Jeff Chaney
Sports Scene
NEW LOTHROP – Jake Perrin is about to put the Perrin family name in the Michigan High School Athletic Association record book.
The New Lothrop senior wrestler is on the verge of winning his 200th career match. When he accomplishes that, he will join brothers Zach and Luke in the 200-win club.
And when that happens, the Perrins will be just the second set of three brothers to each win at least 200 career matches, joining the Zeerip brothers (Justin, Brandon, and Collin) of Hesperia High School.
Currently, Zach holds the Perrin family lead with 214 wins, followed by Luke with 208. At print time, Jake’s record was 194-21.
“I’ve always wanted the most wins in the family,” Jake said “Along with winning a state title, that was my biggest goal as a wrestler.”
He accomplished the first goal last year, when he won the Division 4 130-pound state title.
If he stays healthy this year, he’s on pace to overtake Zach’s 214 wins.
No matter which Perrin brother is on top, having over 600 wrestling wins from one family is an incredible feat.
“Honestly, my parents (Scott and Lori) are a big reason for that,” Jake Perrin said. “They’ve always taught us that working hard in everything we do will pay off. And when I was little, my dad use to take us all over to wrestle. All that helped a lot.”
New Lothrop coach Jeff Campbell echoes those sentiments.
“Their parents have installed a strong work ethic in the boys,” Campbell said. “They really have a solid approach for life – no shortcuts.”
Campbell never had a chance to coach Zach and Luke, as they wrestled at Corunna High School. Jake transferred to New Lothrop after his freshman year, giving Campbell a chance to see that great work ethic.
“He’s been a really good fit for our program,” Campbell said. “When he came in, he wrestled at 112 pounds for us. He could have wrestled at 119, but knew we had a hole at 112 and went down there for the team. That probably cost him a state title his sophomore season, because he was cutting too much weight. But he made a sacrifice for the team, and that really allowed him to fit in.”
Being part of a strong winning tradition is why he decided to leave Corunna for New Lothrop.
“That decision was made by both me and my parents,” Jake said. “We came over for the academics and the winning. Coach Campbell is a great coach, and the team is always chasing state titles, and I wanted to be a part of that.”
Since being at New Lothrop, Perrin and the Hornets have not won a team state championship. That could change this year, as the Hornets are the second-ranked team in Division 4 behind four-time defending state champion Hudson.
“I think we have a great shot,” Perrin said. “We have to capitalize on bonus points here and there, because it always comes down to a point here or there at state.”