Click the AUDIO button to hear interview with NCA Coach John Raab.
KALAMAZOO---The North Central High School wrestling team ran into a buzzsaw on Friday in a MHSAA Division Four state quarterfinal match at the Wings Events Center in Kalamazoo. The Jets lost to the top-ranked and multi-state-champion Hudson Tigers, 84-0, ending the best season in the program's short three-year history.
“It's tough to get beaten by that much,” NCA Coach John Raab said. “We've talked about it, and everybody's coming back next year. I don't think anybody's willing to give up. We have no seniors on this team, and only three juniors, so it was a valuable experience.”
Raab says it's almost impossible for any Upper Peninsula team to beat Hudson, who, with its legendary coach and an experienced set of wrestlers, is a juggernaut every year.
“We have 98 kids in our school, and powerhouses like Hudson have 286 in their high school,” Raab said. “And they draw from open enrollment. It's like anything else, the rich get richer. If you have a wrestling kid, you're going to send him to a wrestling school. That's how it works. We just don't have the numbers. We'll never be at that level. But we can get better. That's our goal.”
The wrestling season is not over for four NCA wrestlers as they will compete in the MHSAA individual state finals at Detroit's Ford Field. Raab's son, Cooper, will be the favorite in his weight class to reach the podium. Youngsters Myles Nehring and Praxton LaBonte will be at Ford Field for the first time. And on the girls side, Maizy Olsen will give the Jets a fighting chance for a placement.
“All four of our wrestlers have an opportunity to bring home medals,” Raab said. “I don't see any of them having that be out of their reach. So, we'll get a good week of practice in.”
Many of the Upper Peninsula wrestlers who have qualified for the indvidual state finals will practice together Monday afternoon in Gladstone.
