Coach Keil Jorgensen: Molding a Wrestling Team

In a cramped school gym, a couple of dozen sweaty high school boys are grunting, running, bleeding and smiling. The "new and improved" wrestling team is hard at work under second year head coach Keil Jorgensen.

The old school gym, complete with the heat turned up to burn extra calories, may feel unpleasant, but the wrestlers are enjoying the coach's regimen and the early season results.

Jorgensen, 27, has been involved with wrestling since he was 4 years old. His father, Randy Jorgensen, coached wrestling in Imlay City for more than 30 years so he gained exposure to the sport growing up.

"He wrestled at Olivet College and recently was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame," Keil Jorgensen said of his father.

Randy Jorgensen now helps Keil coach his wrestlers at Clawson High School.

Keil Jorgensen competed on the wrestling team at Central Michigan University. After college, Jorgensen went on to coach wrestling camps in Imlay City and competed on national and international levels.

"I was on the United States Freestyle National Team (in 2000) and spent two weeks in Europe," Jorgensen said.

Wrestlers appreciate coach

Clawson senior Kevin Cunningham, freshman Wyatt Remillard, sophomore Rob Maccallum and junior Mike Lepinct have bought into the coach's philosophy of hard work and commitment.

"I was with the program before he came," Cunningham said. "He's an awesome guy and has definitely impacted all of us a lot."

Remillard is grateful to Jorgensen for introducing him to the sport. "I never wrestled before and he came in and got me interested and I've found out that its one of the best sports."

Maccallum said he is impressed with his coach's knowledge of the sport. "Coach has completely turned the whole program around," he said. "He brought in his knowledge and his dad and it's been great having them here."

Lepinct is another first-year grappler who is grateful to Jorgensen for bringing him into the sport. "He's made the transition into a sport I've never played much easier," he said. "He's taught me a lot and he's a great guy."

Last season, Jorgensen laid the foundation for his team. Twenty-two wrestlers, five wins and three regional qualifiers formed the ingredients for a cornerstone for this year's team. The blueprints are to build a wrestling home and tradition in Clawson for years to come.

"Last year, we were three points away from winning a district title," Jorgensen said. "Last year was more than a rebuilding year. It was the first time Clawson had regional qualifiers in about 20 years." Even though its record was 5-10, the Trojans won five out of its last six matches to build momentum and cohesiveness as a team.

With the regional qualifiers back, "This year we'll be a lot better," Jorgensen said. "We lost two seniors, we have a good freshman class and we have 27 solid wrestlers this year."

Integrating experience and team values

Jorgensen has several building blocks he wants to incorporate into each of his wrestlers.

"Hard work, ability, respect and determination – those are what I strive for," he said. "Good moral values, be a good citizen on and off the mat is pretty much what I want. I let them know that records don't make winners."

With all of his experience, Jorgensen has been around different styles of wrestling. He hopes to integrate pieces of each style into his team.

"In southeast Michigan, wrestling is very technical," he said. "But more in the Thumb and higher up in Michigan its gets more physical. It's more brute strength and more conditioning. What I want to do is take a little more of everything — brute strength, great conditioning, mental toughness — and mix it in with a lot of technique."

Jorgensen is instilling the basics and working to perfect the team. He said he wants them to be "very aggressive but smart at the same time – a lot of movement, a lot of intensity, always push forward, be conditioned and always be mentally prepared."

Molding the team

The team has entered at least two wrestlers in each of the 14 weight classes – 103 pounds to heavyweight — this season. Individual summer training and in camps where Jorgensen brought in college wrestlers has helped mold his team into contenders. But Jorgensen also gives credit for his team's success to many sources.

"We have a good staff, good kids, great administration and great parents," he said. "They've really picked it up and we've go a great bunch of kids."

The regional qualifiers that have returned this season are Cunningham in the 152 weight class, Mike Francis in the 125 class and Shawn Link at the 171 class.

Moving forth

Looking forward, Clawson will host its first individual district finals in February.

"It's a huge tournament and we'll have the No. 1 team in the state coming," Jorgensen said. "It's going to pack that gym."

Jorgensen, with his blueprint to create a successful wrestling home in Clawson, is well on his way. "We're changing the culture in Clawson, they haven't had much in 30 some years and we're looking to bring that back," he said.

As the temperature climbs in the steaming hot school gym, so do the hopes of a couple of dozen Clawson wrestlers.