PCM’s Tool chooses Central College wrestling

PCM senior Colby Tool was a four-time state place winner. And he won 148 matches in his high school career.

But Mustang head coach Jeff Nicholson believes Tool’s best wrestling is still in front of him.

His best may still be yet to come and if it is, it will be at Central College as Tool signed his National Letter of Intent on Monday at the high school.

“He’s a multi-sport athlete, he shows sheep and does all sorts of other things,” Nicholson said. “He has not had the time to train only for wrestling. I just think when he’s in college he’ll be focused on one sport and school. I think with that, you’ll see him jump levels.”

Tool said the decision to wrestle at Central came down to proximity to home and his chosen field of study.

The Mustang grappler said he chose the Dutch over a junior college in Minnesota. Grand View University and Ellsworth Community College also had interest.

Tool said Buena Vista had interest in him for both football and wrestling.

“Central was the best choice for me both on the athletics side and education wise,” Tool said. “This fit me the best as far as getting a good education while wrestling.”

There’s a family connection with Central College, too. His mother Renae works at Central and Tool’s grandparents, Mike and Cheryl Wessels, met at the NCAA Division III school which is located in Pella.

“It helps that she works there. It wasn’t a huge factor. But it probably closed out the deal,” Tool said. “It just came down to the connection I made with the coaches.

“I love the coaches and the facilities are amazing. There’s a brand new wrestling room, weight room and locker room. It’s a good, easy choice that was close to home.”

Tool started his prep career with a 36-10 season as a freshman at 138 pounds. He was fourth overall at the state tournament, helping PCM finish fifth as a team.

As a sophomore, Tool was 45-4 and finished sixth at 145 pounds. He also helped the Mustangs earn a spot in the state dual tournament and PCM was eighth in the traditional tournament.

Last year, Tool came back from injury to go 20-4 and he was seventh at 152 pounds.

He ended his high school career with a fifth-place medal at 152 this winter. He was 45-4 overall.

“I really think his best wrestling days are ahead of him. I think Central is a great fit,” Nicholson said. “I have talked to coach (Eric) Van Kley several times over the past few years. He’s a great guy and Colby really bonded with him.”

Tool said he is unsure of what weight he will start at in college. The Central coaching staff gave him a program and he was told to lift. He plans to do some training at Central this spring and throughout the summer.

And being a short drive away from home, he can still do the fun hobbies he has done at home since he was a youngster.

“There’s a lot of hobbies that I still do at home. This allows me to still do that,” said Tool, who plans to major in engineering. “My second choice was a school in Minnesota and that’s obviously very far away. And Grand View to me is even too far away.”