Record Newspapers Athlete of the Week: Cooper Corder, Sandwich, wrestling, sophomore

Name: Cooper Corder

School: Sandwich, sophomore

Sport: Wrestling

Why he was selected: Corder beat Princeton’s Ace Christiansen to win the 144-pound championship at the St. Bede Regional, helping lead Sandwich to the team regional title.

He was selected the Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Here is is interview with Sports Editor Joshua Welge.

So you have a history with the Princeton wrestler. What was the key to beating him this time? How challenging is it to wrestle a guy you’ve faced so much?

Corder: Yes, Ace and I have wrestled a numerous amount of times at this point but my mindset doesn’t change going into a match against him compared to anyone else. Obviously he is a talented wrestler but when I go out there I am focused on getting to my offense and ultimately having fun. Since we have wrestled a lot we have both picked up on each other’s styles, but most importantly I think we have helped one another get better and grow not only as wrestlers but individuals as well.

What did it mean to win not only an individual but team regional title?

Corder: Winning another individual regional title is awesome but what made it much better was being able to go out there and help contribute to our team so we can advance to team sectionals. These guys on my team are like my family at this point and having each other through the wins and losses of the season is nothing less than awesome. We also have some seniors on the team who I’m not quite ready to let go of yet so it’ll be nice to wrestle with them a little younger.

How has the season gone otherwise? How do you feel you have improved as a wrestler this season?

Corder: This season has had its ups and downs for sure but I have constantly been pushing through anything that comes in my way. Over the summer I trained night and day to continue my life long goals with wrestling and it is shining more than ever this year. I love wrestling a lot and being able to train with the people and support I do is truly a blessing.

What’s your goals for the next couple weeks?

Corder: Going into this weekend I will be taking it one match at a time and not overlooking anybody in the bracket. I know there are some tough guys lined up there but in my mind I’m the best kid in there and I’m excited to go put on for not only myself but for Sandwich. After that we have state where I will be chasing a state title for myself, as long as team sectionals the following Tuesday where we will put up a fight to hopefully go down to team state.