Green replaces Rubino as Dowagiac wrestling coach

Published 9:50 pm Monday, December 1, 2003

By By SCOTT NOVAK / Dowagiac Daily News
The Dowagiac varsity wrestling team will have a new look when it opens its 2003-04 season Thursday night in Otsego.
Gone are nine starters and long-time Chieftain coach Chuck Rubino, who retired at the end of last season.
Replacing Rubino is former Dowagiac head coach and long-time Rubino assistant coach John Green. Green coached the Chieftains during the 1985-86 season following the departure of legendary coach John Lewis.
Green was replaced at the start of the 1986-87 season by Rubino, but stayed on as his assistant. Rubino and Green took Dowagiac to a state semifinal appearance in 1989, along with a string of four consecutive appearances in Battle Creek, in the mid 1990s.
Dowagiac lost in the Division 2 state finals to Ogemaw Heights in 1996.
Green recently received his award as Assistant Coach of the Year from the wrestling coaches association.
So with the departure of Rubino, Green returns to lead the Chieftains.
His first order of business is to replace nine regular starters from a squad that went 23-9 last season and reached the Division 3 Regional Finals before being eliminated by Constantine.
Despite the loss of nine wrestlers from last season, Green is optimistic that Dowagiac will once again be a force in the post season.
The cupboard is hardly bare for Green.
With only three seniors in the line up, it will be up to the under classmen to help carry this team.
Of his seniors, two of them are among the best Dowagiac has ever produced.
Darr Phillips returns at 112 pounds. Phillips has 114 career victories and will be chasing all-time leader Gavin Manley, who had 158 victories for the Chieftains.
At the other end of the spectrum, heavyweight Michael Johnson has 104 career victories and will also be after the all-time record.
The third senior, Jim Kehrer, hasn't wrestled a varsity match in his career, but is expected to step right in and contribute.
Kehrer will wrestle at 189 pounds this season.
Dowagiac has plenty of experience throughout the other weight classes.
Matt Behnke saw some action last year and will wrestle at 215 pounds. Shawn Rawson will also see some action at 215.
Rob Duszynski was 7-2 last season, but was limited by an injury. He will wrestle at 171. Kyle Bennett, who has recovered from a shoulder separation during football season, will go at 160.
Elijah Caldwell will wrestle at 152, while Jeromy Northrup will wrestle at 145. Wrestling at 140 will be Jeremy Shank. At 135 will be either Thomas Laskey or Austin Lawrence. The other will wrestle at 130.
Sophomore Jason Krukowski will wrestle at 125 for the Chieftains.
Freshman Ryan Dutoi is expected to see action at 119.
Dowagiac will have two wrestlers competing for the spot at 103 pounds. Freshmen Nathan Cottrell and Ritchie Hutchingson will compete for the starting spot.
For the first time in the program's history, a pair of girls are listed on the Chieftain roster. Out for the team are Ashley Szymonski and Karen Sobieski.
Green is being cautiously optimistic about this year's squad.
Assisting Green will be veteran assistant coach John Johnson and Matt Alward, who is in his second season with the program. Alward will work with the junior varsity and freshmen wrestlers.
Dowagiac will open the season on Thursday in Otsego. The Chieftains usually open up the year at the Vicksburg Invitational. Green said there will be several changes to the schedule this season as he wants to get a look at some more of the Division 3 programs.
Dowagiac actually scheduled the Otsego match because Napoleon and Constantine were both supposed to be there. Both teams have pulled out, so the Chieftains will face the host school and Decatur.
Dowagiac will wrap up its first week of competition at the Vicksburg Invitational on Saturday.