Aurora’s heavyweight champ

Each time out felt like another Rocky sequel. The expectation was always for the pride of Philadelphia to win. Not to mention a brutal slugfest that goes the distance. 
That’s exactly what Jack Allen’s senior wrestling season was like, ending with a crowning achievement. 
Could anyone else hear the theme music Saturday night? 
Allen, the pride of Aurora, won Class B’s heavyweight crown in the nightcap of Saturday’s NSAA state wrestling championships from the CHI Health Center in Omaha.
Unfortunately for Grand Island Northwest’s Victor Isele, the Viking senior played the role of Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang, Ivan Drago, Spider Rico and Tommy Gunn. In five matches between Allen and Isele this season, Allen won all five, including the Class B finals Saturday night, by a 1-0 decision. 
They were never blowouts when Allen and Isele met in the circle. They never ended early. They never took it easy on one another. 
“This is awesome,” Allen said after several hundred photos, not once letting the smile leave his image. “This program has given me so much, I’m proud to give it something back.”
What an intense rivalry it’s been. In the first match of the year, an Aurora home dual against GINW, Allen won a 2-1 decision because of a wristband Isele forgot to remove before the match, awarding Allen one point before it even began, which was the difference.
After that, Allen won in overtime with a takedown at the Central City Invite, the only real difference in the match, kind of like Rocky getting up dramatically with one second left in the 15th round to win the heavyweight belt. 
Then it was the Central Conference finals a few weeks later, where Allen successfully completed his game plan, riding out Isele for the entire third period to win, 1-0. 
The duo met on the mat just one week ago in Isele’s home gym at districts where Allen scored a takedown that was ruled a non-takedown before holding on in the tiebreaker. 
There were plenty of controversies in the Rocky franchise, right? Like the Russian fanbase switching allegiances mid-match. 
Sure, no Aurora or Northwest fan traded t-shirts at any point, but the respect was there all year long. 
But, just how long did Allen have to wait for his life-changing match Saturday night?
If he wanted, Allen could have binged the entire Rocky series, all the way from Rocky I through the start of Creed II, an eight-movie stretch. It probably would have been wise for Allen to strap on the headgear about halfway through Creed II, unless he got up a bit earlier -- it would have been tight on time. He said he got enough sleep the night before, but who knows. 
Just FYI, an estimated run time from Rocky I all the way through Creed II is just shy of 15 hours. Don’t ask me how I know that. I’m sure he wishes he had this information Friday night. 
“A lot of it comes down to our preparation,” Keasling said. “We talk about energy expenditure and this is a long day. We’ve been here since 6 a.m. and it’s almost 9 p.m. when Jack wrestles his first match. Those pre-match jitters run all day long. It’s all about management, having fun and being loose with the kids.”
That sounds like the perfect description for a kid like Allen, who might as well change his middle name to ‘Cool.’ He’s a kid who never really takes things to seriously, always has a smile on his face and keeps the situation light-hearted, whether it’s the morning of the state football finals wearing a large pancake necklace or cutting loose with his teammate Britton Kemling in the back warm-up area six hours before his final high school wrestling match with a state championship on the line. 
But, when the time comes to put the mouthpiece in or button up the head gear, Allen switches from the guy who high fives every youngster in the crowd to the ultimate competitor. The smile goes away and it’s all business. 
But what did it take this weekend to keep the nerves away? Apparently a British accent, something Keasling seemed happily annoyed about. 
“Those guys were British all weekend,” Keasling said, without an accent. “Then they got us talking British all weekend. Everyone talked with this stupid British accent all weekend, but that’s what kept them loose and having fun. It makes it fun for us, too. Jack is kind of the village idiot at times, but he’s everyone’s friend. Everywhere he goes, someone is hanging on him who he probably just met. That’s what is so fun about Jack is he has a great personality and is a hard worker. He’s done all the things right since he was a middle schooler. He put the work in and gets what he deserves.”
There’s also the friendship aspect from Allen and Isele. The two seniors, from area rival high schools, compete hard against one another, but smile and joke around before and after the matches. Kind of like when Apollo gives Rocky his American flag trunks in Rocky III. 
Was Rocky ever nervous before his matches? Probably not, since he was almost late to his rematch for the title against Apollo in Rocky II.
What about Allen? Does he get nervous? 
“I started to get some jitters around the 170, 182 matches,” Allen admitted. “But, I also thought to myself that I’ve wrestled Victor multiple times and I really wasn’t too nervous. I started to hum the Rocky theme song to myself.”
It makes too much sense. 
There are only a few unanswered questions at this point. Can Allen catch a chicken? Can Allen sprint across Philadelphia? Would Allen and Isele have a one-on-one race on the beach? 
I do know this, though. Allen would run across town with a bunch of future Huskies on his tail. That’s the kind of guy Allen is -- a friend to everyone, and a great example for the next wave of Huskies. 
Remember the fight between Rocky and Apollo at the end of Rocky III, no cameras or fans, just a favor to a friend. 
So, Jack and Victor. One more match? You’re welcome to the idea. 
And yes, I wrote all of this with the Rocky song on repeat. 
Jack Allen. Champion. 
RICHARD RHODEN can be reached at sports@hamilton.net.