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Cooper to wrestle at North Iowa CC
By Brad Cameron/Gate City Sports Editor
Seth Cooper helped resurrect a wrestling program during his four years at Keokuk High School. He will try to do the same at the next level.
Cooper will attend North Iowa Community College in Mason City and joins a school that has just reinstated its wrestling program for the 2007-08 season.
“I always wanted to keep going in wrestling., “Cooper said. “I never really wanted to quit after high school because it's one thing I love, so I might as well stick with it.
“I chose NIACC because it's kind of a small school, and I really liked the coach. The team is going to be pretty good this year.”
NIACC decided to reinstate wrestling into its athletic program after running a highly successful program three decades ago. The Trojans wrestling program began in 1967 and the program had compiled a 126-18-2 mark and won a national title at the community college level before the sport was dropped in 1976.
Head Wrestling Coach Richard Fergola has put together a 35-man roster for the upcoming season.
“That coach landed some very good talent this year,” said Keokuk Head Coach Tom Rose. “He got some state champions and some very highly nationally recruited kids to come there. He also got some local boys from this area, which will help Seth and his transition being so far away from home.
“It looks like if they can carry the success they had recruiting into wrestling, NIACC is going to have a fun team to watch.”
Fergola coached Dana College of Nebraska to a NAIA National Title in 2006. He also led the Vikings to a fifth-place finish in 2005 and a fourth-place finish in 2007 during his three seasons at the school.
“Their coach has accomplished a lot, and the team he has assembled is going to be tough,” Cooper said.
NIACC also recently hired former Iowa State University wrestler T.J. Sebolt as an assistant coach. Sebolt won four state titles and finished with a record of 207-1 during his four years wrestling at Centerville High School. His 207 victories is a high school record.
Sebolt will be working with Cooper and the other wrestlers in the smaller weight classes. Cooper will be wrestling at 133 pounds.
“Seth is going to have a phenomenal workout partner,” Rose said.
NIACC recruited an accomplished wrestler in Cooper, who helped turnaround a Keokuk program that was down.
“Seth was a part of a group of seniors who are basically the pioneers of our program,” Rose said. “They got this program to where it is right now, and it's nice to see Seth go on and wrestle at the next level.”
Cooper was a varsity wrestler as a freshman, but he began to flourish as a wrestler his sophomore season. Cooper won Keokuk's first district wrestling title since Paul Johnson in 2000 and was the school's first state qualifier since Josh Rose in 2001. Two other Keokuk wrestlers (Kyle Riddle and Ryan Helenthal) would later qualify for the state tournament.
Cooper finished his sophomore season 32-9.
“It had been a while since we even had a state qualifier,” Rose said.
Cooper increased his win total to 36 his junior season, but a successful season ended with disappointment when he failed to qualify for the state tournament.
That disappointment fueled Cooper for his final season. He finished his senior season 35-6 and earned a second trip to the state tournament. He was able to share the moment with his younger brother Ethan, who qualified for the state meet as a freshman.
“That was amazing,” Cooper said. “It was kind of weird at first because I wasn't used to wrestling with him on the same team and looking toward the other end of the room and seeing my little brother there. When he wrestled at districts and making it to state I was really happy for him.”
Cooper finished with a career record of 119-35. Cooper was the second wrestler in school's history to win 100 matches.
“I'm really happy with what I've accomplished,” Cooper said. “There are some things here and there I could have done better. I could have listened to my coach a little more, but I'm proud, the parents are proud, and my friends supported me a lot.”
Cooper will attend North Iowa Community College in Mason City and joins a school that has just reinstated its wrestling program for the 2007-08 season.
“I always wanted to keep going in wrestling., “Cooper said. “I never really wanted to quit after high school because it's one thing I love, so I might as well stick with it.
“I chose NIACC because it's kind of a small school, and I really liked the coach. The team is going to be pretty good this year.”
NIACC decided to reinstate wrestling into its athletic program after running a highly successful program three decades ago. The Trojans wrestling program began in 1967 and the program had compiled a 126-18-2 mark and won a national title at the community college level before the sport was dropped in 1976.
Head Wrestling Coach Richard Fergola has put together a 35-man roster for the upcoming season.
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“It looks like if they can carry the success they had recruiting into wrestling, NIACC is going to have a fun team to watch.”
Fergola coached Dana College of Nebraska to a NAIA National Title in 2006. He also led the Vikings to a fifth-place finish in 2005 and a fourth-place finish in 2007 during his three seasons at the school.
“Their coach has accomplished a lot, and the team he has assembled is going to be tough,” Cooper said.
NIACC also recently hired former Iowa State University wrestler T.J. Sebolt as an assistant coach. Sebolt won four state titles and finished with a record of 207-1 during his four years wrestling at Centerville High School. His 207 victories is a high school record.
Sebolt will be working with Cooper and the other wrestlers in the smaller weight classes. Cooper will be wrestling at 133 pounds.
“Seth is going to have a phenomenal workout partner,” Rose said.
NIACC recruited an accomplished wrestler in Cooper, who helped turnaround a Keokuk program that was down.
“Seth was a part of a group of seniors who are basically the pioneers of our program,” Rose said. “They got this program to where it is right now, and it's nice to see Seth go on and wrestle at the next level.”
Cooper was a varsity wrestler as a freshman, but he began to flourish as a wrestler his sophomore season. Cooper won Keokuk's first district wrestling title since Paul Johnson in 2000 and was the school's first state qualifier since Josh Rose in 2001. Two other Keokuk wrestlers (Kyle Riddle and Ryan Helenthal) would later qualify for the state tournament.
Cooper finished his sophomore season 32-9.
“It had been a while since we even had a state qualifier,” Rose said.
Cooper increased his win total to 36 his junior season, but a successful season ended with disappointment when he failed to qualify for the state tournament.
That disappointment fueled Cooper for his final season. He finished his senior season 35-6 and earned a second trip to the state tournament. He was able to share the moment with his younger brother Ethan, who qualified for the state meet as a freshman.
“That was amazing,” Cooper said. “It was kind of weird at first because I wasn't used to wrestling with him on the same team and looking toward the other end of the room and seeing my little brother there. When he wrestled at districts and making it to state I was really happy for him.”
Cooper finished with a career record of 119-35. Cooper was the second wrestler in school's history to win 100 matches.
“I'm really happy with what I've accomplished,” Cooper said. “There are some things here and there I could have done better. I could have listened to my coach a little more, but I'm proud, the parents are proud, and my friends supported me a lot.”
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