By Brian Jerzak
Stillwater’s senior Reid Ballantyne has a chance to become the seventh high school wrestler in Minnesota history to win five individual state titles. Every one of the other wrestlers who have at least five titles has overcome obstacles and injuries. I doubt any of them had the injury issues of Ballantyne. The senior has endured so many injuries that he is gearing up for a run at a fifth straight title, and then, who knows?
The kind of effort it has taken and is going to take for Ballantyne to win that fifth title – with possibly no expectation of a wrestling career beyond high school – is the definition of dedication. His quest for five titles has been a case of mind over matter.
His dedication to wrestling started early.
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