By Trey Hunter
Sports Editor
OKLAHOMA CITY – Austin Cooley is no longer the new kid in town.
The former State Tournament qualifier in Texas and his family were in search for the right school and the right program when they relocated to Oklahoma. They chose Piedmont, a smaller community, but within driving distance of dad’s job. That decision paid off this weekend and this season.
Cooley finished runner-up at 182 pounds in the 2019 Class 5A State Tournament Saturday at Jim Norick Arena and nearly pulled off the upset for the championship. He built a 7-1 lead and nearly caught Coweta’s Talon Borror, a two-time State champion and one of two wrestlers to defeat Cooley this year, with a pin before Borror bounced back and flipped the script with a fall in the second period.
“I went out there knowing what I needed to do,” Cooley said of his final match of the year. “I was beating him pretty good and I was pretty confident standing against him. But he was a little squirrely and when I shot he caught me on a throw and it was kind of just bad luck.
“Although I would have liked to take first, I was really close in that last match. I think I came out with a really good season, although I’m not fully satisfied with it.”
The junior reached the State Tournament finals with a pair of falls in the first round and the semifinals. He opened with a second-period fall over Duncan’s JJ Harris and followed with a second-period fall over Ada’s Kohner Gallager in the semis.
Cooley knew it would be different in Oklahoma, but he found a way to click with his coaches and teammates and eventually understood that Piedmont is now home.
“It was really tough at the beginning, getting adjusted with everything,” Cooley said of the move from Texas to Oklahoma. “They do a few things different than where I was in Texas. But in the end I think it made me better for it.
“Piedmont was definitely the town to move to. Practicing with these guys and the coaches really helped me this season. I realized the differences between here and Texas. In Texas, wrestling is just something you do until football season. But for kids in Oklahoma, it’s a lifestyle and I love it.”
For Piedmont coach Erik Ford, Cooley was more than a welcome addition to his team. He was a difference-maker.
“I’m super proud of the way he wrestled this weekend and the way he competed all year long,” Ford said. “Obviously, he’s a big addition and we’re glad to have him. He has a good personality, kind of quiet, and he’s great in the room and a really hard worker.
“The loss in the finals hurts now, but we’ll go back and look at it and get better from there moving forward. We’re really excited about what he can do next year.”
Cooley is already preparing for summer wrestling and what he and his new team can accomplish next year.
“We lose a lot of heavy hitters,” he said. “But we still have some guys and some really good young guys too. I think we can keep this momentum going into next year and keep the program on equal footing or even improve. It’s going to be exciting.”
Cooley finished the season 32-4 with championship runs in the 2018 Chuck West Invitational at Bristow, the Carl Albert Tournament and the 2019 Class 5A West Regional at Duncan.
