Coaching Cousins Build on Macomb Roots
By
Tom Markowski
Special for Second Half
January 18, 2018
MACOMB – Success must begin somewhere.
And for the Macomb Dakota wrestling program, its beginnings can be traced to a church in Mount Clemens nearly 25 years ago.
Ed Skowneski, a longtime educator in Macomb County who was a football star at Wayne State University during the 1970s, got with a few buddies and formed a youth wrestling program named the Bad Boys Wrestling Club.
This program would eventually produce six MHSAA champions and approximately 20 others who reached the Individual Finals. It also helped inspire two of those wrestlers to become coaches at the high school level.
Eddie Skowneski, Ed's son, leads the Macomb Dakota program ranked No. 3 in Division 1 this week by Michigan Grappler. Nephew Anthony Biondo assists top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central.
Before the Bad Boys – which would eventually evolve into Team All Sport – there were pockets in the county where the sport thrived, such as Fraser High where Al Kastl had built a strong program. But for the most part, Macomb County was a step or two behind nearby counties such as Genesee, Lapeer, Oakland and Wayne, where the sport had well-established programs like Clarkston, Davison, Detroit Catholic Central, Hazel Park, Lake Orion, Montrose, New Lothrop and others.
Skowneski teamed with people like Bob Palazzolo, Rick Julien – an assistant under Kastl at Fraser who later became Fraser’s head coach – and later, Vince Biondo, Skowneski’s roommate in college, to organize a competitive youth program.
“We had some good kids back then,” Skowneski said. “We had six state champions come out of there. We practiced twice a week at the church, but it was more like a hall or reception room. After one year we moved to Fraser, Mark Twain Elementary (School), where I was a principal. That made it easier, for travel and everything. We had our own mats in the school, and it started to grow.”
A team from Macomb County has yet to reach an MHSAA Division 1 Final, but they’re getting close. Last season Dakota reached a Division 1 Semifinal for the first time, and it was just the third time a Macomb County team had advanced that far in the top division/classification.
Two other county schools fared well last season, too, in other divisions. Warren Woods Tower lost in the Division 2 Final to Lowell, and Richmond won the Division 3 title.
Skowneski’s motivation to become a coach came from his son, Eddie, and, later, his nephew Anthony Biondo, Vince Biondo’s son. Eddie Skowneski got his start with the Bad Boys at age 9 with his cousin who is two years younger. The two became best friends and would become two of the county’s top wrestlers during the early to mid-2000s at Clinton Township Chippewa Valley.
Each would reach the Individual Finals three times. In 2003, Skowneski won the 140-pound title over fellow county wrestler Justin Petrone of Roseville, 1-0. Biondo was a three-time champion placing first at 103 in 2003, first at 112 the next season and first at 145 in 2006.
Skowneski would earn a scholarship to Michigan State University, where he was a three-year starter. Biondo went to University of Michigan and was a three-time NCAA Tournament qualifier. His best season came as a senior when he went 2-2 at the NCAAs and earned his 100th career win.
“Those Bad Boys days, those were some great times,” Anthony Biondo said. “It was a great group of kids. I just remember being in that church with Uncle Ed. I really wasn’t into wrestling when I started. I was into hockey and football. I started going there one day a week, and it just grew. My first year wrestling (at Chippewa Valley), I won the state title. It was just that one-on-one thing that I liked. My dad was a huge goal-setting type of guy, and I just kept at it.”
Their wrestling careers didn’t stop after graduation. Skowneski became an assistant coach at Fraser for one season then went to Warren DeLaSalle for two as an assistant before becoming the head coach at Dakota in 2012. Biondo is in his seventh season as an assistant coach at Detroit Catholic Central, the top-ranked team and reigning champion in Division 1.
Eddie Skowneski, 31, said he’s had a number of mentors throughout his wrestling career who have contributed to him becoming the coach he is today. His father is one, but he also said his high school coach John Jeffire at Chippewa Valley, St. Clair Shores Lakeview football coach Pat Threet and his college coaches all have had their influence.
When Ed Skowneski retired as school principal at Mark Twain in 2015, his son quickly found him a part-time job as his assistant at Dakota to keep him active.
“He’s always been a great coach,” Eddie said. “Coaching with my dad, it never really stopped. With him, it’s the little things. He always said, if you have good technique, you can beat someone who is more physical than you are. With my dad, he goes to each person and shows them the proper technique. With me, sure I want them to work and train hard. But I want my wrestlers to do it the right way.”
Ed Skowneski got out of coaching when his son went to high school. He said he had taken his son as far as he could and that it was better to have Eddie continue his progression with someone else as his coach.
Now that Ed’s back in it, coaching with his son no less, he couldn’t be happier.
“When he first got the job at Dakota, I thought of helping him but I just didn’t have the time,” Ed Skowneski said. “I’m enjoying it now. I’m not the head coach. He has the issues. I just work with the kids. It’s fantastic. It’s rewarding. We have a great group of kids and good parents.
“I look forward to the tournaments, which sometimes keeps me up at night. It’s nice that my son and I can do this together.”
Tom Markowski is a columnist and directs website coverage for the State Champs! Sports Network. He previously covered primarily high school sports for the The Detroit News from 1984-2014, focusing on the Detroit area and contributing to statewide coverage of football and basketball. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS: Longtime coach Ed Skowneski stands with son Eddie (left) and nephew Anthony Biondo after a youth event when they were children. (Middle) Father and son hold up Eddie’s bracket sheet after he won the Division 1 championship at 145 pounds in 2006; to the right, they pose together during Biondo’s wedding. (Below) Ed Skowneski and Biondo, also before the latter’s wedding. (Photos provided by the Skowneski family.)
Lowell's Boone Adds To Successful Run
March 3, 2018
By Jeff Chaney
Special for Second Half
DETROIT – Austin Boone doesn't know too much about losing during the winter sports season.
Wrestling for Lowell, it's easy to understand why.
A week after being part of the Red Arrows’ fifth straight Division 2 team championship, Boone, a sophomore, won his second straight individual championship with a 6-4 win over Killion Southworth of DeWitt in their 145-pound title match Saturday at the MHSAA Individual Finals at Ford Field.
"Our goal coming in here was to do the best we can and get as many names on the wall," Boone said. "For me, this is part of the plan. Two more to go."
The Red Arrows put 11 more names on the wall in their practice room, as 11 Lowell wrestlers came home with all-state medals, led by Boone, the lone champion.
"That breaks our record of nine, and I think it ties a Division 2 record," said Boone, who ended his season with a 44-1 record. Southworth was 53-4.
103
Champion: Riley Bettich, Stevensville Lakeshore, Soph. (43-2)
Technical Fall, 15-0, over Nick Korhorn, Lowell, Soph. (33-10)
Sometimes heartbreak can be the best motivator.
That's what happened to Bettich, who suffered a gut-wrenching one-point loss in overtime to Gaylord's Chayse LaJoie in the 103-pound Final last year.
This year there would be no overtime, as he won by technical fall.
"I have worked so hard for this," Bettich said. "Last year I fell short in the Finals, so it feels great this year to win it.
"(Korhorn) is a very good scrambler, and I had to make sure my legs didn't get caught up in his."
112
Champion: Chayse LaJoie, Gaylord, Soph. (49-4)
Decision, 4-1, over Vincent Perez, Tecumseh, Jr. (53-1)
Last week at the MHSAA Team Finals, LaJoie helped his to the title match, where it lost to Lowell.
LaJoie got a little redemption Saturday at Ford Field when he won his second straight individual title.
"This feels really rewarding for all the work I put in during the offseason and on-season," LaJoie said. "And to come back and with this week after last week, I hope it helps with some of the morale on our team, because we all work hard."
119
Champion: Austin Franco, Niles, Sr. (44-0)
Decision, 10-8, over Caleb Teague, Goodrich, Jr. (42-5)
Wrestling takes a lot of work. And most of that work is geared to win a high school state title.
Franco has been working toward that goal since his youth wrestling days.
After a successful youth career, he placed at the Finals all four years of high school – with two MHSAA runner-up finishes heading into this weekend.
That made finally achieving his goal that much more meaningful.
"This is pretty much all I have ever worked for," Franco said. "Coming up short twice, and finally getting it done my senior year, that is the biggest accomplishment of my life."
125
Champion: Derek Giallombardo, Gaylord, Sr. (55-3)
Decision, 10-8, over, Brendan Zelenka, St. Johns, Sr. (28-8)
The big stage didn't bother Giallombardo. He's been here before.
The four-time Finals qualifier, and two-time placer taking fourth the past two seasons, Giallombardo finally made his way to the top of the podium with a close decision over Zelenka.
"I have been working for this since my freshman year," Giallombardo said. "Freshman year I only qualified, and my sophomore and junior years I took fourth, so this year coming into this, I knew this was my last chance. I knew I had to make it happen, and I did that."
130
Champion: Branson Proudlock, Gibraltar Carlson, Sr. (46-1)
Decision, 8-2, over Matt Tomsett, Madison Heights Lamphere, Jr. (49-4)
Proudlock wasn't about to rest on his laurels. And he sure wasn't going to run away from the pressure of being a returning champion.
He knew that everyone who wrestled him this year would be gunning for him. That was his motivation.
"I knew the pressure was definitely on me this year," Proudlock said. "But that gave me more motivation, to do it a second time.
"My gameplan this year was to get up early and try and score on top. I knew he was pretty tough, so I just tried to score as many points as possible."
135
Champion: Corbyn Munson, Chelsea, Sr. (54-0)
Decision, 11-6, over Avry Mutschler, Lowell, Jr. (40-6)
Most wrestlers who are successful at the state tournament will tell you that what makes them successful is to wrestle their match at their pace and not let their opponent dictate tempo.
That's exactly what Munson did all weekend, and especially in the Final.
"I wanted to get to my stuff and do the things that I like to do," Munson said. "Try not to get into positions he likes. But if I did, just try and out-work him. I pretty much did that."
140
Champion: James Whitaker, St. Johns, Jr. (39-1)
Decision, 6-4, over Caleb Fish, Eaton Rapids, Soph. (48-3)
Wrestling with a bum knee, Whitaker knew the importance of a good start.
And that's exactly what he made happen in winning the 140-pound title.
"I had a really good first period," Whitaker said. "I got that takedown, and then I rode him hard and put him on his back. That really opened it up for me."
And that was a good thing as his cranky knee acted up again during the match, but his lead was enough to carry him through the final whistle.
152
Champion: Alec Rees, Sparta, Jr. (48-0)
Fall, 3:52, over Doug Ferrier, Marysville, Sr. (54-2)
It didn't matter to Rees that the MHSAA Finals moved from The Palace of Auburn Hills to Ford Field this year.
To him it's just wrestling on a mat.
What was more important to him is that he wasn't going to lose in overtime like he did last year, no matter where the venue.
"I did have some butterflies," Rees admitted. "It was a new place this year, but the same feeling as last year. I just wanted it more this year. I lost in the Finals last year, and now this (title) is mine forever."
160
Champion: Austin O'Hearon, Eaton Rapids, Sr. (47-1)
Decision, 3-1, over Dustin Gross, Dearborn Heights Annapolis, Sr. (58-1)
Some wrestlers never waiver from their preparations and rituals – no matter if they are at the Finals at Ford Field.
So after O'Hearon won his second title with a 3-1 win over Gross, he took off sprinting on the Ford Field turf.
"That is a ritual I do after every match, no matter where I am," O'Hearon said. "I just can't stop putting in the hard work."
And hard work is what it took to give Gross his first loss of the season.
"I went in to try and wear him out and beat him in the end," O'Hearon said. "Now this feels great."
171
Champion: Ryan Ringler, Cedar Springs, Jr. (53-1)
Decision, 9-4, over Cade Dallwitz, Holly, Jr. (54-4)
Wrestling can be a serious sport. The work, the blood and the pain can become stressful.
But Ringler loves the sport too much to stress out about it. And he wrestled that way this past weekend.
"There is nothing like it," Ringler said. "I was out there having fun. I love wrestling. This is what I have done my whole life. I just love doing it, and I love competing."
189
Champion: Drake Pauwels, New Boston Huron, Sr. (50-0)
Major Decision, 10-0, over Dave Kruse, Lowell, Sr. (39-4)
Sometimes you have to admit to yourself that you are not living up to your own expectations.
That's what Pauwels did this year, and it helped him become an MHSAA champion.
"My mindset had not been the best the last couple of years," Pauwels said. "This year something just clicked for me. I think wrestling is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical, and I think you need to train your mind just as much as your body."
That philosophy worked, as Pauwels ended his senior year 50-0.
215
Champion: Hunter Krueger, Adrian, Sr. (45-1)
Decision, 2-1 OT, over Joel Radvansky, Warren Woods Tower, Jr. (43-5)
Krueger admitted he has been training for this moment ever since he was able to walk.
So when the time came to finally achieve his longtime goal, he had a detailed plan coming in and worked it to perfection.
"I wanted a lot more offense, but knew I needed to keep my elbows in and have good shot defense," Krueger said. "I wanted to ride tough on top, which I did. I just wanted to beat him in every aspect of the match, and I think I did that."
285
Champion: Riley Smith, Mason, Sr., (48-1)
Fall, 4:35, over Tyler Hill, Stevensville Lakeshore, Sr. (38-3)
An emotional heavyweight, Smith stood in tears after winning his first title with a pin.
"I feel really relieved for this," Smith said. "It's been two years of me chasing this, and now that I am here, I can't believe it. I did it."
PHOTO: Lowell’s Austin Boone has his arm raised after winning his second Division 2 title Saturday. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)