Lowell Breaks Tie, Regains D2 Title

February 22, 2014

By Greg Chrapek
Special to Second Half

BATTLE CREEK – To say every point was worth its weight in gold would not be much of an overstatement for Lowell Red Arrows during its MHSAA Division 2 Team Final against four-time defending champion St. Johns on Saturday.

In a dual that ended in a 34-34 deadlock, the Red Arrows ended up with the championship trophy as they won the dual on the fifth criteria – or tie-breaker – total six-point wins.

The victory gave Lowell its first MHSAA Finals team title since 2009 and sent veteran coach Dave Dean out with the second title during his tenure.

“It hasn’t hit me yet,” said Dean, who earlier this season accepted the position as head of the Olympic Development Program at Cornell University. “Right now I’m just feeling so happy for my kids and staff. They worked so hard for this. I might think about what it means to me later, but right now I’m so happy for the kids.”

The phrase `total team effort’ can sometimes be overused. But in the case of Lowell it was truly the deciding factor.

The final match was at 215 pounds, and Lowell senior Garrett Stehley won by disqualification. Stehley needed a six-point win to tie the dual and create a situation where the winner came down to criteria.

“I just went out there to wrestle,” Stehley said. “I knew if I just go out there and wrestle and not think about a pin or anything that something would open up.”

Stehley kept the pressure on the entire match, and after a succession of stalling warnings on his opponent, won the six-point disqualification.

For Stehley and the other Lowell seniors, the MHSAA title ended three years of frustration against their rivals from down the road on M-21. St. Johns had ended Lowell’s seasons the past three years, including the last two in MHSAA Finals.

“We’ve been here every year, and it has come down to us and St. Johns,” Stehley said. “We knew what we had to do. Everybody knew what they had to do.” 

What the Red Arrows needed more than anything was to win as many points as possible while giving up as few as possible in matches they lost.

“It was a point here and a point there, and it all added up,” Dean said. “In the end everybody contributed. Every match was big. (Dan) Kruse not getting pinned against Zac Hall was big. Everybody stepped up.” 

Dean’s son, sophomore Max Dean, also did his part. Going up junior Angus Arthur, a returning MHSAA individual champion, Max Dean gave up only three team points as he dropped an 8-6 decision. 

“I just wanted to give (Arthur) the worst six minutes of his life,” Max Dean said. “I knew the pressure was on. This (team title) means everything. This is what we’ve been working for.”

Both teams won seven matches during the dual that went back and forth from beginning to end. The deciding factor was six-point wins (earned by pins or disqualification), and Lowell had four while St. Johns recorded three. 

Lucas Hall (103 pounds), Jordan Hall (135) and Kanon Dean (171) earned pins while Stehley earned the disqualification.

St. Johns received pins from Ian Parker (112), Drew Wixson (152) and Logan Massa (160). 

“I feel sad for the guys, but hats off to Lowell,” St. Johns coach Derek Phillips said. “They wrestled a great match. Our guys have a lot to be proud of. They were the ones who put in all the blood, sweat and tears. At the end of the day we are still second in the state.”

St. Johns had crucial wins of its own. The Redwings grabbed the early momentum when Ty Wildmo won an 8-4 decision against Josh Colegrove in the first match of the dual at 285 pounds. 

The two teams traded pins in the next two matches with Lucas Hall winning at 103 pounds for Lowell and Ian Parker winning at 112 for St. Johns.

At 119 pounds, Zeth Dean, brother of Kanon and Max’s cousin, won a major decision putting Lowell up 10-9. The Red Arrows then methodically added to the lead with decisions from seniors Derek Krajewski (125) and Bailey Jack (130). 

For those seniors, the win over St. Johns was extra sweet.

“I can’t describe this feeling,” Jack said. “It’s surreal. It’s better then winning individual state last year. Winning individual state is nothing compared to this.” 

Jordan Hall’s pin at 135 put Lowell up 22-9, but the lead was short-lived as St. Johns came roaring back. Senior Zac Hall, a three-time individual champion who will be looking to win a fourth straight next weekend, won by technical fall at 140 pounds. Mark Bozzo added a technical fall at 145 pounds to trim the Lowell lead to 22-19.

St. Johns then surged ahead when Drew Wixson (152) and Logan Massa (160) came through with pins giving the Redwings a 31-22 lead. 

With their backs against the wall, Kanon Dean came through with his pin at 171 to bring the Red Arrows to within three points at 31-28.

Arthur followed with his decision against Max Dean at 189, putting St. Johns up by three points. That set the stage for Stehley coming through with the deciding final six points. 

“We were on a mission,” Stehley said. “We want to send the seniors out with a win and we wanted to send Coach Dean out on top.”   

Click for full results. 

PHOTOS: (Top) Lowell wrestlers celebrate their first MHSAA team championship since 2009. (Middle) A Lowell wrestler focuses on his St. Johns opponent during Saturday’s match. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)

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.

Goodrich’s James Mahon, right, works against Lowell’s Juan Acosta for a 2-1 decision at 285. 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.

Click for full results.

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.)