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.)
Dominance Sets Up John Glenn's Dawson to Make Major Decision on Repeat Pursuit
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
January 11, 2024
WESTLAND — Westland John Glenn wrestling coach Bill Polk has been at the helm for more than two decades and amassed over 500 wins, but he probably hasn’t dealt with a dilemma like this during his terrific tenure.
Granted, it’s a good dilemma to mull over, but a dilemma nonetheless.
Last year as a freshman, Nakayla Dawson was dominant at 105 pounds in the girls division, rolling to the Individual Finals championship and barely being tested throughout her MHSAA Tournament run. She finished the season 41-2. “I don’t think she wrestled more than a couple of minutes last year,” said Polk in reference to her postseason matches.
The ease of her title came as a surprise even to Dawson.
“I went in there thinking I was going to win, but I didn’t expect it to be that easy,” she said. “I was nervous for just about all my matches.”
During the regular season last winter, Dawson also happened to defeat four boys who placed in their division in the same weight class.
She’s 17-4 this winter and last Saturday won the 106 bracket at the New Lothrop Hall of Fame Tournament with three pins.
Given all that, it’s begging the obvious question as wrestling season gets into full swing with the holiday break over: Should Dawson just wrestle in the boys division?
“That’s what we are leaning toward,” Polk said. “That definitely is what she wants to do.”
If she does switch to the boys division when the tournament begins next month, don’t think Dawson can’t hold her own.
There was debate about whether she would wrestle in the boys division last year, but Polk said since she was only a freshman, the thought was to have her wrestle in the girls division her first season and then go from there.
Wrestling at 106 pounds this year, Dawson has had several close losses to ranked boys wrestlers. While hard to suffer those losses now, they likely will make her even tougher to beat come February and March.
“I’m hoping it will refocus her a little bit,” Polk said.
Being competitive and defeating boys is nothing that new for Dawson, given she grew up having battles with older brother Robert and younger brother Kyron, as well as numerous cousins.
Robert is a senior and one of the best wrestlers for John Glenn this year, while Kyron will be a freshman next season.
“Wrestling with them already set me up with wrestling other boys,” Dawson said. “(Robert) was bigger than me and stronger. I was already kind of used to wrestling boys.”
Polk said the sibling rivalry isn’t limited to just the house since he sees the battles between Robert and Nakayla in the wrestling room every day.
“They still do, are you kidding me?” Polk said. “You definitely see some brother-sister battling going on in the room from time to time. He’s helped make her a lot tougher.”
Dawson said the big difference she experiences wrestling boys compared to girls is the greater strength that boys possess compared to the flexibility advantage girls tend to have.
“I feel when I’m wrestling girls, I’ll be doing different moves,” she said. “It’s easier to get to my shots. With boys, I have to work for it more and set it up better.”
The success of Dawson and Morgan Irwin, a 2023 graduate who finished second at 115 pounds last winter, has been inspirational to other girls around the school.
“I feel like girls have looked at it and wanted to try wrestling,” she said.
In addition to wrestling, Dawson is also an accomplished sprinter on the track team, although she says she does that more to stay in shape for summer wrestling than anything.
Polk said there is still a long way to go for Dawson to realize her full potential in wrestling, but by the time her high school career is done, she likely will be one of the all-time greats Polk has coached.
“Boys or girls, she is definitely one of the most accomplished we have had,” Polk said. “She can go toe-to-toe with any of the boys out there.”
Keith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties
PHOTOS (Top) Nakayla Dawson’s arm is raised in victory during last season’s Individual Finals at Ford Field. (Middle) The Westland John Glenn standout goes for a takedown in her championship match against Remus Chippewa Hills’ Natalie Gibson. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)