Cole McArthur: Workings of a winner

Cole McArthur’s hard work has turned into some of Ronan’s

greatest moments and a college scholarship.

RONAN - You have to say this about Ronan's Cole McArthur: he certainly knows how to end a high school career.

Last fall in the Chiefs' final football game of the season against Northwestern A powerhouse Columbia Falls, McArthur caught the 20-yard game-winning touchdown with 14 seconds left as Ronan upset the Wildcats, 28-20.

"That was completely unforgettable," McArthur said. "To get that pass at the end, that will be engraved in hard rock in my mind."

Then three and a half months later, McArthur was at the Butte Civic Center waiting for his turn to wrestle in the championship match at the Class A state tournament.

While he had expected this moment to happen at Metra Park in Billings, a tornado changed fate and the site of the tournament. So instead of several matches going on at once in the spacious Metra Park arena, each weight class championship was the sole focus of the large crowd in Butte.

"I was just trying to be calm as possible," McArthur said.

Recounting the moves in his memory bank, the things his coach had told him and everything that had happened to him since his freshman year, McArthur was ready to lay it out all on the mat.

He defeated Havre's Casey Shaub in the 171-pound weight class and actually had time to reflect about what was happened as he had the points lead and complete control of his opponent with time ticking off the clock.

"Those last few seconds we were hoping he would stay in control," Ronan head wrestling coach Dustyn Azure said to the Leader after the match. "Time goes by a little slower."

For McArthur, it was a state championship to add to a fifth place finish in 2009 and a third place trophy in 2010.

"It definitely opened up more colleges for me," McArthur said.

The Chief said that three colleges were looking at him before his championship win. After that, he began getting a steady stream of interest.

"There are even a few that are still coming," McArthur said.

However, they won't be getting much of a response, the Ronan wrestler has already signed by Dickinson State University in North Dakota. An NAIA school with an enrollment of 2,572, Dickinson State should give him a good opportunity to shine in collegiate wrestling.

"Dickinson has been one of the top schools for wrestling," McArthur said. "I hope it works out. Everybody in the town seems nice, and I like the atmosphere at the college."

McArthur becomes another Chief in the storied history of the Ronan wrestling program to move to the next level. He said he's feeling good about moving up to the next level and that the workout regimen that Ronan's wrestling program uses is similar to Dickinson's.

"It makes me feel proud of him," Azure said of McArthur going to Dickinson. "He's a hard-working kid, and he's come a long way from his freshman year."

Azure added that McArthur has a brawling style of wrestling, and that his physical style of wrestling will aid him in college wrestling.

"He likes to keep himself moving for seven minutes," Azure said. "He's not afraid to bang heads."

That kinetic energy, which has served McArthur well, may even find itself onto the baseball diamond since the Dickinson coaching staff is also encouraging McArthur to walk onto the university baseball team.

And watching McArthur play for the Mission Valley Mariners, it's easy to see why he'd be a good fit playing college baseball.

"I think our team is doing great," McArthur said. "I think our team is ready to have everything set in place."

He's already shown his strength at the plate and roaming the base paths this season.

He's no stranger to the mound either, and those are certainly skills he can translate to the next level under the managing of Mission Valley's Jami Hanson.

"Jami definitely knows what he's talking about," McArthur said. "He's a great technician, I've learned quite a bit from him."

When sitting on the third base stands, fans can hear that tutelage in action. After McArthur steals second base, again, you'll hear Hanson encourage to take a bigger and bigger lead from the bag.

McArthur absorbs sports knowledge like a sponge and that obviously should help when he's making the transition from high school in Ronan to college in North Dakota.

"I just hope it doesn't get too cold there," McArthur said. "I've heard some stories."

But winter is a long way off, and with McArthur's propensity for ending things on a high note, who knows what he has in store for the baseball season.