5 @ Bay City Western
103
#4 Dom Lajoie (Gaylord) vs. #10 Emilio Sanchez (St. Johns)
#8 Drew Hutchinson (Clio) vs. HM Jordan Ringler (Cedar Springs)
#7 Trevor Giallombardo (Petoskey) vs. #9 Shukarandi Nyabenda (Lans-East)
#3 Dalton Roberts (Fowlerville) vs. Ryan Mack (Mt. Pleasant)
Stacked only begins to describe to this crazy weight class. 6 guys from the top 10 is straight up anarchy. Lajoie has had a sensational freshman season, but the frosh will be put to the test against Roberts on Saturday, a USAW Junior Greco champ and former FILA Cadet World Team member. They should both take care of business on their side of the bracket, but after that it’s going to be an absolute free for all. All season long Sanchez has impressed me with his toughness, but in order to get out he’ll need to avenge a loss somewhere down the line.
Predicted Finish – Roberts, Lajoie, Hutchinson, Nyabenda
112
#10 Jon Martin (Gaylord) vs. Kyle Briggs (Fowlerville)
HM Trent Lashuay (Gaylord) vs. Tyler Albarez (DeWitt)
HM Noah Schoenherr (BCW) vs. Dakota Leland (Kearsley)
#2 Ian Parker (St. Johns) vs. Sam Woods (BCJG)
Predicted Finish – Parker, Martin, Schoenherr, Lashuay
119
#10 Coby Moore (BCW) vs. Dean Roberts (Fowlerville)
#2 Jakob Chapman (Kearsley) vs. Scott Kibbe (Petoskey)
#9 Lucas McFarland (St. Johns) vs. Gage Paul (Petoskey)
#1 Mason Smith (Clio) vs. Levi Stoll (Ogemaw Hts)
Predicted Finish – Smith, Chapman, McFarland, Moore
125
HM Blake Jackson (BCW) vs. Austin Makins (Fowlerville)
HM Mitch MacArthur (Kearsley) vs. Tate Jeffrey (Greenville)
HM Kyle Roberts (Fowlerville) vs. HM Seth Lashuay (Gaylord)
#6 David Leija (Waverly) vs. Baron Lenardson (Cedar Springs)
Buckle-up, this is a going to be a wild one. This has the makings of a bracket that could unfold in just about anyway imaginable. Leija, a 4th place finisher at Nebraska’s state tournament last season, has some excellent wins but also a few not-so-good losses. He has a nice draw to the finals and is a mild favorite to win gold, but with advancing is far from a lock for anyone on this chart.
Predicted Finish – Leija, Jackson, MacArthur, Roberts
130
#4 Luke Spotts (Fremont) vs. Hannah Jewell (Goodrich)
HM Aaron Young (DeWitt) vs. Zach Priebe (Escanaba)
#6 Will Parmalee (Greenville) vs. Dylan Musall (Linden)
HM Bret Fedewa (St. Johns) vs. Hunter Moore (Marquette)
Predicted Finish – Spotts, Parmalee, Fedewa, Young
135
#4 Tom Schoenherr (BCW) vs. Travis Wildfong (Kearsley)
#9 Chase Smith (Clio) vs. HM Jeff Heinz (Gaylord)
HM Kam Melton (DeWitt) vs. HM Jake Wibirt (BCW)
#5 Austin Melton (DeWitt) vs. Lugan Mjuleak (BCJG)
Predicted Finish – Schoenherr, A. Melton, Smith, K. Melton
140
#2 Alec Ward (Greenville) vs. Nic Bignell (Owosso)
#8 Nick Strobel (Petoskey) vs. #9 Chris Root (Bath)
#3 Chris Schoenherr (BCW) vs. HM Nick Folgio (Goodrich)
#1 Zac Hall (St. Johns) vs. HM Cole Clark (BCJG)
Ward deserves a lot of credit for how much he has improved in once season, progressing from a 7th place finisher to a state champ caliber wrestler. Unfortunately for Ward, his opposition happens to be one of Michigan’s greatest high school wrestlers of all time.
Predicted Finish – Hall, Ward, Schoenherr, Root
145
#4 Kaleb Rahoi (Escanaba) vs. Nick Brandt (DeWitt)
Jackari Vines (Goodrich) vs. Dylan Nichols (Ogemaw Hts)
#5 Steven Kymes (SSM) vs. Matt Dewyer (Clio)
#3 Mark Bozzo (St. Johns) vs. Zach Davis (BCW)
Predicted Finish – Bozzo, Rahoi, Kymes, Vines
152
#9 Jake Hopkins (Greenville) vs. Gabe Lerner (DeWitt)
Cam Plath (Petoskey) vs. Alan Drake (Haslett)
#10 Ethan Smith (BCJG) vs. Jacob Smith (Goodrich)
#1 Logan Massa (St. Johns) vs. Michael James (SSM)
Predicted Finish – Massa, Hopkins, E. Smith, Plath
160
#5 Travis Heller (Escanaba) vs. John Penfold (Goodrich)
HM Jerek Crim (Lansing Eastern) vs. Gil Franco (Mt Pleasant)
HM Kane Williams (Clio) vs. Reed Cox (Greenville)
#7 Drew Wixson (St. Johns) vs. Logan McGahan (Cedar Springs)
Due to his northern geography Heller tends to stay off the radar a bit, but he has been absolutely excellent for a couple years now. Following former #1 Ritchie’s loss last week, I’d say he has about as good a chance as anyone at a state title. However, the wild card is Wixson whose results have fluctuated quite wildly this season. Depending what Wixson shows up, I could envision him upending Heller, or possibly even not advancing.
Predicted Finish – Heller, Wixson, Williams, Cox
171
#8 Zach Wamser (Cedar Springs) vs. Price Schmidtmann (Bath)
HM Brandon Deszell (Goodrich) vs. Luke Bontrager (Greenville)
#6 Mason Litz (Fowlerville) vs. Ricky Baker (Marquette)
#3 James Davis (Kearsley) vs. Tyler Blagg (Ogemaw Hts)
Predicted Finish –Davis, Wamser, Litz, Deszell
189
#3 Tristan Gregory (Gaylord) vs. Justin Hill (Fenton)
Cody Okes (BCW) vs. Caleb Heddy (Goodrich)
#4 Shane Foster (Gaylord) vs. Cody Bryant (DeWitt)
#1 Angus Arthur (St. Johns) vs. Trevor Denoyer (Petoskey)
Predicted Finish – Arthur, Gregory, Foster, Okes
215
#6 Jake Alarie (BCW) vs. Austin McNeil (Linden)
#4 Cam Lee (Waverly) vs. Nathan LaJoie (SSM)
HM Andrew Bowen (Greenville) vs. Jacob Hardaker (Clio)
#2 Ty Wildmo (St. Johns) vs. Mahamed Haque (Escanaba)
Wildmo and Lee have had a pair a tightly contested battles this season, with each narrowly claiming 1 victory. Lee will have to get through returning placer Alarie, but if he does expect an intense, physical rubber match between Wildmo and Lee.
Predicted Finish – Wildmo, Lee, Alrie, Bowen
285
HM Dauson Petty (Ogemaw Hts) vs. Troy England (DeWitt)
#10 Tyler Eible (Clio) vs. Caden Dobrowolski (Fremont)
HM Cole Antcliff (Greenville) vs. Jake Gnegy (St. Johns)
#9 Nic Sturgis (St. Johns) vs. Omar Canales (SAH)
Predicted Finish – Eible, Antcliff, Sturgis, Petty
6 @ Spring Lake
103
HM Randy Smith (GR FHE) vs. Isaiah Guzman (Zeeland West)
HM Austin Krantz (Byron Center) vs. Sam Russell (Lowell)
Isaac Coolidge (Eaton Rapids) vs. Kyle Washburn (Lowell)
HM Cameron Mahlich (Ionia) vs. Bailey Stevens (Comstock Park)
Predicted Finish – Smith, Mahlich, Krantz, Coolidge
112
#1 Lucas Hall (Lowell) vs. Dan Rodriguez (Gull Lake)
HM Cameron Butler (Fruitport) vs. Taylor Rambin (Byron Center)
#7 Dylan Wilkins (Sparta) vs. Ryan Gortan (Middleville TK)
HM Jordan Richardson (Ionia) vs. HM Devin Bisard (Kenowa Hills)
Predicted Finish – Hall, Wilkins, Butler, Richardson
119
#5 Zeth Dean (Lowell) vs. HM Austin Eldred (Eaton Rapids)
#4 Jake Busing (Byron Center) vs. Andrew Bunda (Fruitport)
#6 Chris Poland (Middleville TK) vs. HM Garrett Ruppall (GR FHN)
#3 Logan Welcher (Hamilton) vs. Brandon Ronning (Sparta)
It doesn’t get much better than #3-6, and the back half of this bracket is no joke either. Dean has made steady strides forward throughout the season, and my gut feeling is that his best to come. That being said, while I feel pretty confident about who will advance, they could finish in any order and it wouldn’t surprise me.
Predicted Finish – Dean, Welcher, Busing, Poland
125
#5 Derek Krajewski (Lowell) vs. Gavin Shanley (Wayland)
#7 Eric Wales (Charlotte) vs. Dalton Pope (Fruitport)
Austen Hutchison (Eaton Rapids) vs. Trevor Gingrich (Kenowa Hills)
#3 Brandon Tresemer (Zeeland East) vs. George Nietering (Spring Lake)
Predicted Finish – Krajewski, Tresemer, Wales, Gingrich
130
#3 Bailey Jack (Lowell) vs. Austin Schwensen (Charlotte)
HM Dale Umlor (Coopersville) vs. HM Zach Wilcox (Hastings)
HM Tyler Brewer (Comstock Park) vs. Gianni Baez (Byron Center)
#1 Jaedin Slapsky (Eaton Rapids) vs. Alex Berry (Comstock Park)
This is a huge test for the Jack, the returning state champ who moved up to 130 after spending a lot of time at 125 this season. Top-ranked Slapsky flies under the radar because he doesn’t compete much in the offseason, but he is an absolute hammer. This could be the match of the day in D2.
Predicted Finish – Slapsky, Jack, Brewer, Wilcox
135
#1 Jordan Hall (Lowell) vs. Derek Cole (Unity Christian)
Collin Busing (Byron Center) vs. Sam Layton (Coopersville)
#3 Tommy Martinez (Fruitport) vs. Cam Owens (Plainwell)
#8 Lane McVicker (Eaton Rapids) vs. Jimmy Smith (Kenowa Hills)
Predicted Finish – Hall, Martinez, McVicker, Busing
140
#4 Joel Rees (Sparta) vs. Andrew Paul (Eaton Rapids)
Connor McKinnon (Reeths Puffer) vs. Austin Beardsley (Middleville TK)
HM Dan Kruse (Lowell) vs. Jeremy Parkhurst (Hamilton)
#7 Nolan Waddell (Byron Center) vs. Kyle May (Sparta)
Predicted Finish – Rees, Waddell, Kruse, May
145
#7 Collin Butler (Fruitport) vs. Nick Iveson (Middleville TK)
HM Blaine Millheim (Eaton Rapids) vs. Blake Ross (Reeths Puffer)
HM Jaxon Smith (Byron Center) vs. HM Anthony Castillo (GR FHE)
#8 Kemps Miller (Gull Lake) vs. Ben Cartwright (Kenowa Hills)
Predicted Finish – Miller, Butler, Smith, Castillo
152
#8 Austin Fialek (Fruitport) vs. Antony Garcia (Holland)
#7 Trenton Holyfield (Hamilton) vs. Jake Williams (Kenowa Hills)
Jacob Garcia (Lowell) vs. Caleb Norris (Eaton Rapids)
#5 Jason Slaughter (Hastings) vs. Matt Baas (GR Christian)
Predicted Finish – Slaughter, Holyfield, Fialek, Garcia
160
#3 Kanon Dean (Lowell) vs. Brennan Andrews (Byron Center)
HM Gabe Giddings (Spring Lake) vs. Robert Miller (Charlotte)
#8 Sawyer Smith (Spring Lake) vs. Aaron Roblyer (Wayland)
HM Jason Ferrell (Sparta) vs. Will Duimstra (Hamilton)
Predicted Finish – Dean, Smith, Giddings, Farrell
171
#2 Max Dean (Lowell) vs. Drew Teed (Hamilton)
Brody Neeson (Kenowa Hills) vs. Jake Gravina (Charlotte)
HM Kevin Krum (Sparta) vs. Kyle Krause (Middleville TK)
#9 Josh Lee (Byron Center) vs. Austin Taylor (Comstock Park)
Predicted Finish – Dean, Lee, Krum, Neeson
189
#2 Garrett Stehley (Lowell) vs. Tate Knap (Hamilton)
HM Gavin Miedema (Unity Christian) vs. Alek Heiss (Fruitport)
HM Aaron Martin (Comstock Park) vs. HM Conner Dams (Hamilton)
#10 Ryan Vasbinder (Byron Center) vs. Ja’Keem Badger (GR Christian)
3X placer Stehley should dominate, and that will leave 4 very worth wresters to vie for 3 spots at the Palace. I am especially interested in Vasbinder, who has emerged as one of the elite freshmen in the entire state.
Predicted Finish – Stehley, Vasbinder, Martin, Miedema
215
#1 Josh Colegrove (Lowell) vs. Zack Telfor (Charlotte)
HM David Evens (EGR) vs. Clayton Higelmire (Eaton Rapids)
#10 Tom Cheslek (Sparta) vs. Zach VanValkenburg (Zeeland West)
#3 Chase Challender (Charlotte) vs. Chase Dunneback (Kenowa Hills)
Predicted Finish – Colegrove, Challender, Cheslek, Evens
285
Kyle Sherman (Fruitport) vs. Raiden McLeod (Hastings)
#2 Chris Hendricks (Fruitport) vs. Monte Morrow (Gull Lake)
Corey Haasevoort (Hamilton) vs. Ryan Johnston (EGR)
#6 Nate Pewoski (Hastings) vs. Logan Wilcox (Lowell)
Predicted Finish – Hendricks, Pewoski, Sherman, Haasevoort
7 @ Mason
103
#1 Michael Higley (Edwardsburg) vs. Kyle Chapman (Milan)
Michael Wright (Riverview) vs. David Smith (BCC)
HM Andrew Flick (Niles) vs. Jerry Lakos (Carlson)
#2 Rick Azelton (Tecumseh) vs. Evan Griffioen (Three Rivers)
With Joe Garcia not wrestling, the door is wide open for either Higley or Azelton to win a title, and whoever comes out on top Saturday will enter the state tourney with favorite status. Last year Azelton beat Higley in a consolation match at the Palace, but Higley has impressed me with his improvements since last season.
Predicted Finish – Azelton, Higley, Flick, Wright
112
#8 Bryce Dempsey (Mattawan) vs. Aaron Hoorn (SL East)
#4 Drew Marten (Tecumseh) vs. Mitch Coon (BCHC)
#9 Brandon Meek (Niles) vs. Mike Bergmooser (Airport)
#3 Judah Caballero (NBH) vs. Dylan Dixon (Edwardsburg)
Predicted Finish – Caballero, Marten, Dempsey, Meek
119
HM Luke Raczkowski (Parma Western) vs. Cameron Elam (Milan)
Jackson Rickman (Trenton) vs. Huner Vargo (Edwardsburg)
HM Josh Dayhuff (Niles) vs. Robert Comar (Tecumseh)
HM Eli Caballero (NBH) vs. Ethan Bishop (BCHC)
This weight is wide open for the taking, and just about anybody has a chance to go to the Palace with a #1 seed if they can put together a strong day. There’s an interesting grade distribution, and I am interested to see how up and coming freshman Rackzkowski and Rickman fare against seasoned vets like Caballero, Dayhuff and Comar.
Predicted Finish – Raczkowski, Dayhuff, Caballero, Comar
125
#8 Brock Hoffman (Parma Western) vs. Mason Brott (Carlson)
#10 Blaine Dempsey (Mattawan) vs. HM Jon Wellman (NBH)
#9 Patrick Blommel (Lakeshore) vs. Jake Hilton (Tecumseh)
HM Anthony Shotwell (Airport) vs. Dustin Vires (Edwardsburg)
This another classic “5/4” chart. Hoffman made an impressive jump up from 103lbs during the season, but that was nothing compared to a district performance that saw him pin both Blommel and Dempsey. Wellman and Shotwell have both beaten each other multiple times this season, and it look like they’re headed to one final showdown in the blood round.
Predicted Finish – Blommel, Dempsey, Shotwell, Hoffman
130
HM Darek Bullock-Mills (Niles) vs. Wyatt Camdus (Tecumseh)
#10 Chase Veydt (Parma Western) vs. Connor Charping (Trenton)
#9 Robert Dente (Lakeshore) vs. Nick Phelps (NBH)
#5 Zeke Breuinger (Dexter) vs. Ausitn Smith (Sturgis)
Predicted Finish – Breuinger, Bullock-Mills, Dente, Veydt
135
#2 Noah Hanau (Lakeshore) vs. Codey Griffith-Smock (Airport)
Lawrence Willis (Vicksburg) vs. Connor Clark (Mason)
HM Noah Hall (Niles) vs. Nolan Rickman (Trenton)
HM Teddy Lossing (Riverview) vs. Bobby Owens (Marshall)
Predicted Finish – Hanau, Lossing, Hall, Clark
140
HM Warren Smith (Niles) vs. Kyle Humphries (Tecumseh)
Caleb Roberts (Airport) vs. Jacob Bishop (BCHC)
Connor McElroy (Three Rivers) vs. Bradley Boler (Trenton)
#5 Jake Klingaman (Jackson NW) vs. Dustin Fuller (Vicksburg)
Predicted Finish – Klingaman, Smith, Roberts, Bishop
145
#2 Connor Myers (St. Jospeh) vs. Brandon Vincent (Trenton)
Shawn Adams (Dexter) vs. Jakob Stuedemann (Mattawan)
HM Chad Hettinger (Vicksburg) vs. Zack Kouba (Romulus)
#1 Steve Bleise (Chelsea) vs. Quintin Smith (Niles)
HUGE showdown between the top dogs at this weight class. Bleise is a senior who in 3 previous seasons has never placed outside the top 5, and last year he beat a returning runner up and a 2X state champ to make the state finals before falling to Logan Massa. Myers, on the other hand, was a 3rd place finisher at this weight last year, losing only to Ben Whitford, and winning all of his other matches by 7 points or more. Over the summer he posted a spotless 14-0 record at the Cadet National Duals, and in Fargo he came within a match from All-American status in both styles. So…yeah, needless to they are both pretty darn good.
Predicted Finish – Bleise, Myers, Hettinger, Adams
152
HM Dustin Clapp (Lakeshore) vs. Alonta Chapman (Jackson NW)
HM Will Feldkamp (Dexter) vs. Luke Carver (Sturgis)
HM Tristen Elkins (Jackson NW) vs. Kenny Grayer (BCC)
#6 Brandon Garcia (Riverview) vs. Joey Hess (Edwardsburg)
Predicted Finish – Garcia, Clapp, Elkins, Feldkamp
160
#6 Gunner Harrison (Lakeshore) vs. Travis Byrd (Tecumseh)
#2 Logan Ritchie (NBH) vs. Anthony Neal (Sturgis)
#9 Shawn Brew (Three Rivers) vs. Marcus Wright (Riverview)
#1 TJ Barnes (Summit Academy) vs. Sam DeMeester (Coldwater)
Another highly anticipated #1 vs. #2 showdown in this district! All season I did not think anyone in D2 could beat Ritchie at 160, but Barnes proved me wrong last week. Neither of guys are shy about scoring points, expect to see some fireworks!
Predicted Finish – Ritchie, Barnes, Harrison, Brew
171
#7 Luke Mallery (Vicksburg) vs. Anthony Riopelle (Airport)
#10 Jacob Taylor (BCC) vs. HM Dan Wisiniewski (Chelsea)
HM Austin Siegel (Coldwater) vs. Justin Collins (NBH)
#5 Rylen Droscha (Mason) vs. Sean Craig (Niles)
Predicted Finish – Droscha, Mallery, Wisniewski
189
#8 Cody Cousins (Vicksburg) vs. Noah Mantly (Chelsea)
HM Doug Bunea (Carlson) vs. Cooper Murphy (Coldwater)
HM Kody McCrate (Tecumseh) vs. Blake Parsons (Edwardsburg)
#7 Deion Copley (NBH) vs. Brandon Verwey (Three Rivers)
Predicted Finish – Copley, Cousins, McCrate, Buena
215
#8 Wade Stacey (Vicksburg) vs. Colin McFarland (Airport)
#9 Zack Underwood (Carlson) vs. Trent Taylor (BCC)
HM Josh Berry (Trenton) vs. Wyatt Thornton (Niles)
#5 Landon Pelham (Tecumseh) vs. Ted Jackowiak (Niles)
Predicted Finish – Pelham, Stacey, Underwood, Berry
285
#7 Dallas Recker (Three Rivers) vs. Kolin Connors (Tecumseh)
HM Jace Trevino (BCC) vs. HM Jeff Henderson (NBH)
HM Austin Catt (Parma Western) vs. Jon Morris (Airport)
#3 Preston Pelham (Tecumseh) vs. Alex Bata (Niles)
This is an awesome group of heavies, and I honestly believe all 8 of these guys are pretty close to being SQ caliber. A lot of these guys have big wins to their name, but Pelham has been far and away the most consistent. I think he wins a tight finals match over Recker, but beyond that it’s going to be chaos. Connors could be a dark horse, he been off the grid this season, but as a junior he was ranked at one point last season.
Predicted Finish – Pelham, Recker, Catt, Trevino
8 @ North Branch
103
HM David Knapp (Annapolis) vs. Jacob Caldwell (Holly)
#6 Joey Schindler (WWT) vs. Matt Curmi (Melvindale)
Chase Walkowiak (Farmington) vs. Kyle French (Marysville)
#5 Brandon Ladd (Brandon) vs. Dan Manier (Farmington)
Predicted Finish – Ladd, Schindler, Knapp, Walkowiak
112
#6 Aaron Parr-Bessemer (Berkley) vs. Nathan Gerard (WWT)
HM Nino Bastianelli (Marysville) vs. Justin Manuel (Annapolis)
Matt Guyzinski (Lamphere) vs. Josh Gonzales (Holly)
#5 Bryan LaVearn (Brandon) s. Sammy Almohamy (Melvindale)
Predicted Finish – LaVearn, Parr-Bessemer, Bastianelli, Guyzinski
119
#7 Trevor Gorman (Lamphere) vs. Ronald Bishop (Lapeer East)
Colton Cleaver (Holly) vs. Julian Saldana (Melvindale)
#8 Hunter Truba (Hazel Park) vs. Al-Aminul Haque (WWT)
HM Damione Davis (Pontiac) vs. Aaron Stepp (Fitzgerald)
Predicted Finish – Gorman, Truba, Davis, Cleaver
125
#4 Garret Kaercher (Lincoln) vs. Chris Ecarlus (St. Clare)
#2 Nick Dunlap (Marysville) vs. Josh Hoak (Melvindale)
Austin Frederick (Lamphere) vs. Brandon Turner (Cros-Lex)
#1 Nick Pipes (WWT) vs. Shane Atkinson (Allen Park)
Pipes has been nothing short of fantastic since dropping to 125, and right now the smart money is on him to win a state title. Dunlap seems to be his top competion, and Pipes has beaten him 3 times out of 3 over the last month. Kaercher is very solid as well and right now is on the fringe of the state title conversation, but that could change quickly with a win over Dunlap in the semis who he lost to this season, but has beaten before.
Predicted Finish – Pipes, Dunlap, Kaercher, Frederick
130
#7 Ameer Munassar (Melvindale) vs. Evan King (Marysville)
HM Tyler Bundon (Yale) vs. Jesse Jones (Farmington)
Joey Saferian (Hazel Park) vs. Gordon Dwyer (Brandon)
#2 Austin Thompson (Marysville) vs. Gerrardo Roblero (Cesar Chavez)
Predicted Finish – Thompson, Munassar, Bundon, Dwyer
135
HM Shawn Lindsey (Lincoln) vs. Nico Martini (WWT)
#7 Collin Lieber (Cros-Lex) vs. Skylar Slotka (Melvindale)
#10 Ethan Douglas (Brandon) vs. Vershan Bryant (Hazel Park)
#6 Donald Janice (WWT) vs. Jesse Taylor (Annapolis)
Lieber has proven himself to be a truly elite freshmen this season, and prior to districts he had not lost. Tomorrow he’ll likely get a chance to avenge that loss in a likely finals matchup with Janice, who won by a 5-3 score in OT last Saturday.
Predicted Finish – Janice, Lieber, Douglas, Lindsey
140
HM Dan Schmidt (Allen Park) vs. Stephan Orlando (SCS Lakeshore)
#10 Trevor Boudreau (Brandon) vs. Treveon Lane (Hamtramck)
HM Sam Johnson (Holly) vs. Dale Dunmire (Fitzgerald)
#6 RJ Smith (Yale) vs. Ryan Large-Agee (Melvindale)
Predicted Finish – Smith, Boudreau, Johnson, Schmidt
145
#6 Khannor Kaercher (Lincoln) vs. Davion Logan (Pontiac)
#10 Kyle Pepper (Holly) vs. Jalen Adams (Hazel Park)
HM Ethan Eisenmann (Lincoln) vs. HM Nick Harris (Lapeer West)
#9 Hunter Turner (North Branch) vs. Conner Barrett (Lamphere)
Predicted Finish – Kaercher, Turner, Pepper, Eisenmann
152
#2 Mike Willits (Lamphere) vs. Trevor Pickett (St. Clare)
#4 Dillon Ellsworth (Lapeer East) vs. HM Jon Cox (Center Line)
HM Thor Wardell (Brandon) vs. Nathan DeRocco (Melvindale)
#3 Bailey Bischer (Yale) vs. Adam Chernavage (Redford Union)
Bischer made a gigantic statement at districts last weekend. Not only did he beat the more highly ranked Ellsowrth; he did it by way of a major decision. This weekend he will have a chance to make another statement in a potential finals matchup with 2012 D1 state runner-up Willits. It wasn’t until midway through the season that Willits began wrestling, so with less than 20 matches under his belt I still see him as a bit of a wildcard.
Predicted Finish – Willits, Bischer, Ellsworth, Wardell
160
HM Derrien Perkins (Lincoln) vs. Dakota Burke (Cros-Lex)
#10 Max Wardell (Brandon) vs. Jake Chapman (Allen Park)
Chris Denny (Lamphere) vs. Keonta Fuqua (Pontiac)
#4 Andrew Scott (Holly) vs. Abe Swaid (Fitzgerald)
Predicted Finish – Scott, Perkins, Wardell, Fuqua
171
#4 Hunter McCoy (Annapolis) vs. Nicholas Reid (Pontiac)
HM Matt Sears (Brandon) vs. Wayne Williams (Ferndale)
HM Khristian Burke (Cros-Lex) vs. Eddie Gollman (Thurston)
#1 Devon Pingle (North Branch) vs. Daniel Gettel (Lamphere)
With a 47-0 mark on the season, you have to ask the question: can he compete with Pingle, the returning state champ? I’m leaning towards no. McCoy a 2X SQ at 189 who is thriving after coming down a weight for his senior season, but I still haven’t seen quite enough in the way of high quality wins from him to buy him beating a kid who was ranked top 20 in the country all summer.
Predicted Finish – Pingle, McCoy, Sears, Burke
189
#9 Diallo Matsimella (Annapolis) vs. Evan Renusch (Holly)
#6 Derek Desloover (Yale) vs. Manuel Roldan (Melvindale)
Jake Casper (Cros-Lex) vs. Matt Detter (Farmington)
#5 Noah Raymond (Lapeer West) vs. Laymon Gidding-Whaley (Thurston)
Predicted Finish – Desloover, Raymond, Matsimella, Casper
215
HM Jakob Cain (Annapolis) vs. Brandon Geisner (Cros-Lex)
HM Jakob Luckett (Lapeer West) vs. Chander Gross (Annapolis)
Jake Perry (Lapeer East) vs. Trent Bekker (Farmington)
#7 Robert Wait (Cros-Lex) vs. Mike O’Brien (Divine Child)
Predicted Finish – Wait, Cain, Luckett, Perry
285
#8 Michael Abouya (Lincoln) vs. Justin Thomas (Lapeer West)
#4 Joshua Dabney, (OLSM) vs. Rafael Mitchell (Melvindale)
#5 Dan Perry (Lapeer East) vs. Melvin Ivey (Thurston)
#1 Colton Pfaendtner (St. Clair) vs. Joe Ghafari (Farmington)
Danbey came out of absolutely nowhere last weekend to end the super soph Perry’s perfect season and throw a huge wrench into D2’s 285lbs landscape. Pfaendtner has really taken his wrestling to another level this season, and I think he wins this region in convincing fashion. I’m still very high on Perry, and while I’m now doubting his chances against Pfaendtner, I think he will bounce back to the avenge his only loss.
Predicted Finish –Pfaaendtner, Abouya, Perry, Dabney
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