This is not the WWE.
There were no Hogans, Savages, Heenans, Flairs or whatever wrestlers can be mentioned. This night belonged to 280 young men from various schools and districts that participated in the first ever Lake High School Wrestling Under The Lights event inside the confines of Alumni Field at Lake Blue Streak Stadium.
This was an event that had been discussed for quite some time reverting back to the end of the wrestling season. Under the direction of head coach Mike Mattingly, this was an event he and his staff along with current wrestlers helped to construct.
What better way to hold the event than outdoors instead of being cooped up inside the hot temperatures Lake’s gymnasium.
It also was an emotional event for Mattingly and assistant coach Dave Cline. Being the sons of coaches, Scott Mattingly and Zack Cline wrestled for the last time as Blue Streaks and will continue their careers at Central Michigan, where they will join three-time Division I state champion Mike Miller, who powered his way to championships in weight classes spanning 145, 152, and 160 pounds.
“This is an event that can be successful. Because we have a great facility and it is a great day for these young men to show off their talents and wrestle outside,” Mike said. “The Lake athletic staff has done a great job and supporting all sports and anytime you can have an event like this, you know it will be fun.”
“There are a lot of state qualifiers and state champions here tonight and I want to thank the parents that made this happen... this is the best support of Blue Streaks athletics I have seen in my 29 years here,” added Mike.
With five mats and numerous matches throughout the evening, this event possessed young athletes from youth levels to the scholastic level. Also on display were the tenets of sportsmanship and encouragement between wrestlers and their coaches during contests.
Samuel Muhammad, a Canton native and a Timken High ‘91 grad, knows about having participated in this sport. He believes the sport will teach his son, Jabril, about the importance of not just overcoming adversity but improving his character as a person and competitor.
Muhammad's son wrestles in the Perry youth wrestling program, which has churned out a variety of athletes who have gone on to compete in the state tournament and some state champions. Muhammad also points out developing a championship identity starts at the youth level and Friday's event is a start to instilling that into others.
“You must have a championship mentality before you have a championship tradition,” he said. “Wrestling teaches people how to fight through adversity. You must have a high expectation of yourself and when a match ends, you must see yourself as a winner not because the referee is raising your hand, but because of the effort that you left on the mat.”
No one knows about winning championships more than Miller himself. Finishing up a stellar campaign at Central Michigan in which he finished as runner up to Perry High School graduate Steve Luke, Miller vividly recalled the days in which he competed in youth competition before etching his name in Lake High School history.
The son of Tom and Diane Miller, Mike believes this is an event that will be in Lake for the long run. He praised Mattingly for his ability to branch this event out not just to Lake but to other program too. The wrestlers that competed reminded him of what he experienced in his youth.
“Mike sets a good example in putting this event together and he cares about kids and this event can be a feeder system to get wrestlers to compete at Lake,” he said.
“I would not be here myself if it were not for my parents giving me many opportunities to succeed, getting me into the weight room and working out every single day.”
Expect the number of registered wrestlers to rise within the next year, which is a possibility according to Mattingly.
“We had a good turnout. I'm not sure if other schools will do something like this. This would have been hard to do if this had been on grass,” he said. “What better way to do this in the football arena.”
This night belonged to young men that are committed to starting their wrestling careers that began in a football stadium.
