Running Finals Streak to 9, Lowell Keeps D2 Dominance in 'Family'

By Jeff Chaney
Special for MHSAA.com

February 26, 2022

KALAMAZOO -- When asked about his team's unprecedented success, Lowell wrestling coach RJ Boudro admits that the recipe for success is not that hard.

It's all about family.

Boudro's Red Arrows won their ninth straight Division 2 championship, and 12th overall, by defeating Goodrich in the 46-16 in Saturday’s Final at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo.

"I have coached these guys since they have been knee-high," Boudro said. "I have been coaching at Lowell for 15 years; some of the guys on this team weren't even born when I started. It just starts getting more personable, and that is what coaching is really about. Making relationships, and relationships grow stronger. I love these kids, and I love their families – they support you a lot."

You could tell the closeness of this year's Lowell team all weekend in Kalamazoo, as the Red Arrows marched through Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice in the Quarterfinal and then Gaylord in the Semifinal to set up a rematch with the Martians in the championship match.

Starting at the 189-pound weight class, Goodrich got on the scoreboard first with Cameron Macklem’s pin in 1 minute, 36 seconds.

Lowell got on the board thanks to one of its senior leaders, as Carter Blough – the top-ranked 215-pounder in Division 2 – won by technical fall, 22-7.

Lowell went on to win six of the next seven matches after Blough's impressive victory, setting the tone for another team title heading back home to Lowell.

Lowell/Goodrich wrestling"Last year we didn't have the energy, the people here, like we did this year," Blough said. "We didn't have that stage, but this year we had our crowd here, we secured the dual and we are super excited."

Last year, in the middle of the pandemic, Lowell beat Goodrich 59-7 for the championship. This year would be a bit tougher, but the Red Arrows continued to show the dominance in the division they have displayed over the past decade.

"Lowell is a good team. I don't know what else to say," said Goodrich coach Kenneth Sirignano, whose team ended its year with a 31-3 record. "They were better than us today, by quite a bit."

Sirignano said momentum swung on some tight matches throughout the Final.

"We lost three close matches, and we gave up bonus points," Sirignano said. "In those tight duals, you have to win the close ones and you can't give up bonus points."

Those three sway matches came at 112 pounds – an 8-7 win by Lowell's Landon Musgrave – at 125 with a 3-0 win by the Red Arrows’ Owen Segorski, and at 145 with a 3-0 win by Lowell's Jared Boone.

"Even during COVID we found a way to work around it and get better," Blough said. "That's how this team is – we always find a way to get better no matter what's in front of us."

Lowell, which finished this winter with a 23-3 record, will wrestle for a 10th-straight championship next season. No other team in the state, no matter the division, has won more than five consecutive titles.

"This is ridiculous," Boudro said. "It's hard to put into words."

Click for full results.

PHOTOS (Top) Lowell celebrates Saturday’s Division 2 championship win over Goodrich, which ran its title streak to nine seasons. (Middle) Lowell and Goodrich wrestlers work to gain control during their match. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)

Be the Referee: Wrestling Inspections

By Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials

January 27, 2022

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment – Wrestling Inspections - Listen

Before every individual or team wrestling event, each participant must be inspected by the referee or other authorized personnel. They are looking for any skin infections or evidence of a communicable disease.

A typical inspection will check a wrestler’s mouth for braces, fingernails, hairlines, underarms, back/shoulder area, behind the knee and more.  
 
All inspections are done in the same manner for all wrestlers at a tournament site, both male and female wrestlers. Inspections generally should take place in an area not readily visible by the public because of modesty concerns for the wrestlers. 
 
No wrestler is allowed to compete until they have gone through and passed the inspection. 

Skin inspections are done with the goal of keeping all participants as safe as possible and preventing the spread of contagious skin conditions. 

Previous editions

Dec. 16: Ball Over Backboard - Listen
Dec. 9: Winter Officials Mechanics - Listen
Nov. 26: Instant Replay - Listen
Nov. 11: Tourney Selection - Listen
Nov. 4: Receiver Carried Out of End Zone Listen
Oct. 28: Volleyball Back-Row Block Listen
Oct. 21: Soccer Disallowed Goal Listen
Sept 30: Field Goal Falls Short Listen
Sept. 23: Volleyball Obstruction Listen
Sept. 16: Catch or No Catch  Listen
Sept. 9: Intentional Grounding – Listen 
Sept. 2: Pass Interference – Listen 
Aug. 26: Protocols and Mechanics 
 Listen