Photo by David Schreiber St. Clair Shores Lakeview 103-pounder Matt Sand tries to break away from Troy Athens’ Brian Vincent Jan. 9 at Warren Fitzgerald.

By Brad D. Bates
C & G Sports Writer
           
New St. Clair Shores Lakeview wrestling coach Ken Lowry doesn’t have many problems relating to his wrestlers.
           
Just two years removed from graduation at Warren Woods Tower, Lowry, 19, took over the task of rebuilding the Huskies’ wrestling program to the height it enjoyed as a Division 2 regional champion in 2004-05.
           
“We’re looking pretty good as far as improving,” Lowry said. “It’s a long road to get the team to where it was in 2005, and right now, the challenge is finding who’s next to step up as a team leader.”
           
Lowry knows a thing or two about building a winning culture, as he was part of the Titans’ first-ever regional championship team in 2007.
           
He said being not so far  removed from that experience has helped him with the Huskies.
           
“I know how it feels,” Lowry said of being a high school wrestler. “I know how to cut weight and how that feels. It’s a little more fresh for me than for a coach that hasn’t wrestled in high school in 10 years.”
           
Lowry graduated from Tower as an individual state finals qualifier and a part of four straight Division 2 team district championships.
           
He said he takes the majority of his coaching strategy from his high school coach, Greg Mayer.
           
“Probably 90 percent of what I do comes from what he did to us,” Lowry said of Mayer. “He was very clear on being tough and never giving up, and always giving yourself a shot.
           
“Most coaches take something from college, and I couldn’t do that. I had to take what I knew right out of high school.”
           
One drill in particular has stuck with Lowry, and he made sure to incorporate it into the Huskies’ practice regimen.
           
“He never let me take him down, but I never stopped working for it,” Lowry said of Mayer’s custom of letting his grapplers try to take him to the mat in practice.
           
“I used that as motivation, and I use that as motivation for my wrestlers now. They get to see who’s going to take me down. I’m never going to let them do it, but they still want to try.”
           
Lowry’s message of toughness and determination was part of the reason former Lakeview coach Steve Nicholl encouraged him to apply to lead the program.
           
Nicholl was set to have former Lakeview All-State wrestler Jake Fisher succeed him as coach, but Nicholl said after Fisher joined the military, he turned to Lowry.
           
“We wanted someone with a great moral compass who works hard, and that’s him,” Nicholl said of Lowry. “We’re in the rebuilding process right now, and he’s the type of kid that has the energy and drive to build the program back up.”
           
That rebuilding process begins with the freshman class and grapplers such as 103-pounder Matt Sand and 119-pounder Aaron Roach.
           
“It starts with our big freshman class and getting them to commit,” Lowry said. “They’re what’s next. It’s hard now, but if they want to get better, they have to be the ones to commit.”
           
Within their 14-wrestler starting lineup, the Huskies have only two seniors and four juniors.
           
But Lowry’s quest to instill a winning attitude has taken hold with at least one of his upperclassmen — junior heavyweight JaBree Harris.
           
“JaBree Harris plays football, and he just transferred in this fall,” Lowry said. “I could tell he wanted to be a leader right away.”

You can reach Sports Writer Brad D. Bates at bbates@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1029.