LOWELL, Mich. -- Most wrestling fans across the state want Lowell to lose their sixth straight attempt at a state championship this weekend. Except for, of course, Lowell. Head coach R.J. Boudro says by now the kids are used to it. They just keep up the same hard work they've always done.
“I think the secret is, there is no secret,” R.J. Boudro said.
The secret is as simple as this: luck is where hard work meets opportunity. Lowell wrestlers work hard, so when the opportunity comes along to wrestle for a state title, they get lucky.
“Everybody’s been jinxing it all year. It’s all anybody asks about,” Boudro said.
Hard work, and starting early. Kids like Avry Mutscholr have been preparing for Saturday since preschool.
“When I was about four years old, I started wrestling with Lowell, with the Mighty Arrows program,”
That's right. The wins for Lowell are decades in the making.
But they come at a price. Every year, the target on the team's back gets bigger.
“I think every year expectations get higher. That’s okay. When you go into a gym and a Lowell guy is down, you hear everybody cheering, and you’re wrestling against the gym,” Boudro said.
Boudro says all that means is that the kids work harder. Drills in the wrestling room don't change just because the kids are facing another battle for a state title. They just keep working hard, so when the right opportunities come along, they get lucky.
“Lowell vs everybody, right?” Boudro said.
