On the eve of Michigan's individual state wrestling tournament, Lowell's Austin Boone is on the cusp on history.

Last week, the Penn State commit led the Red Arrows to a seventh straight Division 2 team championship.

This week, the senior can become a four-time individual champion and join former Davison High School and Iowa great Brent Metcalf as Michigan's only wrestlers to win four individual and team titles.

However, making history is not a foregone conclusion for the unbeaten Boone. Gaylord's Chayse LaJoie, a two-time state champion who is headed to Cornell, awaits on the other side of the Division 2, 145-pound bracket. 

He is eager for a rematch with Boone after Boone took an 11-3 decision during last week's team state finals. It was LaJoie's first loss of the season. 

Flint Powers' Sean Spidle and Mendon's Skyler Crespo are also seeking their fourth state championships. There have only 26 four-time state champions in Michigan history.

Here is a look at the top wrestlers and the most intriguing bracket to watch at the individual state tournament.

Wrestling begins Friday morning and continues through Saturday evening at Detroit's Ford Field.

AUSTIN BOONE, LOWELL

Boone (37-0) can become the Red Arrows' second four-time state champion, joining Joe Mendez (2002-05).

Ranked second nationally at 145 pounds, Boone enters the state tourney with a 149-8 high school record. 

His biggest victory this season is a 4-2 decision over Brecksville, Ohio's Victor Voinovich, a two-time state champion who finished third at Cadet Nationals last summer. He is currently ranked No. 8 in the country at 145 and had defeated Boone last season.

On paper at least, Boone appears to have an easier path to the championship match than LaJoie. No returning state medalists are on Boone's side of the bracket. 

LaJoie (35-1), meanwhile, must contend with Sparta's Logan Slominski (41-3), who was third in the state at 140 last season, and Trenton's Sam Rickman (50-1), who was fifth at 135. 

After winning state championships as a freshman and sophomore, LaJoie was edged, 3-2, by Warren Woods-Tower's Chaise Mayer in the Division 2, 125-pound final season. Mayer has graduated.

LaJoie, who boasts a 184-10 high school record, erased some of that disappointment with a productive offseason. He won the 120-pound, Greco national title in Fargo, knocking off Old Dominion commit and Illinois state champion Anthony Molton in the final. He was also third in freestyle. 

Boone's busy offseason included placing third at the Super 32, Grappler Fall Classic and Journeyman Tournaments. At Super 32, he knocked off four opponents ranked in the top 20 nationally, North Carolina State-bound Ed Scott, currently ranked No. 2 at 152 pounds. 

SEAN SPIDLE, FLINT POWERS

After capturing last season's Division 2, 152-pound state title, Spidle is back in Division 3 where he won his first two championships. 

The Central Michigan recruit is 32-0 and the only wrestler in the state who still has a chance to finish unbeaten each of the past two years. 

Doing so will not be easy, however. 

Looming on the opposite side of the 119-pound bracket is two-time state champion Hunter Assenmacher (44-1) of Ida. His lone loss was a 5-3 decision to Macomb Dakota's Brendan Ferretti, a defending Division 1 state champion. Assenmacher, second in the state as a freshman, owns a 190-11 high school record.

Spidle's career mark is 148-6. He won the 120-pound, grade 11-12 USA Wrestling Pre-Nationals title during the offseason and was third at the Grappler Fall Classic.

ALEX FACUNDO, DAVISON

The junior is the only Michigan wrestler appearing in FloWrestling's pound-for-pound rankings (12th). He also tops the 170-pound rankings.

Facundo (35-2), who committed to Penn State earlier this year, is seeking a third state championship. His main competition on his side of the Division 1, 170-pound bracket will likely be Brighton’s Dane Donabedian (36-7), who was sixth at 160 last year. Facundo has pinned him already this season, however.

On the other side of the bracket are Grandville’s Josh Kenny (35-1), third at 152 last season, and Hartland’s Avery Dickerson (42-1). He fell short of the podium at last year’s state tournament.

During the regular season, Facundo lost only to Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edwards’ Paddy Gallagher, an Ohio State commit who is ranked third at 160. He decisioned Catholic Central’s Derek Gilcher, ranked No. 12 in the nation at 160.

His other loss was by injury default to Detroit Catholic Central’s Manny Rojas during last weekend’s Division 1 team state championship match. Facundo was leading before Rojas was injured by what officials determined was an illegal move by Facundo. Rojas could not continue, resulting in a loss for Facundo.

His memorable offseason included winning a second straight bronze medal at the Cadet World Championships, this time at 71 kilograms. He also won a Folkstyle National Championship and placed second at the Who's #1 tournament.

SKYLER CRESPO, MENDON

The senior began the season by choosing Michigan State over Virginia, Northern Illinois, Central Michigan, and South Dakota State and proceeded to amass a 49-1 record. Crespo has not lost to a Michigan wrestler this season. His only loss came at the hands of Ohio All-Stater Jonah Smith in December.

After capturing Division 4 state titles at 125, 135 and 140 pounds, Crespo is in the 145-pound bracket this time. 

His top competition on the way to the championship match will probably come from Manchester's Jacob Kurgin (41-7), who was seventh in the state at 145 last year, and Leslie's Grant Weber (37-3), who has rebounded after not even advancing from the district tournament in 2019.

Awaiting in the title match could be Blanchard-Montabella's David Barrett (47-4), who was fourth at 145 last season. 

JOSH EDMOND, DETROIT CATHOLIC CENTRAL

Facundo and Boone are the only Michigan wrestlers ranked higher nationally in their weight classes than Edmond, who is sixth at 138 pounds. 

The Missouri commit is seeking a third straight championship and takes a 39-0 record into the Division 1, 140-pound competition. Edmond won state titles at 135 and 130 the past two seasons. He was second in the state in Division 2 as a freshman while wrestling for Orchard Lake St. Mary's. Edmond was decisioned by Boone in an all-freshman 135-pound final.

Edmond is an overwhelming favorite to win another state crown. Competition on his side of the bracket likely come from Rockford’s Trenton Wachter (32-4), but Edmond has already decisioned him, 19-8.

Lurking on the other side are Fraser’s Matthew Mallory (35-2), who went 0-2 at last year's state tournament, and Brighton's Zach Johnson (38-8), who was fifth at 135 last season. 

Edmond's career mark is 156-3. Earlier this season, he decisioned No. 10 Mick Burnett of Elyria (Ohio), a University of Pittsburgh recruit.

LOADED BRACKET

Competitive brackets abound when it comes to the Michigan state tournament, but the Division 1, 119-pound competition should really produce fireworks.

There are a pair of 2019 Division 1 state champions -- Macomb Dakota's Branden Ferretti (30-1), who won a state title at 103 and Rochester's Kavan Troy (44-5), last season's 112-pound titlist. Ferretti is unbeaten in Division 1.

There is also Dearborn Heights Crestwood's Zein Bazzi (45-4), who lost to Ferretti in that 112-pound title match. Don't count out Romeo's Caleb Youngblood (38-5), who was fourth at 112 last year and owns a win over Troy. 

And that's just one side of the bracket. 

On the other side is Lansing Eastern's Manuel Leija (31-0), who was third in Division 2 at 112 pounds last year before his school moved up to Division 1 this year. 

Don't forget Rochester Stoney Creek's Andrew Hampton (49-1), who was third at 112 last year and has also beaten Troy. Hampton unbeaten in Division 1 as well.

Mark Spezia is a freelance writer based in Lapeer, Michigan. He has written for ESPNW, Flohockey, Flint, Michigan-based My City Magazine, the Detroit Free Press, Hour Detroit Magazine and Troy, Michigan-based Oakland Press. He previously worked for the Flint Journal, Lapeer (Michigan) County Press and Daily Mining Gazette in Houghton, Michigan.