For years, the Adrian wrestling team has had individual success, but struggled to produce teams strong enough to contend with top Division 2 schools.
This year, however, their start suggests the Maples, under second-year coach Nick Conklin, have a team that can take on those top schools and contend for the team state tournament.
Adrian, led by two-time Lenawee County champion and state qualifier Hunter Krueger, is out to a strong start this season.
The Maples started the season with six straight Southeastern Conference victories and sit with a 7-1 conference mark. The lone blemish was a 49-21 loss against Saline on Jan. 10.
Overall, Adrian’s record in dual meets sits at 20-3.
“A good handful of our kids worked at least two to three days a week during the summer to basically cement themselves mentally and physically into the lineup,” Conklin said.
Last year, Adrian finished 11-13 and dropped a 48-12 decision to Tecumseh in the first round of districts.
This year, Conklin feels the Maples are a threat to take the regional and make the trip to Kalamazoo for the state finals, but doesn’t want his squad looking too far ahead yet.
“As a coach, I don’t try to look at the end,” Conklin said. “I mean, obviously, that’s our goal, but when we’re in the season, I try to make sure that we’re not looking towards the end. We’re trying to take it one dual meet at a time, making sure our kids are focused.”
With how strong the team has performed out of the gate this year, it is not beyond the realm of possibility to see the Adrian squad taking an SEC championship, as well.
“That Saline match was close, a couple of (bouts) didn’t go our way that should’ve,” said Krueger, “but I think we can win it. (Saline) is not that good. They’re not better than us, and we’re going to get better.”
“…We will peak towards the end of the season when we wrestle big teams like Monroe and Bedford.”
It’s still early on in the season and in Conklin’s tenure as the head coach of the Maples, but he already wants to rebuild the Adrian program back to the powerhouse it was in the early 1970s, when Adrian made two trips to the state finals.
“My ultimate goal is to be championship-caliber,” said Conklin. “I don’t think I would’ve taken the job if that wasn’t my end goal. It takes years and years as everybody has watched Hudson come up and teams like Lowell in the state, and it takes years.
“I will say this: Adrian is on the right track. We have a great club support with our youth practicing and has at least 40 kids, and our middle school is thriving. We have kids coming out who have never wrestled before, and obviously, with the high school success, hopefully that filters down to kids wanting to wrestle and be successful, and that is my ultimate goal. I don’t think I’d be a good coach if I wasn’t.”
Krueger has no losses when wrestling in his weight class at 215 pounds, and the lone loss he does have this season was when he was bumped up to 285 pounds against Ypsilanti, and that loss was a narrow defeat.
Adrian’s top dog is modest when it comes to his successes this season. “A lot of it is just my coaches pushing me in the room,” Krueger said. “...The Connors brothers have helped out a lot. (Coach) Conklin has just pushed me in the room, beating me up and putting me in the situations that I need to to be successful in a match.”
Despite qualifying for the state tournament as an individual the past two years, Krueger has not managed to place.
This year, however, he has set the bar high.
“My ultimate goal is to be a state champ,” Krueger said, “That’s been my goal since I was like four.”