MUSKEGON TWP. - If he’s ever heard it, Reeths-Puffer senior wrestler Jake Rozycki can probably relate to the famous line from the old John Lennon song that says “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
Rozycki’s big plan started coming into focus back in 2020, when he was middle schooler observing the action at Detroit’s Ford Field as his older brother, Jim Rozycki, placed eighth, won a medal and earned All-State honors at the Division 2 individual state wrestling finals.
Rozycki had been wrestling and showing promise since he was very small, and his brother’s accomplishment confirmed that reaching the top levels of the sport was very possible.
“The biggest thing for me was the environment,” Rozycki said about the spectacle of the state finals at the home of the Detroit Lions. “I had been to a lot of tournaments, but I had never seen anything like that. Then watching my brother place, which not a lot of people do, was exciting. It encouraged me to keep working hard. I wanted something like that for myself.”
Forward to 2024, when Rozycki was a sophomore on the R-P squad and qualified for the state finals himself. He reached the “blood round,” meaning he was one victory away from reaching the top eight and winning a medal, just like his brother.
R-P senior wrestler Jake Rozycki
He didn’t quite make it, losing 3-1 after giving up two points in the final few seconds of the match, and he was definitely disappointed.
But he also figured there was no reason to panic. He still had two seasons of varsity remaining and two more chances to reach the medal podium at Ford Field.
The odds of that happening looked really good. He had posted an amazing 96-11 record in his first two years of varsity wrestling, had already won two individual county championships, and had qualified for regionals twice and the state finals once.
Then something went wrong.
Rozycki was practicing a few months after the end of his sophomore season, preparing for summer freestyle competition, when he suddenly felt a pain in his back, and the discomfort continued, forced him to sit out the summer.
He thought he was past the problem about six months later, when his junior year of varsity began. But he was a just few matches into the season when the pain returned and wouldn’t go away.
That sent Rozycki to the sideline for the rest of the season, before it really got going. He had only wrestled eight matches, posting a 6-2 record.
Rozycki in a recent match against Caledonia. Photo/Jeremy Clark
It was a huge interruption of a career that had been spiraling toward great success.
“It was definitely frustrating,” Rozycki said. “At the beginning I didn’t have my head fully wrapped around the fact that I might be out all season. Doctors kept telling me I might be able to return for the postseason. It wasn’t until we got close to the postseason that I came to my senses. It was something I had to accept.”
While he waited, Rozycki went with his parents to a number of doctors to seek answers.
An MRI determined that he had broken something in his back, and the healing process had somehow cut off the blood flow to one vertebrae, which was causing uneven stress on other parts of the spine and causing the pain.
“The first doctor looked at the MRI and said, if he were my son, he would never wrestle again,” Rozycki said. “That was more shocking than anything. I had been wrestling since I was four years old. It was all I had known. It was just hard to wrap my head around it.”
Rozycki did not follow the advice to quit his sport. He stuck with the R-P wrestling team for the rest of the season, watching and cheering on his teammates while he waited for some type of hope to come along.
Rozycki as an underclassmen, after winning a conference title.
He admits it was hard to go through the season watching from the bench, but he’s always prided himself on being a good teammate, and wanted to be a positive presence for the other R-P wrestlers.
“I have always liked watching the other guys wrestle,” he said. “I know just how hard they all work. But not being able to wrestle myself was really tough.”
Meanwhile, Rozycki and his parents continued to look for the right medical treatment.
They finally found it at a chiropractic clinic in Grand Rapids, where they treated Rozycki on an ongoing basis and put him on a workout program. The results were good. By last summer he was practicing and competing a little bit, and by December he was ready for the start of his senior varsity season.
It had been almost a year since he had wrestled in a varsity match - and that season turned out to be very short - so it was a pretty special feeling to be back.
“It was a really long time since I had represented Reeths-Puffer,” said Rozycki, who won that first match with a pin in the second round. “I was definitely nervous and excited at the same time.”
Bigger wrestler, same success
R-P wrestling fans are seeing a different Rozycki this season than they remember.
As a freshman and sophomore, he was very small, competing in the 120-130 pound range, and looked very much like a middle school kid.
He’s grown taller and filled in a lot since then, and as a senior he’s competing at 150 pounds. He looks a lot older, but the results have been similar.
He has posted an 18-5 record so far in his senior season, and has had some really good days.
He took first place in the 150-pound division at the Howell Invitational, posting a 4-0 record with two pins.
Rozycki consults with R-P assistant coach Jace Learn.
He went 4-1 with two pins at the Dick Sandee Memorjal Duals at Grand Rapids Union High School.
He went 3-1 at the recent Sparta Invitational, and had his best outing of the season so far, according to R-P head coach Brad Cowles.
All of that has caught the attention of wrestling people around Michigan. He is currently the fifth-ranked 150-pounder in Division 1 in the state, with the biggest part of the season still ahead of him.
“He’s still working on a few things,” Cowles said. “We talked to him about being more aggressive and not wasting so much time during matches, and this past Saturday he really went for it, scored a lot of points early and controlled his matches.
“He has beaten all of the opponents he’s supposed to beat. All of his losses have been to top 10 wrestlers in the state.”
There have been a few frustrations along the way this season. Rozycki got poked in the eye during his first match at a tournament in Fruitport and had to miss the rest of the day.
Rocycki with his parents on Senior Night at Reeths-Puffer. Photo/Jeremy Clark
He had his arm wrenched in a painful way at another tournament and had to sit out the team’s next dual match.
Despite the little setbacks, Rozycki said he’s been wrestling pain free and is having fun again.
“I feel like I’m doing pretty good, partly because I’m wrestling again after being told I might not be able to do it,” he said. “I’m not ever going to be happy when I lose matches, but I’m proud of the steps I’ve taken and what I’ve overcome to get back this far. I won’t say I’m happy, but I’m happy with how it’s going so far.”
He admits that wrestling heavier guys is different, but it’s nothing he can’t handle.
“One thing I have noticed with bigger guys is that they are a lot stronger, but they don’t move as fast,” Rozycki said. "The biggest thing is just being more physical and aggressive. At 120 pounds you don’t have to be that aggressive cause nobody is that strong.”
“He’s not at the strength of a lot of these guys, but he makes up for it with technique,” Coach Cowles added. “He moves very freely, and stronger guys don’t move as fast. Once he’s on top, weight and strength are not a factor at that point. He’s very good on top.”
Rozycki is 18-5 so far in his comeback season. Photo/Jeremy Clark
With his career back on track, Rozycki said his personal goal remains pretty much the same – to stand on the medal podium at Ford Field, just like his brother did.
He would also like to see the Rockets, who have a lineup full of talented wrestlers, make a long run in the state team tournament, and believes that’s possible.
Coach Cowles believes Rozycki has a real shot to end his varsity career on a very high note.
“We seem him on that podium at the end of the season, as long as he improves on a few things,” Cowles said.
Since he’s ranked fifth in the state, could Rozycki do better than just place, and perhaps contend for an individual state title?
“He has what it takes, for sure,” the coach said. “He would have to put in a lot of work and have his best day of wrestling ever. I would love to see it. He has the skill set, for sure.”
Rozycki admits a state title has always been the ultimate dream, but at this point, he really just wants to earn a medal.
“I just want to do the best I can,” he said. “For sure I want to place this year, no matter what. After coming back, when the doctor told me it was not a good idea, I am just grateful to still be competing in the sport I love.”