When Lake Orion Wrestling Coach Doug Kline sat down before the season started and looked at his projected lineup, he probably grinned.
His team, which started the season ranked sixth in the state, had a chance to surprise many people, even with such a high ranking from the get-go.
However, injuries quickly depleted the squad, as they lost five regulars, including a state placer, a regional qualifier, a team captain and their only true heavyweight.
‘We had to do a lot of bumping,? Kline said.
‘I thought about not doing it anymore,? he said. ‘But when your competitive juices get flowing you realize it’s the only way you can win and you’ve got to bump some of these kids up.?
The Dragons still reeled off 24 regular season wins and the team started to turn the corner with a strong finish at the OAA I tournament two weekends ago, aided by the return of A.J. Pratt at 135 pounds.
Last Thursday night, the team passed a huge test, topping Rochester Adams 35-30 to avenge a regular season loss and capture a district championship.
‘It was very emotional,? Kline said. ‘We’ve been beaten up, not only physically, but emotionally.?
Pratt’s victory in the second to last match clinched things for the Dragons, who improved to 25-11 on the season.
Lake Orion trailed 27-25 before getting wins from Justin Ruddy (125), Curtis DeGeorge (130) and Pratt.
‘The DeGeorge match was huge,? Kline said. ‘We talked for three straight days about wrestling for six minutes and that’s what he did today.?
But Kline said the victory was a total team effort, giving credit to all 14 wrestlers.
‘We had to bump Jake Arnold up to 145,? Kline said. ‘He came through and got a huge pin for us, and that kind of set the tone.?
Adams came back from a double-digit deficit to capture the lead with four wrestlers left, but ran out of steam after a long day that included a semifinal win over Rochester.
‘It’s never easy to beat a team you’ve already beaten once,? Adams Coach Nathaniel Farley said.
‘We knew, coming in, that it was going to be a dogfight,? he added. ‘And we sure as heck didn’t get anything less.?
Last weekend, the team participated in individual district action at Rochester High School, qualifying seven for regionals.
Jake Varilek (152) was the lone district champion from Lake Orion, but he will be joined by Jake Pratt (fourth at 103), Doug Mack (fourth at 112), A.J. Pratt (third at 130), Jake Arnold (fourth at 140), Allen Sigler (third at 160) and Evan Gros (third at 189).
Individual regionals will be held next weekend at Holly, with team regionals set for today.