North Platte freshman Cooper Kirkham took eighth place in a 64-man wrestling tournament in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on April 7.
VIRGINA BEACH – Getting the chance to spend the offseason wrestling against some of the top competition in the country, North Platte freshman Cooper Kirkham took eighth place in the National High School Coaches Association Championships on April 7.
Making the trek all the way to Virginia Beach, Virginia, the 138-pounder was in a 64-man bracket among athletes from all across the United States. Taking eighth place was good enough for All-American status.
Kirkham attends North Platte but wrestles for Mid-Buchanan in the co-op wrestling team. He made it to the Class 2 State Tournament and went 1-2 on opening day in the 132-weight class at the time.
Since he doesn’t play a spring sport, Kirkham has spent the spring wrestling and impressed at the NHSCA High School Nationals. He opened with a 15-4 win over Jayden Thomas from Phoenix, NY.
In the round of 32, Kirkham lost to Myles Burroughs (Providence, RI) by a score of 14-3. He bounced back with victories over Hendrick Capo (NY), Mitchell Tetreault (OH) and Harris Holley (GA).
Those matches happened on April 6 and on the last day, Kirkham came up short against Parker Quinn (NJ). He ended up on the podium, claiming eighth place.