After a disappointing loss during last years individual state championship tournament, the Howell wrestling team has been hitting the mats hard and working on getting stronger and perfecting every move.

“I expect nothing but the best out of every sport. All of the athletes have been preparing and working hard. I’m looking forward to another fantastic season,” Athletic Director Dan Hutcheson says.

After last year’s wrestling season, the Highlanders filed to retain their team district title in a heartbreaking loss to Brighton. With that behind them, the Highlanders are looking for redemption. There way of accomplishing it is by having a new look at the lineup this year.

103: Adam Aiken

112: Aaron Raskin

119: Mike Strayer

125: Sawyer Hughes

130: Cole Anderson

135: Chris Garcia

140: Nick Wilson

145: Dylan Lester

152: Mike Hess

160: Luke Koronich

171: Andrew Huff

189: Bobby McQueen

215: Austin Hansen

285: Heavyweight: AJ Firsht

Leadership has played a big part in preparing for this season. Senior, Andrew Huff, has been taking on the role of captain. With a wealth of knowledge on the sport of wrestling, the captain has a lot of people looking up to him and high expectations.

“My goal for this year is to be the best leader I can be. Also I’m looking forward to seeing us as team to be elite and be one of the top teams in the state. My goals as an individual is to be all state, which means to be one of the top eight kids in the state at my weight class.”

Good coaching is the key to any successful team. Joe Adams has been coaching the Highlands since the early 2000’s. He has racked up multiple titles both as coach and former Howell wrestler, making it all the way to the state finals. Along with coaches Kyle McDonald, Kevin Clark, and Mike Lewis, the Highlander coaching staff expects nothing but greatness.

“Head Coach Joe Adam, myself, and our volunteer staff are looking forward to another great season. We lost a lot of good seniors last year but we have a core group of upperclassmen taking charge and becoming leaders for this season. I expect a good outcome to many of our duals and hope for some upsets against teams that we have struggled to overcome in the past. I truly look forward to working with the current senior and making this their best wrestling season of their high school athletic career,”  J.V. Coach  Kyle McDonald says.

The Highlanders have started their season off great in their scrimmage. They won 2-1 as team beating schools Fenton High School and Warren Woods Tower High School but they unfortunately loss to Monroe in a tough matchup. Currently Howell’s next meet is in Bay City on Jan. 9. If you want more information on the Howell Wrestling team please visit www.howellwrestling.net or the athletic office.