Powerful turnabout

Higgins trailed Dimond's John Bowie 8-3 with time running out in the third and final round of the 189-pound fifth-place match at last week's Cook Inlet Conference Championships.

Sure, the match was only for fifth place. But in Cook Inlet wrestling, fifth place goes a long way -- all the way to today's state championship meet at Chugiak High.

Higgins had a choice: lose and hang up his head gear, or win and spend another week training in the wrestling room.

It was all or nothing. So Higgins -- a senior who qualified for the state meet last season and wanted to experience it one last time -- gave it all.

With less than a minute left, officials called a timeout because Bowie had a bloody nose. Service assistant coach Tim Blumer used the break in action to tell Higgins to dig deep and somehow find a way to win.

"I don't care how you do it," Blumer told Higgins. "Just take the kid down on his back and stick him."

Higgins said nothing in return. He just gave Blumer and head coach Luke Duffy a stare of determination and walked back to the wrestling circle.

Then he did the seemingly impossible.

A head-and-arm move with 10 seconds left put Bowie on his back. For the first time in 4 minutes, 50 seconds, Higgins finally had control of the match. He fought hard to completely flatten Bowie's back.

With one second left on the clock, Higgins got the pin. He sprang to his feet and roared a Cougar-like cry as he secured his second straight trip to the state meet in dramatic fashion.

"Coach told me I had to go for the pin," he said. "So I took the chance. I didn't quit."

Dimond coaches protested that the fall came after the buzzer. The argument didn't last long. Officials gave the victory to Higgins.

"It was such a cool way to finish," said Duffy, a fourth-year coach for Service. "He just pulled it off."

Higgins said he didn't want to let down the team, which is sending more wrestlers to the state meet (16) than it has in years thanks to a strong showing in last weekend's consolation rounds.

In consolation action alone, the Cougars qualified 12 wrestlers, helping them finish second in the team standings behind perennial powerhouse South.

Years ago, Service was often the top dog. From 1985 to 2000, the Cougars captured six state titles, more than any other Class 4A school.

But the program nearly collapsed the year South opened in 2004. An exodus of Service students to the new school left the team with seven wrestlers in the room.

Five years later, the Cougars are back on track. This season they had 42 wrestlers and filled every weight class at last week's CIC meet.

Taking 16 wrestlers to the state meet is a huge accomplishment, Duffy said.

"It's making a statement that we're getting back to our old Service traditions," said Duffy, who won two state titles when he wrestled for the team from 1992-96.

Higgins' one-second victory symbolizes how far the Cougars have come, the coach said. The entire program was down to the proverbial last gasp in 2004, but rallied back to win.

Duffy doesn't expect Service to beat two-time defending state champion Colony or even CIC champion South this weekend. All he wants is for Higgins' never-give-up attitude to become an ongoing theme at the state championships.

"That's a heartbreaker for (Bowie)," Duffy said. "But it's a lesson learned that it's never too late."

Find Kevin Klott online at adn.com/contact/kklott or call 257-4335.