The Lake Orion wrestling squad is off to Battle Creek, after topping Utica Ford (50-10) and Romeo (42-24) at home last Wednesday to win a regional title.
The team will take on L’Anse Creuse Friday, with the semifinals and finals slated for Saturday. It will be the team’s first trip to Battle Creek since 1990, when they won the school’s first state title.
‘They were tense, but boy did they come out and wrestle,? Coach Doug Kline said of their regional victories. ‘We saw two very good teams and put them both away.?
The Dragons didn’t trail in either match, getting off to a 34-0 start against Ford before voiding at 103 pounds. They led 28-3 in the championship match before Romeo made a late comeback.
Up 34-24 with two wrestlers left, Justin Ruddy punched the ticket to Cereal City with a one-point victory at 130 pounds over Nick Bara.
‘He’s wrestled a lot of state qualifiers and state placers,? Kline said. ‘To get this win tonight was huge for his confidence, particularly in a pressure situation.?
The Dragons were favorites coming into the night, having beaten all three potential opponents (Anchor Bay was the other) at the Oakland-Macomb Challenge a few weeks ago.
‘There was that first one with Ford that kind of stuck with us,? Kline said of an early season meeting won by Ford. ‘Then we got a little bit of satisfaction at the clash of the counties, but they didn’t have their full lineup. Neither did Romeo when we saw them.?
‘Every time we’ve beaten somebody they’ve said, ‘well we had this guy out? or ‘we were missing that guy,?? Kline added. ‘So tonight, this is what they got.?
And the Dragons get a chance to wrestle for a state title. Rockford and Bedford (a pair of top-five teams) are on their side of the draw for Saturday morning, should the #6 Dragons top L’Anse Creuse on Friday (see preview on this page).
But first things first, as the coaching staff has a little history lesson in store for their team, most of whom weren’t even born when the Dragons won states.
‘We’re definitely going to show them the videos from that year,? Kline said. ‘They need to know a little more history.?
The coach admitted that this team might be better than the 1990 squad.
‘The bad news is that there are a lot of teams out there that are better than anything we saw back then,? Kline said.
‘We’re deep,? he added. ‘We’ve got a lot of flexibility throughout our lineup.?
The Dragons hope to have Jake Pratt (112) back in their lineup after he missed individual regionals with an injury. Lance Grzadzinski (103) left the team last week, creating a void at that spot.