Bowman, Cooke to represent BHS in Fairfax

Four Battlefield wrestlers earned top-six finishes at the Group AAA Northwestern Regional wrestling meet this weekend in Stafford, two of whom will be advancing to the state champion this weekend at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax.

Senior Matt Bowman and junior Tevin Cooke earned third and fourth place titles, respectively, at Colonial Forge High School. Bowman posted a 5-1 record at the 130-lbs level while Cooke ended up 4-2. Josh Wilkens (103 lbs) and Emitt Kelly (135 lbs) both finished in sixth placed. Top-four finishers in each weight class advance to states.

"I didn't wrestle like I should have but it's okay, I'm going to states," said Bowman.

Battlefield did not practice as a full team for 10 days prior to the weekend meet due to the blizzards. Even the Cedar Run District championship was canceled, forcing the boys to take matters into their own hands.

The four top-six finishers each met up at Cooke's Haymarket home during their time off from school. They sparred on a wrestling mat in the basement, basically just attempting to keep in shape with a future uncertain.

According to Kelly, that's the type of work ethic that helped a guy like Bowman, whom he said "practiced when there wasn't practice" during the season.

"(He) just had the mind for it," said Kelly.

Cooke used the extra time off to recuperate from a bruising regular season that included him tearing his meniscus (knee cartilage).

"I wanted to be mentally stronger" entering regions, said Cooke, adding that he wanted to improve his endurance. Wilkens kept the same mentality, hitting the Dominion Valley fitness center during break as he tried to "stay in shape" so he wouldn't be "tired in the third period."

Bowman, Kelly and Cooke all started the regional tournament strong with first-round wins while Wilkens earned a bye. Kelly and Wilkens both ran into problems in the second round and were forced into the consolation bracket with losses while Bowman earned a pin and Cooke won a 5-2 decision.

"He was a big kid, so he was hard to get underneath," said Cooke.

However, he used his opponent's wing span against him when he posted up and went under his arms.

Cooke earned points with two take-downs and an escape and conceded an escape point just to put the bout into a bit of a holding pattern.

His friend Sean Dunn of Heritage HS turned the tables on Cooke in the next match with a 5-2 win.

"It was a good match, but I was pretty upset when I went to the bleachers," said Cookie, who said he didn't even want to be there anymore at that point.

But he quickly recovered mentally, told himself, "No, I'm going to states," and roared back with an 8-4 win over Forest Park's Josh Kingett.

"If you can get those first couple points the way you want," he said, "(it) helps you wrestle smart."

On the other hand, those trailing are forced to try riskier maneuvers, which can backfire if not executed properly. He described one scenario where his opponent tried to put him in a headlock, only for Cooke to duck and attack from behind.

Cooke's sixth matched ended in an 11-9 overtime loss, which he said came against a guy who was like a "brick wall."

"I would just hit him and I was stuck," he said.

Bowman, meanwhile, said he wrestled "each match like it's my last one because it kind of could be."

Without giving away his strategy, Bowman said one of his keys to success if paying attention to the other wrestler's feet and stance.

"Everybody's different," said Bowman.

Practically, making it into the title round meant more for Bowman than clinching the third-place title.

"It's huge because I'm a senior and if I didn't win that match, it would be the end of my career," he said.

His win in the final round simply meant he would face a No. 2 seed at states in the first round than a No. 1 seed if he came in fourth like Cooke.

Wilkens said that after coming back from his first loss, his third-round pin boosted his confidence heading into the fourth round, where he recorded his second-straight pin.

"It let me know I could do this again," he said.

Kelly's three wins came by decisions, and his final three rounds all produced close results. Once he posted a 7-2 win, he beat his friend from Stonewall Jackson Tyler Brown in a closely-fought 2-1 match.

"We wanted to make sure we had competed against each other," said Kelly.

Though the day ended with two straight two-point losses, the sophomore Kelly said he plans to "train harder and get stronger" for the next season.

As for what happens next week, Cooke said, "I love being the underdog because there's no pressure. If I can go out there and beat him, everyone's like, 'Yeah!'"

Wilkens said what helped Bowman and Cooke advance to states is their passion for the sport.

"They love wrestling. They just work so hard at it," he said.