In 41 years of wrestling, Lake Orion High School has had 15 grapplers reach the 100-win plateau in their high school careers.
At least two, and possibly three wrestlers, will be added to that list when the this season is in the books.
Ian Rocheleau and Shane Tobin have already hit the century mark, and Scott Avery is not far behind.
‘One-hundred wins for any high school wrestler is pretty darn good,? said coach Doug Kline. ‘It’s kind of like hitting .300 in baseball or averaging 200 in bowling.?
The state coaches association acknowledges all 100-win achievers with a certificate.
The accomplishment is not lost on the players either.
‘It lets you know that you’ve really done something,? said Rocheleau. ‘One-hundred is a big number.?
‘It means that all of the hard work you’ve done has finally paid off,? added Tobin. ‘Those hard practices weren’t for nothing.?
Tobin said his goal when he entered high school was more like 50 wins.
‘I never expected to get anywhere near 100,? he said.
For Avery, who recently signed to play football at Northern Michigan next year, reaching 100 would be a great capper to his high school athletic career.
‘I never planned on it,? Avery said, ‘But now that it’s a reachable goal I want to see that it happens.?
According to Kline, Avery, who is some ten wins shy of the century mark, will need a deep run at the state tournament to make it.
‘We’re really hoping that Scotty gets up there to 100,? Kline said, noting that Avery was only a spot starter as a sophomore.
‘He’s only really wrestled varsity for two years,? he said.
Kline thinks that Rocheleau will reach the top eight or possibly top six in all-time wins when all is said and done.
‘He’ll get over 120 for sure,? he said, ‘And Shane should end up near 115.?
The school record of 147 appears to be safe for now, but that doesn’t dampen the effect the three seniors have had on their program.
‘I wouldn’t trade any of those three,? Kline said. ‘They’re going to be hard to replace.?
‘They’re each unique,? he said with a chuckle. ‘They’re characters, all three of them.They all do well in the classroom, so they’re great role models.?
As team leaders, the three wrestlers agree that there is still some unfinished business left on the mats.
‘Our team goals are to definitely go to states,? Tobin said.
Getting to the final eight in Battle Creek means first getting through tne district and regional competitions.
We’ve had a lot of injuries and everyone has something little bothering them,? Rocheleau said of the team, which lost two key starters in the early going.
‘We knew we had to work harder to fill their spots,? he added.
Avery credited some of the younger wrestlers for stepping up into those key roles.
All three wrestlers thanked their many coaches for making the team atmosphere what it is, and making them stronger people.
‘We all have a bunch of fun,? Tobin said. ‘It’s something we really enjoy doing.?
Though their time at LOHS is winding down, the wrestlers know their bonds to the program will never be broken.
After playing college football, Avery plans to be a teacher at the high school level and a coach too.
Rocheleau plans to get an engineering degree, and Tobin is looking into graphic design.
Even with three very different career plans, the three will forever be connected near the top of the LOHS all-time wins record book.