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Osceola's Cooper Haase won four state high school wrestling championships — at four different weight classes. PHOTO/COREY HAASE
Although several wrestlers were worthy of consideration, including state-champions Anderson Heap and Nelson Toro, Osceola High’s Cooper Haase is the Osceola News-Gazette Wrestler of the Year for a second straight season.
Haase finished senior year and Kowboys career with a 49-1 record and winning the Class 3A 152-pound state championship to claim his fourth consecutive state title, in four different weight classes. His list of accomplishments included winning Orange Belt Conference, district and regional titles, as well as the prestigious Knockout Christmas Classic – which featured numerous nationally-ranked wrestlers and state champions from across the Southeast.
His only loss came at the heavily-stacked Powerade Holiday Tournament in Cannonsburg, Pa., where he was defeated 5-2 by Ty Watters – a Pennsylvania State champion, WVU signee and third-ranked wrestler in the nation at his weight class.
Haase lost only twice in the last two seasons – both to nationally ranked wrestlers. His 204-11 career record includes four individual state championships (freshman, 106 pounds; sophomore, 120; junior, 132). He tied Fox Baldwin’s school record of four championships won from 2012-15.
Osceola coach Rick Tribit hesitates comparing Haase to Baldwin, who won a fifth state title at a private school as an eighth grader, remains the nation’s all-time leader in wins and pins and defeated 39 other state champions during his illustrious career.
“I’m sort of glad you didn’t ask me to vote on the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) for Osceola wrestling,” Tribit said. “Fox obviously had a legendary career but you could make a very strong case that Cooper needs to be mentioned in the same breath. Cooper is everything a coach could ask for in a wrestler. He’s super talented, a hard worker, a great teammate and extremely coachable. On natural ability alone, he would be awesome but his real secret is his work ethic, his constantly wants to learn and try new things, and has a desire to be perfect.”
Haase will continue his wrestling career at the United States Military Academy in the fall.
“An opportunity to get a first rate education and to serve my country was really appealing to me,” Haase said. “But the fact that every aspect of Academy life is so structured was really an important factor. They tell you what classes to take, they tell you when to eat, they tell you when to sleep, and they tell you when to practice. Like wrestling, it requires a lot of discipline and structure, so I can get down with that.”
ONG’s selection of Haase was not automatic. Teammate Anderson Heap also posted a sensational 54-2 season – winning his second consecutive state championship at 145 pounds. Heap will have a chance next year to become one of only four Osceola High wrestlers to claim at least three state championships. His career record stands at 141-10.
Harmony’s Nelson Toro was also heavily considered. He was the county’s only undefeated wrestler this season – going 46-0 and winning the Class 3A 285-pound title. A senior, Toro joins Sawyer Root as the second Harmony wrestler to win a state championship and is the first “homegrown” wrestler to spend all four years in the Longhorn program.
“Nelson had a great season,” Harmony coach Vic Lorenzano said. “When you consider he moved up in a weight class and was giving away 20, 30 or even 40 pounds to an opponent it makes that undefeated record look even more impressive.”
“All three wrestlers have great credentials,” Brant Parsons, editor of Kabra Wrestling, Florida’s premiere high school wrestling website, “But based on the overall talent in his weight class, who he wrestled and defeated both at the state and national levels, and four state championships, Cooper Haase certainly deserves the recognition.”
This year’s All-County nominees were all OBC champs, and there’s 12 district and seven regional champs.
All-County Wrestling: Wrestler of the Year — Cooper Haase, Osceola, Sr.
106 pounds — Landon Trigueros, Poinciana, Sr.; 113 — Talyn Fisk, OHS, Jr.; 120 — Evan Martinez, OHS, Sr.; 126 — Isfandier Sharipov, OHS, Soph.; 132 — Rey Ortiz, Harmony, Sr.; 138 — Shawn McCallister, HHS, Jr.; 145 — Anderson Heap. OHS, Jr.; 160 — Anthony Falotico, HHS, Sr.; 170 — Gunner Holland, OHS, Jr.; 182 — Bryan Gari, OHS, Jr.; 195 — Jomar Sanchez, OHS, Sr.; 220 — Elijah Vansickle, OHS, Soph.; 285 — Nelson Toro, HHS, Sr.
