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Even after all the hard work he's put in to achieve his goal of getting a college wrestling scholarship, Grand Island Northwest's Hadley Cooksley remains hungry.
Minutes after signing his national letter-of-intent to wrestle for Nebraska next season, Cooksley said Wednesday at Northwest High School that not all of his goals have been accomplished. Far from it.
"I've definitely had a great career wish it could've been a little better but I think it has left me still hungry to be the best," Cooksley said. "There are high goals for me, I think. Ultimately, I want to be a national champion."
Northwest coach Brian Sybrandts said he definitely thinks there are big things ahead for Cooksley at the next level.
"I really think he's got a tremendous upside with the athletes that Nebraska brings in," Sybrandts said of Cooksley. "With him being able to work with some of the top guys in the nation up there in Lincoln, that can only help him.
"The guys we had in the room (at Northwest) couldn't push him as hard as he probably needed to be pushed, but at Lincoln, he'll be pushed a great deal."
Cooksley wrapped up a stellar high school wrestling career for the Vikings in February with a second-place finish in the Class B state tournament at 285 pounds, despite weighing in at 235. He ended his senior season 34-1, winning via pin in every match he stepped on the mat to wrestle leading up to the state finals.
Overall, Cooksley was 113-17 at Northwest, setting school records for career victories and wins by fall (85). He was also a three-time state medallist.
In determining his college plans, Cooksley said he was torn between joining his brother, Aaron Cooksley, to play football at Chadron State or trying to wrestle. After the state high school wrestling meet, the Northwest senior decided to go with grappling and picked Nebraska over NCAA Division II national champion Nebraska-Kearney.
"After state, we kept talking and I went on some other visits," Cooksley said. "After my visit (to Nebraska), everything was about perfect so it was a no-brainer."
It doesn't hurt that the Cornhuskers finished fourth in this past season's NCAA Championships at St. Louis. Cooksley said he is also impressed with Huskers' coach Mark Manning.
"He seems like a great guy," Cooksley said. "He's definitely someone who's going to put you in a place to succeed. He's got great intensity.
"They have a great team. They have a great opportunity to win it next year."
Cooksley, who plans to major in human biology, said he expects to redshirt in his first season at Nebraska. The Vikings' three-sport standout said the Husker coaching staff hasn't really told him anything to specifically work on yet, but he already has his own ideas.
"I think the biggest thing for me is just my intensity level, keeping my intensity level up the whole seven-minute match," Cooksley said. "They're a minute longer matches (in college), so my conditioning has got to get a lot better."
Sybrandts said Cooksley earning a scholarship is a great boost for everyone involved with the Northwest wrestling program - not to mention Cooksley himself.
"He's probably the hardest worker I've ever had," Sybrandts said. "He's got great dedication to the weight room and the wrestling room."
And Wednesday, Cooksley reaped the benefits of his dedication.
"This is what I did all that for, to have an opportunity like this," Cooksley said. "Finally, for it to be here, it feels good.
"I just had a competition with myself and a drive to make myself better. If you want to be better than your opponents, you've got to put more time in than they are, so I think that was always playing in the back of my mind."
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