Bloomfield Hills

Birmingham Brother Rice works to get the jump on competition

By Christian Davis
C & G Sports Writer

» Click on image to view full size « Photo by David Schreiber Birmingham Brother Rice sophomore Shon Powell, left, escapes a hold from senior Thomas Girardot. Powel won the Oakland County Tournament at 160 pounds. Photo by David Schreiber Birmingham Brother Rice sophomore Shon Powell, left, escapes a hold from senior Thomas Girardot. Powel won the Oakland County Tournament at 160 pounds.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS — The Birmingham Brother Rice wrestling team has a motto this season: “Win the day.”

Sophomore Shon Powell takes that slogan to heart, waking every morning to begin his workout at 6 a.m. at the gym near his house in Highland Park.

From there, it’s school and then practice.

“The tough part is getting up, but when I get there, I know what I’m there to do and the reward it’s going to bring. It’s all worth it,” Powell said during practice Jan. 5.

The 160-pounder’s routine has already paid dividends, winning his weight class at the Oakland County Tournament Dec. 17 at Oxford High, beating Ortonville Brandon’s Eric Vanden Bossche 5-3 in the final.

“I wanted to get out there and show people that I’m a contender for a state championship,” he said.

Last season, Powell finished fifth in the county and qualified for the Division 1 state final.

Coach J. Scott Moseley said his wrestler is looking to better all of those achievements.

“He’s not satisfied or content winning a county title,” he said. “He’s just continuing to build on his foundation of what he knows and challenging himself every day at practice.”

Coming from a wrestling family, Powell began building his foundation at the age of 4.

“He’s trained all over the state, all over the country, just picking up different techniques. That’s a big part of his success,” Moseley said.

Powell was 17-1 overall at press time, helping the Warriors to a 10-4 dual-meet record.

Along with Powell, Moseley said junior Andrew Napieraj (21-1), sophomore Josiah Thomas (12-4) and seniors J.D. Plomin (15-4), Ralph Brunk (7-4) and Thomas Girardot (15-3) lead the team.

“It helps when the kids have someone to look up to, because when you’re winning on the mat, you’re doing the right things in practice, in the classroom, in your home life, and it all accumulates into the leadership we’re trying to build,” the coach said.

Powell believes the time commitment put into wrestling on and off the mat is what helps him when times get tough.

“I feel getting up that early gives me a mental edge on kids,” he said. “I know that while they’re in bed sleeping, I’m up lifting weights and getting my day started.”

Or as Moseley says, winning the day.

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Christian Davis at cdavis@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1062.