Lowell dominates Goodrich in Division 2 team wrestling final for 10th consecutive title
KALAMAZOO — Lowell wrestling is on a winning streak that might never be matched in Michigan high school wrestling — in part because it's still going.
The Red Arrows collected their 10th consecutive team wrestling state title Saturday at Wings Events Center with a 42-18 Division 2 win over Goodrich.
Lowell’s amazing streak began in 2014 when Dave Dean last coached the team. Coach R.J. Boudro took over in 2015 and has won nine straight.
“To win a state championship is special,” he said. “And for our guys to do it 10 years in a row — these seniors were in third grade the last time we didn’t win a state championship. It’s a special thing, we’ve got a special community, our coaching staff is second to none, and we really like the sport and really like working with kids.
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“We had some young guys come out and wrestle and come out big. It’s a lot of fun and we don’t take it for granted how much fun this is.”
The Red Arrows never trailed, but there was a 3-3 tie early after Lowell’s Ari McFarland won at 215 and Goodrich’s James Mahon won at heavyweight. From then on, however. the Red Arrows flew true.
Boudro said the topic of the streak does not come up with his team.
“I mean I guarantee the fans up there are going to ask me, like today, 'Are you ready for 11?' but it doesn’t get old,” he said. “We’re already excited about the group that we have, with 11 starters coming back next year. But for now, we’ll try to enjoy this, because it’s what life is all about. Then we’ll wake up and go to school on Monday and we’ll probably be back to normal.
“But this is special for a few days.”
Three wrestlers scored falls for Lowell (15-3) — Cody Foss at 113, Logan Dawson at 126 and Jackson Blum at 132. Goodrich won the final four weights to close the gap.
Division 1: Shamrocks motivated by runner-up finishes in 2021-22
Novi Detroit Catholic Central came in looking for its 16th state championship after finishing as runner-up the past two years to Davison. This time, the Shamrocks got it by defeating Hartland, 41-21, in the closest score of all four divisions.
“It didn’t take too much motivation on my part,” coach Mitch Hancock said. “I think these guys were pretty disappointed the last two years.”
Hancock said he put their team picture as runners-up from last year, over the trophy, over the water fountain, in the bathrooms, everywhere.
“And they weren’t too happy about it, so we left it up for a few months and they got rid of it on their own.”
Hancock gave extra credit to the middleweights' wins after the match was tied at 12-12.
Drew Heethuis won at 126 with a pin, Mason Stewart got a tech fall at 138, Clayton Jones got a fall at 144, and Dylan Gilcher earned a major decision at 150, before Darius Marines did the same at 157 to give DCC a commanding 37-15 edge. All but Stewart are defending individual state champs.
“Those guys scored bonus points and wrestled the Shamrock style of wrestling,” Hancock said. “That’s a gauntlet right there and those guys showed that tonight.
"You walk into our wrestling room, you walk our halls and you know there’s a standard and a tradition. So, there’s that baseline to build from,” Hancock added. “Overall excited for the community ... and the trophy is where it belongs now.”
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Dundee also keeps pilling up the wins. The Vikings won their sixth consecutive D-3 state title, and the ninth in the past 11 years, by downing Whitehall, 60-18, in a dual that took only about 55 minutes.
“We competed up top where we’ve got some inexperienced guys who competed well,” first-year co-coach Nate Hall said. “They switched their lineup up, and we sort of followed. Our kids showed they were mature and ready for the situation. That’s a testament to how they train, how focused they are, and really our program’s expectations.”
But Hall doesn't fear his Vikings will take the winning for granted.
“It’s a new group of kids every year, so you’ve always got a project, always have freshmen that have never been in those situations,” Hall said. “For the older guys who go to the state finals every year, to be able to lead the younger guys through it all, that’s a big part of why we’re successful.”
Division 4: Hudson defends its title with four straight pins
Defending champ Hudson is another program that keeps on winning, taking home the title with a win over Bronson, 58-12.
Bronson took a 6-0 lead with a Matthew Blankenship pin at 215, before Hudson rattled off four consecutive pins to create distance — Aidan Raszkowski at heavyweight, Colt Perry at 106, Nicholas Sorrow at 113, and Julien Kimling at 120.
Last year, Dundee had coach Tim Roberts retired after winning his 10th wrestling state championship — the first Michigan high school wrestling coach to reach that milestone.
Saturday, Hudson’s Scott Marry became the second.
“Believe it or not, kids nowadays really do want to learn,” Marry said. “They really do want to belong. We love each other. I love these kids, they love me, I love the coaching staff. And when you’re wrestling in that kind of environment, it just starts to settle in and it’s really powerful.”
Two other coaches remain close behind with wins Saturday, collecting their ninth state titles in still-young careers —Hancock at DCC, and Boudro at Lowell.
Former Temperance Bedford coach Bill Regnier collected nine state championships, earned from 1976-1992 in Class A. Mike Rodriguez, Hancock’s predecessor at DCC, won seven titles leading the Shamrocks and one more at River Rouge.
State finals referee Ron Nagy also celebrated 45 years of officiating the sport. He referees at the team finals each year, and then serves as tournament director at the individual state finals. Nagy has held that role since the finals moved to Joe Louis Arena in 1999, then led the transitions to The Palace of Auburn Hills three years later and now Ford Field since 2018.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan high school wrestling team finals: Lowell wins 10th straight
