On January 2nd, the Lowell Senior High School wrestling team traveled to Mishawaka High School for the annual Al Smith Tournament. This was the 47th time the tournament has been hosted at Mishawaka. The tournament is sometimes considered the hardest in the state, even more challenging than the actual state tournament. Coach Wesley English described the team’s performance as “pretty good.” The team finished 4th out of 32 teams. The coaches were very proud of all their wrestlers and the effort they put in during the tournament and the week leading up to it.
Lowell’s first champion was Noel Verduzco, who is ranked 1st in the semi-state and 3rd in the state at 126 pounds. Noel defeated the 7th seed 5–1 to become the champion. The next champion was Evan Stanley, who is ranked 1st in the state at 138 pounds. Evan steamrolled through the final matches with two pins and one technical fall, pinning his opponent in 1 minute and 26 seconds in the finals to claim the championship. Lowell’s final champion was Kameron Hazelett, who is also ranked 1st in the state at heavyweight. He won the final match 7–1, becoming Lowell’s third champion of the tournament.
The team also had three placers. Gavin Longoria, who is ranked 4th in the semi-state and 18th in the state at 106 pounds, placed 7th. Hunter Mallory, who is ranked 10th in the semi-state at 132 pounds, placed 8th. Finally, Dalton Robson, who is ranked 3rd in the semi-state and 16th in the state at 144 pounds, placed 5th.
Coach Wes said, “Gavin and Hunter had the best tournament that I’ve coached them so far.” He also added, “I think the tournament went pretty well. It’s all about getting better. It helps us know what we need to work on, especially with team state coming up this weekend.” Coach Wes believes the Al Smith Tournament helps the team prepare for semi-state because many of the wrestlers they face come from that level of competition.
The Al Smith Tournament has a legendary history, which is what makes it so special. Al Smith was originally hired as an assistant football coach. During the 1950s and 1960s, George Wilson served as Mishawaka’s wrestling coach. He passed away a year before Smith was hired. Dale Rims then asked Smith if he wanted to become the head wrestling coach. He took over during the 1964–65 season.
Even after he stopped coaching, Smith remained involved with the Mishawaka wrestling program in one way or another. He was born in southwestern Arkansas but moved to Northern Indiana because his family were “migratory laborers,” as he described. Over his 30 years of coaching, Al Smith collected 416 wins, 16 NIC titles, 11 regional titles, and led his team to a state championship in 1991, making him one of the greatest wrestling coaches to ever exist.
