Arlington High School's three senior wrestlers are finishing out their careers exactly where they wanted to from the start.
Trevor Cooley, Hunter Gilmore and Josh Miller qualified for the NSAA State Wrestling Championships last Saturday during the Class C District 1 Tournament at Albion Boone Central. The trio have now combined for 11 state qualifications, six medals and a state title.
“It's a family we've created in practice,” Cooley said. “Me, Josh, Hunter — we've been wrestling like this 13 years now. They're my power. They've got my back, and I do everything for them.”
While Gilmore and Miller swept through their brackets and won district titles Saturday, Cooley faced the pressures of an elimination match at 126 pounds. After a 9-2 decision win during the first round, the Eagle was pinned by Fillmore Central's Alex Schademann.
The loss sent Cooley to the consolation semifinals, which is also referred to as the “heartbreak round.” Win and the 126-pounder could move onto the third-place match and state. A loss, however, would have ended his season.
Cooley prevailed, pinning Daniel Musgrave of Nebraska Christian in 2:59 before earning third with a 6-2 decision win against David City's Ethan Zegers.
Gilmore, meanwhile, breezed through the 145-pound bracket with two first-period pins and a 18-2 technical fall in the semifinals. His finals match against Fillmore Central's Aiden Hinrichs took just 1:21.
With the three wins, Gilmore — a Chadron State wrestling recruit — improved to 43-1 this season. He is 187-6 in his career.
Miller — a 2020 state champion — is 186-12 in his AHS career after going 3-0 Saturday in Albion. The 170-pounder won his first two matches by first-period pin before claiming the top spot on the podium with a 6-0 decision against 43-7 David City wrestler Tre Daro in the finals.
Overall, the Eagles finished seventh in the District 1 Tournament team standings with 62.5 points. Fort Calhoun was sixth with 64, while David City won the event with 182.
Arlington's Trey Hill (106 pounds), Kolton Gilmore (132) and Will Eppenbaugh (152) also competed at districts, combining to go 2-6. Hill and Eppenbaugh finished just a win shy of their own state qualifications.
Next, though, three Arlington seniors prepare for Friday's 5 p.m. start to the Class C tournament in Omaha.
“A lot of practice. A lot of moving on bottom,” Cooley said last Saturday when asked about the preparation ahead. “And just finishing the season out after 13 years.”
The Eagle trio will close out their runs together at the CHI Health Center.
