The Dragon grapplers wrestled Feb. 1 against Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Stoney Creek during a varsity quad meet, beating both teams 78-0 and 46-18, respectively.
Lake Orion’s junior varsity team did well also, losing only two matches in beating both teams.
After thoroughly dominating Orchard Lake St. Mary’s wrestlers, the Dragons built on their momentum to beat the Cougars, according to Head Coach Corey Kuzinski.
‘We expected Stoney Creek to be a close match, but we wrestled better than we have all year,? he said. ‘It was a great night. We got some pins and just kept it going through the upper weight classes.?
Lake Orion wrestled again at the OAA Division Tournament on Feb. 4. A number of wrestlers placed, including sophomores David Moore (103 lb.) taking fourth and Charlie Highlen (125 lb.) in third; senior Cam Masters (130 lb.) grabbed third place in his class; and juniors Ethan Gros (160 lb.) finished second and Durham Basso (171 lb.) took third.
Kuzinski said the strain of such competitions can often wear on players, spectators and coaches.
‘It was a long day and these guys can have long droughts between matches, while others have very short periods between matches,? said Kuzinski. ‘It’s rough on everyone – we were there from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. It’s just a long time to be out there, but they really do put in a lot of time and effort.
‘You’re time in actual wrestling competition is so short, you really have to love the sport to stick in there for nine hours. You can only wrestle five matches – that’s only 30 minutes for nine hours.?
Lake Orion placed fourth behind Oxford and Rochester who tied for first, with Clarkston finishing third. The Dragons actually tied with Rochester Adams.
The Dragons wrestle again on Feb. 9 for the MHSAA Team District finals against Oxford, Stoney Creek and Adams. Lake Orion will face off against Oxford first. The winners will face each other for the title.
‘As long as they go out and wrestle for six minutes and put forth the effort, I can’t ask for any more,? Kuzinski stressed.
Individual districts are on Feb. 11. Lake Orion’s record is 24-8.