On Wednesday, Dec. 10, the Howell North wrestling team will face the Howell High Vikings at Howell High. Howell High enters this duel 2-2, while Howell North is 0-1 on the season, losing their first duel at St. Charles West.

“They’re pretty darn good, one of the best in the state,” Coach Chris Brown said. “I like wrestling Howell, but I wish we had more of a team to put against them.”

Due to the amount of open spots on Howell North’s wrestling roster because of injuries and dropouts, the best that the Knights can hope for is a tie. If Howell North wins every individual match, the duel will end in a tie between the two squads. The real match to watch, according to the coaches and wrestlers, is the match between Sam Ritchie of Howell North and Nick McGee of Howell High. Both of these wrestlers qualified for all-state last year, and they are both trying their hardest to make it back to state this year.

“I’m excited to get a rematch against one of my biggest rivals [McGee],” senior wrestler Ritchie said. “I definitely have a lot of respect for him and the whole Howell High team. I know how hard they work and how hard the coaches and

players push each other. My match, specifically, is tough because we’re two of the best in the state. Everyone just needs to wrestle at or above their potential. They’re all good wrestlers. One just has to be a little better than the other.”

The Knights may not have a full varsity lineup, but they have an excess of young wrestlers, including 12 freshmen and seven sophomores. While these young wrestlers may not be ready to wrestle against the top talent in the varsity circuit, they can definitely develop into mature, top-tier wrestlers in the next two or three years. This match against a longtime rival in Howell is a great chance for for individuals to develop for future seasons or even later this season.

“We’ve been practicing a lot- six days a week,” Coach Brown said. “We’re really just looking to improve individuals at this point. We don’t really have too much of a chance to beat Howell, especially considering all of our opens. I’m looking forward to seeing how all of the freshmen go up against Howell.”