Cowburn in, Frederick out for Falcon varsity wrestlers

Junior Steve White (top) is off to a fast start as Coudersport prepares for next weekend’s Redbank Valley Tournament. White (6-1) and freshman Dirk Cowburn (6-0) are leading the Falcons in the early season.

Freshman Dirk Cowburn met all the expectations as he made his varsity wrestling debut in impressive fashion.

The son of Dan and Darla Cowburn, Dirk has already earned accolades in various youth wrestling activities. His arrival at the scholastic level came at the same time first-year head coach Thad Taylor learned that another standout, senior Kody Frederick, had opted to play basketball instead of wrestling this season.

Cowburn rolled through his varsity opening with a spotless 5-0 record Saturday during a grueling day at the Kane Duals. He pinned all four of his 145- lb. opponents, all in less than two minutes, and showed his ability to adjust and focus on technique in a 6-3 win over Johnsonburg’s Judd Zilcosky at 152.

Junior Steve White also performed well at Kane. He pinned three of his 160-lb. foes, won a fourth match by a 4-3 decision, and fell to Oswayo Valley star Zeke Drake, 11-2. Those two are sure to meet again.

Rich Keagle (189), Mike Dunn (215) and Kyle Collins (285) registered two wins apiece.

Hurt by forfeits in the lighter weight classes, the Falcons came away from Kane with losses to Corry (57-24), Ithaca (48-24), Johnsonburg (60-21), Kane (43-23) and Oswayo Valley (52-15).

“Our guys kept their chins up all day, even though we struggled as a team,” Taylor said. “Our forfeits and inexperience took a toll, but we had some terrific individual performances. I’m proud of our guys. We’ll continue to work hard on fundamentals and the experience will come.”

Coudy beats Sheffield

On Tuesday night, that determination paid dividends in a 45-17 win at Sheffield. Cowburn (6-0) and White (6- 1) pinned their opponents in under a minute at 145 and 160. Collins improved to 4-3 with a quick pin at 285, while Keagle went to 3-3 with a pin in 1:05.

Brett Chilson won a 9-4 decision at 171. Dunn (4-3, 215), Sean Davis (140) and Keegan DeLung (152) won by forfeit.

“We knew they only had eight wrestlers, but we didn’t know where they’d be,” Taylor said. “We got the match-ups we wanted and Chilson really came through big for us at 171 with a nice, hard-fought decision.”

The going gets tougher next Friday and Saturday when the Falcons return to action in the Redbank Valley Tournament.