By Greg Gielczyk
HOUGHTON LAKE
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Although he doesn’t have big numbers he’s had with the Houghton Lake wrestling teams of the past, Bobcat’s Coach William Tyrrell is actually pleased because he has the core numbers he’s been looking for the last few years. In the past the Bobcats would have 20 to 25 kids out for the sport at the beginning of the season and finish with maybe six. This year there are 11 on the team and Tyrrell says all of them want to be there.
“The room doesn’t have quite as many people in it, and we’re giving up 24 points every time we’re stepping on the mat to a team that’s full,” Tyrrell said. “But, I’m happy to have 11 kids that want to be there and are working hard.
“You get five, six, seven, eight kids that are sitting around really not doing anything it really
detracts. Grades have always hit us really hard for whatever reason at Houghton Lake. Now I
have one kid that won’t be able to wrestle. Which is shame, because he’s a good wrestler.”
Big things are expected out of David Johnson and the coach’s son, Hunter Tyrrell. But the 112-pound weight class is pretty stacked according to the coach which means competition will be pretty heavy.
Johnson and Tyrrell are both talented wrestlers, however, and there’s no real way to predict how they’ll do. If everything falls into place there’s every possibility they could put things together to make a run at the regionals. Once they reach that point, anything can happen.
According to the coach, Johnson was the first Houghton Lake wrestler to ever make it to the state championship match which is held at The Palace of Auburn Hills and always an incredible experience for the prep wrestlers. He did it when he was a freshman.
Now in his junior year, Johnson is hoping to make a return to the big show. His coach believes he has the kind of internal drive to make his way back to The Palace, and has grown with the
experience he’s gained.
“I have a whole bunch of kids in the second tier,” coach Tyrrell said. “They maybe aren’t my big guns but they’re pistols. Kids really want to be there and they’re hungry. They’re wrestling hard every day.
“From day one at practice these kids have been banging. They came to the run ready to rock. So it’s been energetic really from the first day. So I’m just crossing my fingers that they have some success.”
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