Youth movement has Jackson Northwest wrestling program in rare company

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JACKSON, MI – The best way to build a dynasty is with culture and a strong foundation.

The Jackson Northwest wrestling program has established both of those variables this winter and the result has pushed the Mounties into rarified air.

In the most recent team rankings from MichiganGrappler.com, Northwest entered the fray as the No. 10-ranked team in the Division 2 field, a designation the program hasn’t enjoyed in more than a decade.

“I don’t think we’ve been ranked as a team since 2009,” said Northwest head coach Bruce Gumbert. “This is really a testament to the kids in the program and their commitment level to the sport. We always talk about how important the team aspect is in wrestling, and this year’s roster has really bought into that message.”

The biggest shift for the program came with the influx of a freshmen class of 13 talented wrestlers, who brought a renewed energy to the wrestling room.

“This freshmen class really helped elevate us as a program,” Gumbert said. “All of those guys have been wrestling since they were little kids, so they have mat experience and the work ethic needed to succeed at the varsity level. They have brought a new energy to practice and really pushed the juniors and seniors.

“The only way to get better as a team is to have enough bodies at each weight class to go against every day at practice. If you have a quality sprawling partner that you’re testing yourself against every day, it’s almost impossible for you not to get better. By the time these guys got going with real competition, they had the confidence they needed to succeed against other opponents.”

The Mounties kicked off their season with a sweep of the Jackson High quad on Dec. 11, 2019, and added an impressive showing at the Jackson Area Wrestling Showdown (JAWS) on Dec. 14, 2019. In a loaded field of competition, Northwest recorded wins over Bronson (62-16), Chelsea (46-31), Jonesville (64-11), Manchester (37-33), and Montrose (50-20).

A few days later, Northwest secured a rivalry win over Parma Western (39-19) to jump out to a red-hot 8-0 start to the team dual season.

“I thought our performance at JAWS really gave us a lot of confidence,” said junior co-captain Dominick Louagie. “We went up against some really good programs in our area and we finished 5-0. Anytime you’re beating teams like Manchester and Bronson, you know you’re doing something right.”

Northwest finished 2-3 at the Brighton Team Invite on Dec. 21, 2019, in what Gumbert called a trial by fire.

“We always try and schedule the toughest tournaments we can find,” he said. “If you want to be the best, you have to wrestle against the best. We always get tested at JAWS every year, but with our roster being so young, we wanted to gain as much experience as we could as rapidly as we could.

“So, we signed up for the Brighton tournament in December, the Grand Haven tournament first thing in January, and the Bronson Invitational in our non-conference slate. Between those weekend tournaments and our weekly grind in the Interstate 8, we are going to be tested every time we step on the mat. That’s the best way to figure out what you’re good at and what you need to work harder on.”

The Mounties finished runner-up at the Grand Haven Invitational on Jan. 4, with seven wrestlers at least reaching the semifinal round, three reaching the championship match and one wrestler coming away with medalist honors.

Freshman grappler Adam Haselius finished with top honors in the 171-pound division, defeating Chadd Larson of Jenison by a major decision (12-3). The result might have surprised those in attendance, but not anyone inside the Northwest wrestling room.

“Adam is the hardest working kid in our program,” said Gumbert. “He’s always the first one to practice, he works his butt off in every drill and he stays after practice to work on his technique. You never know what you’re going to get out of freshmen at the varsity level, especially in this sport, but he came in with a positive attitude and a great work ethic.

“He’s really put it all together this year, and I’m excited to see where the rest of his varsity career goes from here.”

Haselius joins Louagie, junior Roy Guy (140 lbs.) and senior Kamrin Noon (285 lbs.) as the team’s captains. The variety of ages and experiences in the leadership department gives the locker room a unique feel.

“It’s definitely a fun environment every day,” said Guy. “It’s a long season, so we try and keep things loose but we’re also focused on putting in the work to get better. Every time we win a match, it just adds to our excitement to get back to the practice room and get better. It gets contagious when you start picking up team wins like that."

The Northwest wrestling program has never reached the team state finals in its history, but that milestone doesn’t seem farfetched anymore.

“We definitely want to win our conference, win a team district title and compete for a regional championship,” said Gumbert. “I’d rather have a team state-qualifying bid than an individual state champion at this point. I really think that’s the biggest sign of success for a program, and I think if we are aiming for team success, the individual results will follow.”

Gumbert credits the tireless work of his assistant coaches as a big reason why the program has enjoyed such a quick growth spurt.

“None of this would be possible without the work that guys like Billy Tervo and Rick Race have put in to get these kids ready,” he said. “They’ve been coaching these kids since they were four or five years old and really engraining in them the passion you need to keep pushing yourself in such a grueling sport like wrestling.”

The postseason starts on Feb. 13 with the team district tournament, which the Mounties will host.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to host team districts,” Gumbert said. “We haven’t won a team district title since 2005, so if we can accomplish that I think these guys will really start to believe in themselves and push themselves to new heights.

“Between the attitude around the program and the number of kids we will have coming back for the next three or four years, there’s a lot to be excited about with Northwest wrestling.”

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NORTHWEST WRESTLING LINEUP

103 Bryce Graham (Jr.)

112 Cameron Beach (Fr.)

119 Gage Race (Fr.)

125 Payne Boulter (So.)

130 Braden Gariety (Fr.)

135 Noah Sussex (Jr.)

140 Roy Guy (Jr.)

145 Zach Jacobs (Fr.)

152 Aj Benn (Sr.)

160 Dominick Louagie (Jr.)

171 Adam Haselius (Fr.)

189 Keegin Noon (Fr.)

215 James Nurkka (Fr.)

285 Kamrin Noon (Sr.)

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