New Leader, Same Result as Lowell Claims 13th-Straight Division 2 Title
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
February 28, 2026
KALAMAZOO – It’s not easy to replace a legend, but for Kyle Slocum and the Lowell wrestling program, Saturday looked a lot like the past dozen years.
In their first year with Slocum at the helm, the Red Arrows kept their record-setting Division 2 Finals streak alive, defeating Eaton Rapids 62-4 to claim their 13th-straight Team Finals title at Wings Event Center.
“It was the same mission the whole year,” Lowell senior Jarrett Smith said. “It stayed the same. We’re still working hard and getting better every day and having fun. I bet it’s a lot of pressure off (Slocum’s) shoulders. This probably feels a lot better for him than it does for us, honestly.”
The last 11 titles before Saturday’s came with RJ Boudro at the helm. But with him now in charge of the Grand Valley State program, the Red Arrows turned to Slocum, who had been an assistant in the program for 19 years.
“RJ did so much for our program,” Slocum said. “He was the pillar of our program and one of the best coaches in the state, easily. So, we had to navigate that and figure out how we’re going to put that back together without him. There were a lot of things that he did that we had no idea that he did. I just got to show up and wrestle with the kids. That changed a lot, but (assistant) Matt Dood and the coaching staff, everybody stepped up into new roles and we took it all on. That’s what I’m the most proud of, the way we were able to continue the tradition.”
The 13th extends Lowell’s record for consecutive wrestling titles, and brings the program one closer to the all-sport record held by East Grand Rapids boys swimming & diving, which won 15 straight from 1948 to 1962.
But even though they’ve cycled through nearly a generation of wrestlers during the streak, the Red Arrow faithful continue to show up and be loud every time.
“I think they just truly know how special it is,” Slocum said. “This could all go away. I was thinking about that, it’s such a tradition, it’s so nice that we take for granted how long we’ve been doing this. It’s not easy to do. But you have all the pillars in place to keep going. With RJ leaving, probably a lot of people thought, ‘Are they going to be able to do it?’ We still have a lot of really good pillars in our program. That’s the key, building that at the youth level and having that continue through high school.”’
The win Saturday came against the team the Red Arrows (35-3) lost against in their first-ever trip to the Final. That 1999 appearance also happened to be the last won by Eaton Rapids, which has eight titles and was the state’s dominant Class B/Division 2 program in the 1990s.
The sixth-seeded Greyhounds (39-6) pulled off upsets of Algonac and Three Rivers on their way to the Saturday’s Final, their first since 2015, and coach Devin Milheim feels this could be just the beginning for his program.
“We have one senior, we’re young, we’re hungry,” Milheim said. “This hopefully leaves a little bad taste in our mouth and we’re ready to get working in the summer. There’s lots of things to improve on, so the sky is the limit for this group.”
Maiko Sherman picked up the lone victory for Eaton Rapids in the Final, a major decision at 106.
Lowell won the other 13 matches, including six pins and two technical falls. Mason Saylor (120), Smith (126), Cole Cichocki (138), Logan Dawson (144), Keith Tett (157) and Colton Barney (165) all pinned their opponents, while Cody Foss (150) and Seth Harvey (175) won by tech fall.
Weston McFarland (215) won by major decision for Lowell, while Dylan Boone (190), Braylen Meeuwsen (285), John Carter McKay (113) and Carson Blum (132) all won by decision.
“It feels good,” Smith said. “I was just reflecting, coming in freshman year your first time on the big stage, you’re just trying to go out and get your wins and help your team. Now, coming in as a senior and trying to be a leader and encourage others to do the same. Younger guys transitioning to the leader roles is what I’ve noticed. It feels really good, and I’ve got faith that these guys will keep it going.”
Lowell was dominant all weekend, defeating Fruitport 71-8 in the Quarterfinal and New Boston Huron 55-15 in the Semifinal.
PHOTOS (Top) Seth Harvey’s hand is raised in victory as he finishes Lowell’s Division 2 championship win with a technical fall. (Middle) Colton Barney, right, works towards a pin at 165. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
After Finals Face-Off, Teammates Working to Earn Championships Together
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
January 3, 2025
Clarkston senior wrestlers Archer Anderson and Preston Lefevre hope to do something this season that they couldn’t last year – spur each other on to Individual Finals titles.
So, why couldn’t they do so last year? Because only one of them could win it all.
Anderson and Lefevre both advanced through last year’s Division 1 Individual Finals field at 120 pounds to reach the championship match, where they ended up running into … each other.
The two squared off for the title in a battle of teammates, with Anderson earning a 10-8 win in overtime.
“It was pretty cool,” said Anderson, recalling the match during the first day of this season’s Oakland County meet last month. “It was really tough because you know exactly what he was going do. But that was in the past. We are just trying to get better and focusing on improvement.”
Added Lefevre: “I wouldn’t say it was awkward as much it was bittersweet. It was cool that one of us got to win.”
This year, it’s possible both will celebrate Finals championships.
The two started this winter in different weight classes, with Anderson wrestling at 126 pounds and Lefevre at 132.
“Whatever weight is best for the individual, that’s where they are going to go,” Lefevre said. “We just figured out that 126 and 132 was where we were going to be. I just got bigger.”
At the Oakland County tournament, Anderson won the title at 126 pounds, while Lefevre advanced to the championship at 132 pounds before losing to Jace Morgan of Rochester Adams. Morgan was a semifinalist at 126 pounds at last year’s MHSAA Tournament and has signed to wrestle for Michigan State.
Both Anderson and Lefevre look primed to be among the best in the state in their weight classes. They had an active offseason, with both competing among other decorated high school wrestlers at the Super 32 Challenge in North Carolina in October.
“We got some chances at some nationally-ranked wrestlers, so that was fun,” Anderson said.
Anderson and Lefevre both were voted team captains, and both have embraced the extra responsibility of leading the others on the squad.
“Just trying to get better and we’ve been setting a good example for the underclassmen,” Anderson said.
Of course, that starts with leading by example with how they train with each other every day in practice.
The weight classes might have changed, but the fact that the two are still training partners and go at it regularly hasn’t changed a bit.
It’s all for the best though, where their technique, and physical and mental toughness is honed.
“Iron sharpens iron,” Lefevre said. “We are in there every day scrapping and getting better. Everything gets better. Even your mindset. I got to hate losing.”
Clarkston head coach Brian Gibbs has seen the two push each other in practice ever since they were freshmen, and it will obviously be a strange sight not to see them do so in the Clarkston wrestling room once they graduate.
“They have been true competitors year over year and continually work on refining their craft,” Gibbs said. “The fact they finally wrestled each other in the state finals has only increased their competitiveness and drive to be better. They are great friends and drill partners. Both of them have done tremendous things for this program, and I’m extremely grateful to have them with us.”
Having two of the state’s top wrestlers in the lower weights is an advantage many teams don’t have, and both Anderson and Lefevre hope that means they’ll take Clarkston to a place the Wolves haven’t been during their high school careers – the Team Finals in Kalamazoo.
“It’s been a goal of ours to make states because we haven’t done it,” he said. “That’s always been a goal.”
Whether or not Clarkston is in Kalamazoo as a team, expectations are Anderson and Lefevre will once again be center stage at Ford Field for the Individual Finals.
This time though, the plan is for both to be raising an arm in victory after the championship match.
Keith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Clarkston teammates Archer Anderson (left) and Preston Lefevre compete against each other for the Division 1 championship at 120 pounds last season. (Middle) Archer and Lefevre top the awards podium at Ford Field. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)