Indianamat.com Website Review

Mike and Joe do a de*p dive into the 2019 Team State tournament and talk about all the great wrestling. They also talk about other action from the past week including upcoming college matches around the state.. #MONDAYMATNESS: TALENTED CROWN POINT BULLDOGS TAKING DOWN FOES WITH TEAM-FIRST MENTALITY. [email protected] It’s an approach that Bo Schembechler would have recognized. Wrestling requires one wrestler go into the circle for one-on-one competition. But in high school, that wrestler is part of a team. At Crown Point, the Bulldogs are doing like the old University Michigan football coach said. It’s about “The Team. The Team. The Team.” “We’ve really been preaching the team concept,” says Branden Lorek, who is in his third season as Crown Point head coach and 14th in the program. The graduate of Fenton High School in Bensenville, Ill., wrestled at the University of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. “This isn’t just about ‘I’ or ‘me.’ It’s about the team.” With guidance from varsity as*istants Bill Hawkins and Vince Sessa, each Dog knows their job before they step on the mat, whether it’s to rack up bonus points or at least save points for the team. It’s an approach the wrestlers have come to embrace. “It took a couple weeks, but now they’re seeing it on the scoreboard,” says Lorek. “We give them pretty specific instructions. This is what we need from you — nothing less. “We have an amazing coaching staff that’s pas*ionate about the sport,” says Lorek, who also counts Brennan Cosgrove as a volunteer as*istant, Nick Bruno as junior varsity coach and Aaron Sessa as freshman coach. It’s about setting a goal and knowing the expectation. “Our goal is always to win the match,” says Lorek. “If things go sideways, this is what’s next and our kids understand that.” After several years away, Crown Point competed in 40th Al Smith Clas*ic at Mishawaka Dec. 28-29 and placed fourth out of 32 teams. “The Al Smith was a nice feather in our cap,” says Lorek. “Our team is just starting