BILLINGS — Billings Senior student Logan Cole is a man of many talents.
On the wrestling mats, his record is perfect so far in his senior season. He's also gifted in the classroom, earning a perfect ACT score this past spring.
The perfect exam score is rare, but so is Cole's work ethic. AP chemistry teacher Craig Beals said nothing about Cole is normal.
"He is an enigma," Beals said. "He is abnormal, but in a good way."
Beals has been Cole's teacher twice in his high school career and said his work ethic sets the standard for many in the halls at Senior High.
"His drive is so internal," Beals said. "It's not about doing it for show, he's just got this inner thing that keeps pushing him. We're lucky to have him here."
That drive and work ethic was on full display last year, when Cole began studying for the ACT exam in December. His father, Jason Cole, said giving himself a three-month timeline to prepare was completely his choice.
"He did that all on his own," the elder Cole said. "There wasn't any involvement from us other than supporting whatever he was doing."
Logan Cole said he spent about two hours a night working on practice exams and questions, knowing how important a high result would be for his future.
"I borrowed some textbooks from my teachers that had practice tests in them, and I looked up practice tests online," Cole said. "Pretty much just practice, practice, practice."
Those hours paid off in a big way for Cole, who said even with the preparation, he was pleasantly surprised by his score.
"I expected a high score, because I knew I had prepared a lot," Cole said. "But I wasn't expecting a 36. That was a surprise."
While it might have been a surprise to him, his mother, Melissa Cole, said it was just another instance of her son being exceptional.
"He's always been an overachiever," Melissa Cole said. "Even in school as an elementary school kid, he's always gone beyond."
Logan Cole, Class AA's top-ranked wrestler at 170 pounds, has committed to wrestle for the University of Missouri next year, where he plans to study something in the medical field. He said he is debating doing something in dentistry or orthopedics.
"Whatever he decides to do, he's going to do really, really well," Beals said. "He just won't stop until he does."
A decision he hasn't made yet, but one those around him know he'll likely be perfect at once again.
“I’m really proud of obviously all the hard work and the accomplishments he’s had, but probably more proud of the fact that he’s a good kid," Jason Cole said. "He’s a good person. He actually makes us better, because he sets such a high standard, so it's like, 'Well, if he can do it, then I guess we should, too.'"
