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When
Tri-Village takes the floor in Columbus tonight, there will be a
little bit of deja vu there.
When senior Tyler Cook (44) and his
cousin, junior Damien (25), hit the floor, there will
be a little bit
of the 1992 Patriots team there as well. CNO file photos by Dylan
Knoop.
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Cook
cousins thrilled about being on the big stage
By
George Starks
NEW MADISON- It was 1991 and the Tri-Village Patriots were at the top of the pack in Ohio.
Entering the sectional tournament, the Patriots were ranked #1 AP in the state and were sporting a massive 20-0 mark.
That undefeated mark was made for the second year in a row as the
Patriots, dubbed as the Bad Boys, had some of the best players in the
area.
Led by guys like Shane Bietry, Nate Lindamood, Dirk Lewis, Lee Brandon
and a host of others, the man in the middle was senior Scoob Cook.
Then, the head coach was Lee Falknor.
Now, 23 years later, the Patriots are going back to the state capital, but this time, the names are a little different.
Tommy Bell, Tyler VanWinkle, Mason McCabe, Colton Linkous along with head coach, Josh Sagester.
In addition, there are two kids that sport the same last name…Cook.
Senior Tyler and his cousin Damien will bring a bit of that 1991 team
on the floor as Damien is the son of Scoob, while Tyler is Scoob’s
nephew.
“This is amazing, being able to play with my cousin and going to state
in my senior year,” said Tyler. “This is just totally amazing.”
“This is totally amazing to be going to state with Tyler,” said Damien.
“It makes it more special knowing my dad was there. All we do is talk
about it, so just getting here makes it more special to us.”
In 1991, the late Matt Renfro said that team was special. They were
always together and would often blow off their girlfriends on the
weekends, just to spend time together.
After the win in the regional finals, those same comments were made by a long time Patriot fan.
Damien elaborated on the comments that were made.
“We spend a lot of time together, and we put in a lot of hard work.
Now, it’s paying off for us,” said Damien. “We are together 24/7 it
seems like. So I think this is a special group.”
The Patriots knocked off Marion Local, 62-44, to earn the right to go on to the big stage in Columbus.
Tyler knew it would be a good game.
“We knew they were a good team, but we were better that night,” said
the senior Cook. “The game was close until the fourth quarter and we
came out, hit two or three big shots and we just kept going.”
Despite being the horse in the middle, Tyler doesn’t hesitate to give out the accolades.
“We have a lot of guys on this team that can get the job done. We are a
team,” said Tyler. “All these guys can get the job done on any night of
the week.”
While Tyler has been a part of the only team in Patriot history to win
back-to-back District titles, the 2014 year was the first at the
varsity level for Damien.
“Being with this group of boys and having that special bond between us
makes this season super special,” said Damien. “Having my cousin here
makes it pretty special.”
With a 26-1 record, Tyler summed the season up in a very sweet term.
“This has been one heck of a ride,” Tyler stated.
Tyler ended things with comments on Coach Sagester.
“He’s one really good man,” said Tyler. “He knows what he’s talking
about and I love playing for him. He’s a great coach. He’s cool and
calm under pressure. This season has been unbelievable. It’s like a
dream come true.”
Tri-Village will meet Convoy Crestview (27-0) at 8:30 in Columbus.
If you are not able to be there, Scott Ward will have the play-by-play
call with the pre-game starting at 8 p.m. on WTGR, 97.5 or on wtrg.com.
(Correction: It
seems I have referred to the last state team for the Patriot boys being
1992. I apologize for this, as it was the 1991 team that went to state.
Again, my apologizes to the 1991 Tri-Village team and my readers.)
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