Jeff Chaney
Sports Scene
LOWELL, MI – Next year there will be seven Lowell High School alumni wrestling at the Division I level in college.
It’s an impressive number, one that some current Red Arrows weren’t aware of, because they are concentrating on the task at hand.
“That’s impressive, and I follow the guys that are already in college, but it’s something we don’t think of,” senior 160-pounder Kanon Dean said. “I’m just lucky to be part of this program.”
Dean will be one of those seven who will be competing in Division I next year.
Dean, who will wrestle at Harvard, will join current teammates Bailey Jack, who be competing at Duke, and Garret Stehley, who will continue his wrestling career at Lehigh. Those three will join Jackson Morse, who is at Illinois; brothers Andrew and Gabe Morse, who wrestle at Northern Illinois; and Kanon’s cousin, Gabe Dean, who is at Cornell.
“That’s awesome,” Stehley said of the number of Red Arrows who will be competing at the NCAA DI level next year. “Wrestling is tough as it is, and then to do it at the Division I level, that is amazing.”
Throw in the fact that some of these learning institutions are among the toughest in the country academically, and it takes amazing to the next level.
“We always look at what’s after college,” Stehley said. “The most important thing here is academics.”
The whole Lowell wrestling team buys into that theory, because last year the team was Academic All State, led by Kanon Dean and his 4.4 GPA.
“Academics are important at Lowell,” said Dean, who was also part of Lowell’s football team that was Academic All State, as well. “Knowledge gives you what you need to do what you want.”
But Lowell also likes to win on the mat, and this year’s team just might have what it takes to break through and beat reigning four-time Division 2 state champion St. Johns.
Lowell is currently ranked No. 1 in Division 2 with a 22-1 record. The Red Arrows have beaten some stiff competition along the way, including Davison, the top-ranked team in Division 1; Detroit Catholic Central, the two-time D1 state champions; Hartland; and Richmond.
“I think we have a shot this year if we compete as a team,” Stehley said. “We have some good wins, but we still need to keep working and getting better.”