High 5s - 2/28/12
February 28, 2012
Every Tuesday, Second Half honors 2-4 athletes and a team for its accomplishments during the current season.
Have a suggestion for a future High 5? Please offer suggestions by e-mail to [email protected]. Candidates often will have accomplished great things on the field of play -- but also will be recognized for other less obvious contributions to their teams, schools or the mission of high school athletics as a whole.
Alec Mooradian
Detroit Catholic Central senior
Wrestling
Mooradian won two matches by pin and a third by decision during last weekend's MHSAA Division 1 Team Finals as Detroit Catholic Central won its second championship in three seasons. This weekend, he can become the 16th wrestler in MHSAA history to claim a fourth Individual Finals championship. He's 44-2 this season and will wrestle this weekend at 152 pounds. His previous championships came at 112, 119 and 135. (He could also become the 17th to accomplish the four-peat, depending on when his championship match ends. St. Johns' Taylor Massa also is going for a fourth individual title.) Mooradian has signed to wrestle next season at Columbia.
Up next: "I plan on studying business/economics at Columbia, but I am not quite sure of what I want to do as an occupation."
I learned the most about wrestling from: "My coach Mitch Hancock. He also instilled in me a great work ethic that is much more important than anything else I have learned in this sport."
I look up to: "My father. He has made countless sacrifices to put me where I am at now in my life as a wrestler and as a person."
What I enjoy most about wrestling: "... is seeing the countless hours of work I put in pay off at the end of each season. I attribute the success I have had the last four years to working extremely hard and making good decisions on and off the mat."
Colin MacQuarrie
Sault Ste. Marie senior
Swimming
MacQuarrie set two U.P. Finals records – he won the 50-yard freestyle in 20.85 seconds (breaking the former record of 22.18 set by his school’s Peter Stevens in 2003) and the 100 butterfly in 52.80 (former record was 53.62, set by his school’s Thomas Stabile in 1988). The previous butterfly record was the oldest in the U.P. Finals section of the MHSAA record book, and his 50 times qualified for All-America honors from the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association. He also played football and runs track.
"I have a passion for swimming that goes back many years. I love the thrill of competition, watching my times improve makes me want to continue swimming."
Up next: MacQuarrie hopes to continue swimming and college level and plans to study aviation with a major in air traffic control management or aviation administration. "I hope to be an Air Traffic Controller and help ensure safety and efficiency for travelers."
I learned the most about swimming from: "I have had a handful of coaches, assistant coaches, and fellow swimmers throughout the years that have developed me into the swimmer I am today. ... Each person has played an important role."
I look up to: "My fellow teammates and other athletes at my school who push me to be my best and work hard with me in practice."
Before a race: "I prepare myself mentally by visualizing my race. I also listen to a lot of hip-hop music to pump myself up."
St. Johns wrestling
The Redwings get the slight edge over the other three MHSAA champions from the weekend because of their status as arguably the best team, regardless of division.
St. Johns defeated Lowell 41-18 in the Division 2 Final, and beat its three weekend opponents by a combined score of 161-35.
The Redwings haven't lost to an in-state opponent since 2010. They finished 25-1 this season, with that lone loss to Ohio powerhouse Lakewood St. Edward, and also beat eventual Division 1 champion Detroit Catholic Central earlier this winter. St. Johns should shine again this weekend, with 13 Individual Finals qualifiers including three reigning champions and two who finished runners-up at their weights in 2011.
Lowell Stretches Record Finals Streak to 10 in claiming 13th Title Overall
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
February 25, 2023
KALAMAZOO – It’s been a decade of dominance for the Lowell wrestling team.
The Red Arrows secured their 10th-consecutive Division 2 Finals championship Saturday with a 42-18 win over Goodrich at Wings Event Center.
“It’s amazing, and I can’t really put it into words,” Lowell coach R.J. Boudro said. “One is a feat in itself, and to win a state championship is special. 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 crazy.”
The title also was the 13th overall for the Red Arrows.
“It’s a special thing, and we have a special community,” Boudro said. “Our coaching staff is second to none, and we just really like the sport and working with these kids.”
Freshmen Cody Foss (113) and Logan Dawson (126), and sophomore Jackson Blum (132) all recorded pins at their respective weight classes in helping lift Lowell to a commanding 28-3 advantage.
“It was amazing to come out the way we did, and some of our young guys stepped up big,” Boudro said.
Senior newcomer CJ Poole, who was on the team for the first time, won his match at 144 by major decision 17-7 to end his high school career. Poole moved to Lowell from Ohio and hadn’t been a part of a program of this caliber.
“My team wasn’t a good dual team, so to come from not winning a lot to winning a lot of duals was pretty cool,” Poole said. “I’ve never been a part of a state championship-winning team, so it’s pretty big.
“The atmosphere was pretty cool, and this is my first time being here and my last.”
Poole quickly realized the tradition of the program.
“I knew about the Dean family, and I was definitely excited to be part of this program and a state champion as a team,” Poole said. “Lowell has been good forever, and what RJ does is insane. Coming here for only one year, I feel like I got a lot better.”
The second-ranked Martians (32-1) came into the Finals unbeaten, but couldn’t end the unprecedented run by the Red Arrows.
It was the sixth runner-up finish overall for Goodrich.
“We’ve been state runner-up to them four of the last five years, and it’s frustrating,” Martians coach Kenneth Sirignano said. “We knew what we were up against, and we knew it was going to be a big challenge.
“I think we could’ve had a few matches go differently, but our kids competed hard. We are just maybe not there skill-wise, and that’s what we have to work on.”
Lowell advanced with wins over Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice in the Quarterfinal and Gaylord in the Semifinal. Goodrich reached Saturday afternoon by defeating Monroe Jefferson and Plainwell.
PHOTOS (Top) Lowell’s Carter Cichocki, left, and Goodrich’s Ethan Garza lock up at 120 pounds. (Middle) Goodrich’s James Mahon, right, works against Lowell’s Juan Acosta at 285. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)