday he just went out and showed everybody that he was the best 215-pounder in the state in AA.î

With Saturdayís victory, Meiners upped his win-loss record for the past two years to 109-2.

Top of Page