February 18, 2025
Canoyer, Millage will return to The Well
At the district tournament in Truro on February 15, Cardinal senior Dallas Canoyer earned his fourth trip to Wells Fargo Arena for the state tournament with a 1st place finish at 126. By winning the 120 lb. division, sophomore Max Millage will make his second appearance at state.
Both were top seeds in their respective classes. Sometimes it’s not easy wrestling with a target on your back, especially at the pressure-packed district tournament, but neither Canoyer nor Millage showed any signs of flinching. Canoyer won his first match by technical fall, then his final two by fall. Millage won by fall, technical fall, then by major decision.
“There’s some weight on those matches,” said Coach Strandberg, “but I think for the most part those guys are all business. They’ve been here before. They know how to handle pressure. They know how to be smart in these situations.”
Canoyer has been in the Cardinal lineup since he was a freshman, and since then he’s been among the top handful of wrestlers in the state—whatever weight class he’s been in. He’s aware that other wrestlers know who he is and are out to ‘get him,’ but he trusts his training.
“I know some kids will try to catch me and try to throw me or something,” he said. “But I’m comfortable enough with all that stuff. With all the Greco I’ve done, and all the freestyle. I just stayed on the legs here and just went to work.”
For Millage, mental preparation is as critical as the physical work.
“I just got to my stuff and tried to stay out of my own head,” he said. “I just told myself I was the best—and then performed.”
Coach Strandberg and his staff may have been more nervous for the top two Cardinals than Canoyer and Millage were going into this tournament—but that’s just part of the job description.
“When you’re the number one guy, everybody else is out there training for that one big thing that might be able to catch you,” said Coach Strandberg. “So, as coaches, that’s what we’re kind of looking out for. We just told them to keep it clean, keep it simple. Get on, get off, and make sure that you win your match, so we move on to where we’re supposed to be.”
Canoyer
Canoyer was never threatened by any of his opponents. He looked smooth and confident and kept his strategy simple.
“I just went to my sweeps and my doubles and my low doubles,” he said. “That’s about it. That’s what I do.”
Canoyer opened with a win by technical fall, 15-0, over Syler Shaffer (Panorama) at 2:25. In the semifinal, he won by fall over Will Gelner (Interstate 35) at 2:49. He took care of business even quicker in the 1st place match, winning by fall over Max Wingert (Logan-Magnolia) at 1:19.
Canoyer has recently dealt with a minor illness, but he’s feeling fit and ready to go as he heads into his final appearance at the state tournament.
“My training this year has been a lot different,” he said. “I’ve just been a lot better this year. I’ve been able to get off the bottom a lot. I’m just going to go to state and be me, and whatever happens, happens.”
Canoyer doesn’t take the state tournament for granted, but as a four-timer, he knows that the best thing to do is to treat it as just another tournament.
“Just keep it going, match by match,” he said. “It’s a really cool place to be. A lot of people don’t get a chance to do that. So, just experience it. It’s awesome.”
Millage
Millage had wrestled all three of his district opponents before, but, like Canoyer, Millage is more concerned about what he is doing than strategizing for other guys.
“I didn’t really think about it when I went into those matches,” he said. “I just wrestled.”
Millage won his opener by fall over Cobyn Snyder (Panorama) at 1:58. In the semifinal, he won by tech fall, 15-0, over Hunter Flactiff (Martensdale-St. Marys) at 1:59. He won by major decision, 11-3, over Boston Mateer (Interstate 35) in the 1st-place match.
Millage has wrestled clean and mean all season, having lost only 2 matches, and seems in top form as he heads to The Well. But in the few days preceding state, he’s still looking to improve.
“Everything can be cleaned up and can be sharper,” he said. “Cardio can be better. I just have to keep working. The job’s not finished.”
Everybody is a little nervous wrestling at state, but having experienced the bright lights last year, Millage will be a little more confident.
“I’ve already been to the big show and seen what it has in store,” he said. “So I just have to go try and take it.”
Konner Keller
Keller’s weight class was stacked. The #4 ranked wrestler in the state was there, a former state qualifier, and a tough conference foe that spent several weeks in the rankings this season. Still, the freshman got it done—with confidence and the power of positive thinking playing a critical role.
“I don’t even know how to describe it. I was so happy,” Keller said. “Strandberg kept telling me I’m good enough to go to state. I just kept thinking that, and it happened.”
Keller won his quarterfinal match by tech fall, 18-3, over Sawyer Lovell (Southeast Warren) at 2:34. Number 4 Jensen Dyer of Martensdale-St. Marys is 34-1 this season, and he pinned Keller in the semifinal at 5:02. Keller began the long march back with a win in the consolation semifinal by tech fall, 16-1, over Zach Diggins (Logan-Magnolia) at 5:05. In the 3rd place match, he pinned Braeden Thomas (Central Decatur), who was 41-6 this season, in just 37 seconds. When Dyer won the 1st place match, that set up a winner-take-all 2nd-place match between Keller and Laine Christe (Panorama). Christe is a tough senior that Keller and the coaching staff knew well.
“We’ve been wanting that one,” said Coach Strandberg. “We split with Christe this year. We know how he wrestles. He’s a hard get. He’s a senior. A senior versus a freshman at 113 pounds, you don’t see that a lot. We’ve been working with Konner the last two weeks. He got beat by him two weeks ago at AC/GC and we just kind of walked him through what would give him the best chance, and he executed pretty well.”
Indeed he did. Keller frustrated Christe for the entire 6 minutes and won by major decision, 13-4.
“Coming into it, I knew he was longer than me,” Keller said. “So I just knew I was going to have to stay away from the ties because he would just hold up with me. So I took a few shots, which I usually don’t do. I like to slide by a lot. But I took a few shots and completed them.”
Keller knows he’ll be battling a few butterflies this week in Des Moines, but, of course, is embracing his first trip to state.
“It’s going to be a little nerve wracking, I think,” he said. “But it will be exciting.”
Schedule
The state tournament runs Wednesday through Saturday. The first session for Class 1A starts at 1:30 on Wednesday, with the 1st and 2nd rounds and 1st-round consolations taking place that day. Keller will wrestle in the 1st round against Preston Beyer of Osage. Canoyer and Millage both got 1st-round byes and will wrestle in the 2nd round on Wednesday.
Earlham Echo 
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