By BUTCH HARMON
After falling to St. Johns is the last two Division 2 state championship matches, the Lowell wrestling team is on a mission to send its talented senior class out as winners.
To prepare for what will be a rigorous state tournament, the Red Arrows have wrestled a challenging schedule this season. The schedule included Davison, currently the top-ranked team in Division 1, and Detroit Catholic Central, the Division 1 state champion the last two seasons.
Lowell defeated Davison 35-34 in early January, and on Jan. 22 the Red Arrows took down Detroit Catholic Central 36-27 before the entire Lowell student body in an afternoon match at Lowell High School.
“It was a great win,” senior Bailey Jack said. “We came back to beat them after being down early. We are definitely on our way to our peak right now. We’re working hard and looking to get ready for the tournament.”
The afternoon assembly match was a special milestone for the Red Arrows, who are one of only three teams in the state to have participated in such an event. “It was a totally new experience for us,” senior Kanon Dean said. “We had an assembly dual, and Detroit Catholic Central had an assembly dual with Davison, so there are only three teams in the state that have had this experience. I love the fact that our school was able to experience this, and I’m thankful that our coaches and athletic director were able to secure this for us.”
The win added momentum to a Lowell team that has been ranked No. 1 in Division 2 this season.
Coach Dave Dean also believes that his team is gaining momentum as the tournament draws closer. “I don’t want to jinx anything, but we are definitely improving,” he said. “This team has been great, and they are buying into everything. We have a lot of harmony on this team and great leadership.”
That leadership is not limited to the senior class. “We have a lot of leaders,” said senior Derek Krajewski, “especially with our younger kids. Our juniors and sophomores and our freshmen have stepped up.”
Those leaders have helped the Red Arrows continue to pile up impressive wins as the season has developed.
“We’ve been building every week of the year,” Kanon Dean said. “This was a big win, and we continue to make measurable improvement. Our goal is to win the state, but we are not hanging our season on it. If we end up winning state that will be great, but if not, the guys on our team have put forth a great effort and have accomplished a lot this season.”