MUSKEGON TWP. - Just how serious was Ian Cook about capping off his great high school wrestling career with as much success as possible?
Well, just before the current season started, he and his father, former state wrestling champion Chad Cook, unrolled a wrestling mat in the family living room.
They've been using it for extra workouts here and there all season, and they do not roll it up when they are finished.
“I think it adds character to our house,” Cook said about the mat, which is in the living room because there’s no room in the basement. “My dad is 51 now and a little beat up, with some back problems and other things, but he’s always available to wrestle with me, no matter how he’s feeling.”
So how did Cook's mother react to having her living room turned into a makeshift wrestling room?
R-P's Ian Cook
"My dad and I moved it in there while she was gone," Cook explained. "She wasn't unhappy - more surprised. It was kind of funny. She was like 'What is this doing in here?' It will be gone after the state tournament."
The state tournament is this weekend, and it will be Cook's final chance to match the accomplishment of his father, who won his state title back in 1993, and was the first Chippewa Hills High School wrestler to do so.
Cook certainly seems to have a very good chance. He is having the best season of his varsity career with a perfect 48-0 record headed into the MHSAA Division 1 individual state finals on Friday and Saturday at Detroit's Ford Field.
He is a district and regional champion, and is ranked No. 2 in the state in the 144-pound weight class, behind Grayson Fuchs of Detroit Catholic Central, a sophomore phenom who won a state championship last year.
Cook obviously has a lot more experience that Fuchs, particularly in the heated competition of the state finals. He has come close to the top for three straight years, finishing third in the state in his weight class as a freshman, sixth as a sophomore, and third again last year.
Cook gets his arm raised after winning a match at the GMAA Tournament.
He would have to win three matches this weekend to reach the finals, and a possible chance to wrestle Fuchs. He has never wrestled the Detroit Catholic standout, but is aware of his reputation.
Cook has always been all about determination and meeting his goals, and has every intention of pushing hard in his final try for state glory this weekend. He also admits it would be very cool to match his dad and have two state wrestling champions in his family.
But for Cook, a state title is not do-or-die. He's more about being as prepared as he possibly can be, and wrestling his best after four years of preparation.
"I have a tall task ahead of me," Cook said. "(Fuchs) is a stud. He's all-around very good position-wise, and he wins close matches all the time. I think he is one of the best that Michigan has to offer, but I would be more than happy to go head-to-head with him.
"The ultimate goal is a state title, but it depends on my performance. If I were to pull off the upset, it would be an electric environment. If I ended up losing, it would be to no slouch. It depends on my performance. As long as I'm wrestling to the best of my ability, I won't be upset about anything.'
Best season came after injury and surgery
Ironically, Cook is having his best season following his most inactive offseason.
Last year, as a junior, he injured his shoulder at a tournament in Shelby, and continued to compete with the assistance of a brace.
After the season he learned that he had a torn labrum that required surgery. That occurred on May 23, and he was out of action for the entire offseason, which was highly unusual.
Since middle school, Cook had been a year-round wrestler. When the school seasons ended, he would hit the road for high-caliber tournaments at the state and national level, knowing the experience against skilled opponents would only help him get better.
But after the surgery, he could only sit, wait, heal and hope the inactivity would not destroy his chance for a great senior season.
"I tore it last January at the Super Duals in Shelby," Cook said. "At first I thought I may have just pulled something or tweaked my shoulder. My dad just massaged it for a while, then I finally got a shoulder brace, which actually led to more problems. I had heat stroke from using it at regionals, and I did not wear it at state."
Cook was healthy enough to compete when his senior season began in December, but admits he was nervous when the time came to hit the mat again.
That occurred on Dec. 7, and all doubts were quickly erased when Cook posted a perfect 4-0 record and cruised to the 144-pound championship at the season-opening Herm Wilkinson Classic at Howell High School.
"From the start of the match to the end, Ian gave his opponent zero breathing room and cruised to the top of the podium in dominant fashion,” R-P Coach Brad Cowles commented after Cook won the title match.
In other words, Cook had not skipped a beat.
"There was that thought in my mind, the possibility of not getting back to full health, and I knew that would be hard," Cook said. "In the first tournament back in December, I was still a little bit nervous about the shoulder, and kind of cautious. But things went great, and I knew I was ready to go."
Since then, Cook has taken those four straight wins and turned it into 48, without a loss along the way.
He won the 144-pound championship at the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association Tournament on Jan. 18 with a 3-0 record. He won the title at the O-K Green Conference Tournament on Jan. 31 with a 2-0 mark.
In the postseason, Cook cruised to the championship at the Division 1 individual district tournament at Rockford, beating Grandville's Tristen Dood 11-0 in the championship match.
He was still in top form two weekends ago at the individual regional tournament at Portage Northern, beating Brighton's Xander Courneya 10-2 in the championship match.
Cook after winning his fourth straight conference championship.
Cook said he did not expect to be undefeated this late in the season. On the other hand, he’s not stunned, because he’s been working extremely hard to perfect his craft since he was small, and the hard work has given him a lot of necessary confidence.
“I figured I would have maybe a couple of losses along the way, but now, thinking back, I guess I don’t see where I would have lost,” Cook said. “So I guess I’m not really surprised. I know I have put in the time and put in the work.”
One new twist that’s helped Cook this year is Wrestling Mindset, a special program he signed up for. Every two weeks a coach calls him and helps him review his mental approach, and how he can get the best possible results by programming his mind properly.
“We just go over mindset principals,” he said. “I stopped worrying about winning and just concerned myself with the things I can control. It’s like shifting your brain. It helps you realize that if you do the right things, you will win matches. I think the program has helped me a lot.”
The end of a great era for Team Cook
Cook has checked off a lot of impressive boxes in his senior season.
He became a four-time GMAA Tournament champion and a four-time O-K Green conference champion.
On Jan. 11, he posted a 5-0 record at a tournament in Alma and became Reeths-Puffer’s all-time wrestling victory leader. He ended the day with 181 career wins, which broke Hunter McCall's previous record of 177.
If Cook finishes in the top 8 in his weight class at the state finals, he will become the first R-P wrestler to win All-State honors for four consecutive years.
Most impressively, he reached the 200-win mark - an extremely rare feat for a high school wrestler - with his championship round victory at regionals.
Cook with his dad, former state wrestling champion Chad Cook, at a varsity meet.
“All year, when it looked like I had a chance to make it, everyone was asking me about it, and I just told them I thought I was going to be pretty close (to reaching 200),” said Cook, whose career varsity record is 200-15.
“When it happened, I pointed up at my family, and as I was walking back toward my family with the banner, so many people were patting me on the back and saying ‘Good job.’ It’s just crazy what can happen.”
Cook was also a driving force in helping the R-P wrestling team have another great season and win its third straight O-K Green conference team title.
Cook only filled one of 14 weight classes in the R-P lineup, so he could only score so many team points, but his leadership value was enormous, according to Coach Cowles.
“I could not ask for a better leader on my team,” said Cowles, a first-year varsity head coach who was also Cook’s youth wrestling coach. “I’ve coached great wrestlers throughout the years, but I have never had a kid who steps up the way Ian does, every match and every practice.
Cook and his family after he secured his remarkable 200th career victory.
“In the past only the coach would talk to the group, but every single practice this year I have let him give a little speech, because he got the kids motivated every single day. He’s a great kid and a great leader. He has made my job a lot easier.”
That just leaves the one big goal that Cook has been chasing for four years, and he says he’s ready to take his final shot this weekend in Detroit.
The state finals will not just be the end of Cook’s high school career. It will also be the end of a long journey for Team Cook - Ian and his dad, his mother Angie and his sister Emily.
For years, the four of them would hit the road on the weekends for Ian’s tournaments, wherever it took them. His mother and sister had to go in a different direction for a few years, because Emily, who is a few years older, was heavily involved in competitive cheerleading.
But his dad has been there for nearly all of his matches., every since he was very small.
Cook with his dad during his youth wrestling days.
“He’s the guy that got me started when I was six years old,” Cook said. “He’s been by my side every step of the way.
“He told me he wrestled in high school and asked me if I wanted to try it, and I was all for it. I wanted to be like him. At first I thought it was going to be like WWE, and we would be hitting each other and jumping off the top rope. Then I figured out that’s not what it was, but it was still fun for me.”
Cook doesn't remember exactly when his dad told him about winning a state title in high school. He said he never felt compelled to do the same thing, but starting wondering, after finishing third in the state as a freshman, if he could actually pull it off.
Whatever happens this weekend, Cook will always remember and cherish all the time he spent with his dad, pursuing excellence in the sport they both love.
“It’s been an experience I can’t explain,” Cook said. “It’s been so special that it’s hard to put it into words. He’s the guy I love and appreciate the most. He’s been with me almost every single meet. He still yells at me during all of my matches, even though I really can’t hear him.
"I am not really too concerned about matching his feat. I think it would be really great if we could have a family of state champions, but if it doesn't happen, I won’t feel like I let him down.
“He’s my number one supporter, and he’s happy with whatever I do.” 