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Photo by David Jose
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Chelsea sophomore Dakota Cooley finished fifth at 135 pounds in last weekend's Division 2 wrestling state final at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Cooley ended the year with an overall record of 50-6.
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Chelsea sophomore Dakota Cooley reached the Division 2 135-pound state semifinals before falling at last Saturday's wrestling final at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Over 42,000 spectators attended the three-day championship.
Cooley (50-6) lost to Allegan senior Andy Krcatovich (53-4) 12-8 in overtime in the state semifinal match. Krcatovich ended up losing 9-3 to Mason junior Craig Eifert (59-1) in the state final.
"The semifinals was a tough match," said Chelsea coach Kerry Kargel. "Dakota was leading 8-6 with eight seconds left (in regulation). The kid (Krcatovich) was able to take him down. The whole match was going our way until the last eight seconds."
Kargel, the dean of area coaches with 25 years under his belt, said he understood how Cooley felt losing with time winding down in the semifinals.
"I lost with 10 seconds left in the state semifinals when I was in high school," he said. "It's tough to get over. I was a sophomore, too. I knew exactly how Dakota felt. I told him he had to regroup and rebound."
Kargel went on to finish third in the state as a junior, followed by an undefeated senior season in which he captured a state championship.
"Your heart is crushed," Kargel said regarding losing a match late, especially so close to the state final. "But you learn from your experiences."
To begin the tournament, which ran from last Thursday through Saturday, Cooley defeated Warren Woods-Tower senior Ken Lowry (43-8) 6-1.
In his next bout, in the state quarterfinals, Cooley beat Flint Kearsley sophomore Troy Lamson (39-9) on a 10-0 major decision.
After losing to Krcatovich in the state semifinals, Cooley lost to Gaylord junior Andrew Olds (56-10) 6-3 in a wrestle-off match. Olds ended up placing fourth in the state.
In the state fifth-sixth-place match, Cooley defeated Dearborn Heights Annapolis junior Kyle Zapp (34-5) 9-5. With his victory, Cooley finished fifth overall in the state.
"He looked totally relaxed," Kargel said of the fifth-sixth-place bout. "He looked good."
Despite not making the state final, Kargel said he was proud of Cooley.
"When you're a sophomore and place fifth in the state, you've got to be happy," he said. "Last year (at finals), he was out (of tournament) pretty early. This year, he was more mature and he knew what he had to do. We took one match at a time. We didn't overlook anybody. All the kids at the state level are good."
Locally, Dexter senior Bret Marsh was upset at the Division 2 wrestling state finals.
Marsh (57-2), the defending 112-pound state champion, entered this year's 119 finals with a perfect 54-0 overall record.
In the state semifinals, Marsh lost to eventual champion Andrew Stepanovich (43-5), a junior from Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, 9-7 in overtime. Stepanovich would go on to defeat Allegan junior Steve Poffenberger (57-2) 6-4 in the state final.
After dropping his match to Stepanovich, Marsh defeated Ypsilanti senior Greg Egbert (53-2) 5-1, before losing 6-3 to Hastings junior Matt Watson (46-8) in the state third-fourth-place match.
To begin the tournament, Marsh defeated St. Clair Shores Lakeview junior Nick Marino (45-10) by a 17-1 technical fall.
In his second match, he beat Watson 1-0 in the state quarterfinals.
Also competing for Dexter at the Division 2 state final was junior heavyweight Corey Chamberlain.
Chamberlain (41-11) finished 1-2 during the three-day state final.
In his opening match, he defeated Oxford junior Dylan Smith (33-14) 4-1.
In the state quarterfinals, Chamberlain lost to Milan junior David Box (58-4) 6-2. Box ended up fifth in the state.
In the wrestle-off bracket, Chamberlain lost Lapeer East senior Jarrett Starr (48-5) 5-2. Starr would go on to place fourth in the state.
Winning the Division 2 heavyweight state title was Niles senior Kenyon Ellison (50-3). Ellison beat Caledonia senior Michael Schaibly (46-2) 4-1 in the final.
Sports Editor Don Richter can be reached at 475-1371 or at drichter@heritage.com.
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