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Coudersport High School has been blessed. On Saturday, March 8, 2008, we were lucky enough to have another State Champion. Many schools have never had a State Champion in any sport. Sophomore wrestler Dirk Cowburn earned a hard fought State Title in the 152 pound weight class. He joins three other Coudersport Scholar Athletes to earn a State Title. The first was Connie Hall in 1984 in the 800 meters. In 1989 another grappler, Tom Storey won the 189 pound Championship. Kristin Zimmerman made her mark in the long jump in 1996.
For those of us who made the trip to Hershey to watch Dirk in action, it was a real treat and worth every moment. Dirk started with a 10-2 decision over Eli Snyder of Huntingdon on Thursday, March 6, 2008. After a Quarterfinal 15-8 drubbing of Mike Brant from Westmont-Hilltop, a showdown with the North East Region #1, Corey Lear of Benton was set for Friday night in the Semi-Finals. Dirk had little problem with Lear with a 9-2 decision. The 2 points Lear received were 2 escapes that Dirk gave him.
That left Dirk and Ethan Laudermilch from NE Bradford in District 4 set for the Championship match for Saturday afternoon. With 2 first quarter takedowns, Dirk built up an early lead and held onto to win 5-2 and earn his first State Championship.
With the bad weather that had set in here at Coudersport, Dirk and his entourage opted to stay in Hershey Saturday night and come home Sunday. And what a homecoming it was. With fire trucks and dozens of cars waiting for him in Sweden Valley, a parade ensued down East Second Street to the High School parking lot where many more fans were waiting to congratulate our latest State Champion.
Again, CONGRATULATIONS to Dirk and his Family. It takes and incredible amount of commitment and dedication to achieve this goal. Not to mention the number of miles they've traveled to tournaments and the number of nights spent in hotel rooms. We're all VERY PROUD OF YOU! I for one am already looking forward to next wrestling season!
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