Michael Cook looks at home on a wrestling mat — even in borrowed shoes.

The compact, muscular 16-year-old from Kuna High forgot his wrestling shoes Wednesday night, but he didn’t let the mishap faze him, dominating Middleton’s Coit Herrik to win his 120-pound match by technical fall.

It was the perfect primer for this weekend, where Cook will compete in the Rollie Lane Invitational at the Idaho Center in Nampa. The tournament features 44 teams from Idaho, Washington, Wyoming, Oregon, Utah and Nevada. Wrestling begins at 3 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday. Championship matches are scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday.

Cook, the defending 4A state and Rollie Lane champion at 103 pounds, is the No. 1 seed at 120 pounds. He is one of three defending champions from Idaho in the field, joining Centennial’s Hayden Tuma (132) and Lewiston’s Josh Carlton (126).

Joey Delgado (138) of Hermiston, Ore., and Ryan Nelson (182) of Lowry, Nev., are the two other defending champions in the field.

There are 38 state title holders, 40-plus nationally ranked wrestlers by Wrestling USA Magazine and eight USA Wrestling Fargo All-Americans scheduled to compete.

Cook finished second at 105 pounds in the Cadet Greco-Roman portion of the USA Wrestling Cadet & Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D., last summer, so this weekend’s elite field doesn’t intimidate the 5-foot-3 sophomore.

“He’s wrestled in so many competitions at a high level in that high-stress environment that he’s really competitive, but he doesn’t let the stress and anxiety get to him,” Kuna coach Pat Owens said. “He’s what you desire in an athlete when it comes to that.”

Said Cook: “It’s exciting. It makes you want to work that much harder to defend your title.”

Cook’s poise on the mat has been passed down over several generations.

His grandfather, Bruce Cook, wrestled for Washington State. His uncle, Brad Cook, was on Boise State’s squad, and his father, Scott Cook, was an All-American for Utah State.

“My dad is my main supporter and coach. He’s been my coach since I started,” Cook said. “He’s a good instructor, but when I’m on the mat, he’s not my dad, he’s my coach.”

Scott, who has been an assistant for the Kavemen since 2003, seems to be the opposite of an overbearing parent.

He introduced his son to the sport at about age 4, but has allowed Cook to decide how serious he takes wrestling.

“We’re wrestling partners. We’re father-son and I’m on him about his grades and we’re fishing and hunting buddies,” Scott said. “But I’m his coach, too, which is kind of different than all of them. He can’t talk to me like a dad. I’m not going to have as much empathy and I’m not going to feel sorry for him when things are down as much as a dad might.”

During Wednesday’s dual, Scott Cook sat in a folding chair near the corner of the mat, but rarely spoke during his son’s match. By now, the younger Cook is well versed in the strategies involved with the sport.

“He’s a very smart wrestler. He’s very aware of wrestling matches and how you can strategize well when maybe it’s a close match,” Scott Cook said.

“He knows the time. He’s not constantly looking at the time, but he’s very aware of what the score is, the cautions and the warnings going on in the match, and what he needs to do to make sure he finishes a particular round.”

Like his father, uncle and grandfather, Cook is focused on competing at the Division I level. Owens said he is already receiving recruiting letters inquiring about Cook.

“I would like to go to college and be an All-American just like my father,” Cook said.

If genes are any indication, Cook is well on his way.