DCC Invite Preview

THE SEASON'S TOP INDIVIDUAL TOURNAMENT COULD FEATURE UP TO 92 RANKED WRESTLERS

103
P15 #8/D2 #2 Sam Russell, Lowell (10) – State Qualifier
P15 #9/D1 #4 Mike Mars, John Glenn (9)
P15 #11/D2 #4 Kyle French, Marysville (10) – State Qualifier
D2 #8 DeMarco Dixon, Warren Lincoln (11)
D3 #8 Davynn Schneider, Allegan (10) – Regional Qualifier
D3 #10 Jacob Orr, Allegan (9)
Nick Barrett, Macomb Dakota (10)
Ryan Miller, Oxford (9)
Stone Moscovic, Detroit CC (9)

Here we have a great array of multidivisional talent that includes at least 3 serious state title contenders in Mars, Russell, and French. Mars was lights out at the GFC, and I think he will run the table despite giving up a bit of size. Dixon, Schneider, and Orr round out a total of 6 ranked wrestlers. Additionally, Barrett, Miller, and Moscovic are all guys that could end up being SQ’s in D1.


112
D1 #7 Lee Grabowski, Brighton (10) – Regional Qualifier
Zach Lopinski, Hudson (10) – State 8th
Kyle Washburn, Lowell (11) – Regional Qualifier
Dalton Lopez, Grandville (11) – Regional Qualifier
Jacob Call, Oxford (10) – Regional Qualifier
Layne Malczewski, Macomb Dakota (9)
Aaron Rehfeldt, Detroit CC (11)
Sergio Borg, Oxford (9)

This appears to be among the thinner weights of this year’s CC Invite. Grabowski is unbeaten on the year and looks like the guy to beat. However, there’s a decent chance John Siemasz of John Glenn drops down in which case he becomes the clear favorite. Lopinski took some early losses this season but is the lone all-state wrestler in the projected field and should place high. Washburn was ranked earlier in the season and had a 9-8 win over Lopinski a couple weeks ago. A couple of others to keep an eye on are talented freshmen Malczewski and Borg.


119
P15 #1/D3 #1 Devin Schroder, Grand Rapids CC (11) – 2X State Champ
P15 #3/D2 #1 Lucas Hall, Lowell (11) – State Champ
P15 #6/D4 #1 Roddy Hamdan, Hudson (12) – State Champ
P15 #9/D2 #3 Josh Dayhuff, Niles (12) – State 8th
P15 #13/D2 #6 Drew Marten, Tecumseh (10) – State Qualifier
D1 #7 John Siemasz, John Glenn (10) – State 3rd
D1 #9 Grant Morrison, Brighton (11)
D1 #9 (119) Xavier Graham, Woodhaven (10) – State Qualifier
D2 #8 Noah Schoenherr, BC Western (10) – State Qualifier
D2 #10 Nino Bastianelli, Marysville (10) – State 8th
Andre Jaracz, Utica Eisenhower (11) – State Qualifier
Ben Diaz, Allegan (10) – Regional Qualifier
Mitchell Nelson, Clarkston (11) – Regional Qualifier
Tyler Sanders, Macomb Dakota (9)
Joey Lyon, Detroit CC (10)

This is an insanely talented weight that includes 3 state champions who are all ranked #1 in their respective division. Schroder was last year’s champ at this weight and is ranked #8 in the country at 120. He’s the favorite, but Hall is right there as well. Last year Hall won this tournament at 112, and he was previously ranked in the nation at 113. The final state champ is Hamdan, who finished 2nd to Hall at last year’s CC Invite. All 3 guys have pretty unique styles and it should be a lot of fun to see how they match up. The rest of the field is extremely deep without much separation. Watch out for Sanders. The freshman may not crack the top 6, but he has a big future ahead of him.


125
P15 #13/D1 #5 Zack Prater, Macomb Dakota (11) – State 8th
D1 #6 Austin Tomko, GR FHC (12) – 2X State Qualifier
D1 #7 Jackson Renicker, Brighton (11) – State 8th
D1 #10 Chase Spanos, John Glenn (12) – State Qualifier
D2 #6 Aaron Ward, Lowell (12) – 2X State Qualifier
D2 #9 Joey Schindler, WWT (10) – State Qualifier
D4 #4 Tyler Roberts, Hudson (12) – State 4th
Tommy Hermann, Detroit CC (12) – Regional Qualifier
Vincent Marceau, Utica Eisenhower (11) – Regional Qualifier
Daniel Tomko, GR RHC (10) – RQ
Brendan Hall, Niles (10)

On paper, Prater is the favorite as the lone wrestler ranked in the Power 15. However, he hasn’t seen much action yet this season so his status is questionable. Even if he is back, rust could be a factor. With that being the case, this looks to be among the most wide open weights of the tournament. After Prater, the only other 2014 state placer is Roberts. He recently lost to Ward, and Ward fell to Renicker at the GFC. Schindler made the finals as a 103 at this tournament last year and is coming off a big performance at the Macomb County tournament. SQ’s Tomko and Spanos also have a legit shot to make the finals, and Marceau and Hermann aren’t too far behind. Additionally, there’s a possibility that Alex Hrisopoulos will drop down to this weight which would make him the favorite.


130
P15 #3/D1 #2 Trevor Zdebski, Detroit CC (12) – State Champ
P15 #7/D2 #2 Zeth Dean, Lowell (11) – State Runner-Up
P15 #9/D1 #3 Alex Hrisopoulos, Oxford (11) – State Runner-Up
P15 #11/D3 #4 Kole Krauss, GRCC (11) – State 4th
D1 #5 Carlo Marcuea, Utica Eisenhower (11) – State 6th
D1 #6 Kyle Bohnsack, Brighton (12) – State Qualifier
D1 #7 Josh Brower, Grandville (10) – State Qualifier
D2 #8 Blake Jackson, BC Western (11) – State Qualifier
Wyatt Camdus, Tecumseh (12) – 2X Regional Qualifier
Payton Beneteau, John Glenn (12) – Regional Qualifier
Joey Orr, Allegan (11) – Regional Qualifier
Austin Makins, Fowlerville (12) – Regional Qualifier
Dante Latora, Portage Central (10)

This one looks like an absolute grinder. Zdebski should be back after missing the past couple of CC Invites. The last time he competed at this event was as a freshman when he finished 2nd to Lincoln Olson at 103. Now he’s the favorite, but with plenty of additional capable contenders. Dean was 2nd at 119 at last year’s tournament and is off to a strong start this season. Hrisopoulos and Krauss are both extremely legit as well, and Marceau had a close match with Zdebski on the first weekend of the season. Additionally, Bohnsack, Brower, and Jackson are all-state caliber guys with the potential to finish high on Saturday.


135
P15 #10/D2 #3 Warren Smith, Niles (12) – State 8th
D1 #8 Jose Ramos, Brighton (12) – 2X Regional Qualifier
D2 #4 Noah Hall, Niles (12) – State Qualifier
D2 #5 Garrett Kaercher, Warren Lincoln (11) – State 8th
D2 #6 Robert Pope, Warren Lincoln (12) – State Qualifier
D3 #8 PJ Cole, Allegan (12) – State Qualifier
D4 #8 Michael Prock, Hudson (12)
Shawn Lindsey, Warren Lincoln (11) – State Qualifier
Coby Moore, BC Western (10) – State Qualifier
Kyle Roberts, Fowlerville (11) – State Qualifier
Max Postlewait, GR FHC (11) – 2X Regional Qualifier
Hunter Grasso, Woodhaven (10) – Regional Qualifier
Mason Priest, Grandville (10) – Regional Qualifier
Trevor Anderson, Lincoln Park (12)
Gabe Bechtol, Tecumseh (9)

This weight doesn’t feature quite a much top-end talent as the others, but the depth is stellar. The lone P15 ranked wrestler is Smith, but there’s a decent chance he’ll end up at 140. If not, his teammate Hall likely will. On the off chance they are double entered, there’s a strong possibility of an all-Niles final. In addition to Smith, the only other state placer here is Kaercher. Like Smith, he’s not the only SQ his team has at 135. Pope and Linsdey have also been at 135 for Lincoln this season, but they’ll probably be spread out on Saturday. The 3 other SQ’s projected to be here are Cole, Moore, and Roberts. Additionally, Ramos is a veteran that narrowly missed out on qualifying last year, and Prock has been phenomenal in his first year as a full-time starter for Hudson. Grasso is another who I could definitely see placing.


140
P15 #1/D3 #1 Nate Limmex, Grand Rapids CC (12) – 2X State Champ
P15 #2/D2 #1 Austin Thompson, Marysville (12) – State Champ
P15 #3/D2 #2 Jordan Hall, Lowell (12) – 3X State Placer
P15 #7/D1 #2 Conor McDill, Utica Eisenhower (12) – State 7th
P15 #9/D2 #5 Tom Schoenherr, BC Western (12) – 2X State Placer
D1 #9 Colin Campbell, Oxford (12) – RQ
Nick Hughes, GR FHC (12) – 2X RQ
Joseph Muzzin, Woodhaven (9)

This weight isn’t quite as deep as some others, but there is some truly elite talent. Limmex is ranked #6 in the country at 138 and hasn’t lost a scholastic match since the 2012 state tournament. Also ranked in the nation at 138 is Thompson who comes in at #18. The pair wrestled in this year’s GFC finals where Limmex won via a convincing major. Thompson is a phenomenal athlete with an impressive learning curve and I expect he will make some adjustments and be more competitive this time around. Hall should not be counted out either. Another incredible athlete, Hall won last year’s DCC Invite at 135 and had a huge semifinal win over Ohio state champ Nate Hagan.  Add McDill and Schoenherr, and that makes for 1/2 of the top 10 wrestlers in the state at this weight regardless of division.


145
P15 #1/D3 #1 Foster Karmon, Grand Rapids CC (11) – State Champ
P15 #4/D2 #1 Chris Schoenherr, BC Western (12) – State Runner-Up
P15 #8/D4 #2 Mason Lopinski, Hudson (11) – State 3rd
D1 #5 Ryan Salmon, Brighton (12) – Regional Qualifier
D1 #9 Alje Butler, Grandville (11) – Regional Qualifier
D2 #8 Ethan Eisenmann, Warren Lincoln (12) – State Qualifier
Kyle Masters, Clarkston (11) – Regional Qualifier
Nick Joseph, Detroit CC (11)
David Kruse, Lowell (9)

The favorite here is Karmon, who won last year’s CC Invite at 125. However, there’s a good shot he’ll be at 152. If that’s the case the favorite is Schoenherr, who is also ranked #1 in his respective division. Not far behind is Lopinski, who’s off to a great start this season. Salmon, Butler, and Eisenmann round out a total of 6 ranked wrestlers, and will all fight for a spot in the top 4. Joseph was recently an Oakland County runner-up and could be a sleeper. Kruse is another guy to keep an eye on; he’s one of the state’s most talented freshmen.


152
P15 #2/D2 #2 Khannor Kaercher, Warren Lincoln (12) – 2X State Placer
P15 #5/D1 #2 Kam Bush, Grandville (10) – State 7th
P15 #6/D1 #3 Dillon Ellsworth, Lapeer (12) – State Runner-Up
D1 #7 Tanner Mashcke, Brighton (12)
D1 #8 Nate Vandermeer, Clarkston (11) – Regional Qualifier
D3 #7 Dom Forbes, Grand Rapids CC (11) – State 5th
Kyle Humphries, Tecumseh (11) – State Qualifier
Quintin Smith, Niles (11) – State Qualifier
Thor Huff, Allegan (11) – Regional Qualifier

This is one of the weights I’m most interested to watch play out. Kaercher is a very slight favorite, but Bush and Ellsworth are right there as well. Currently, all 3 are legit title contenders in their respective divisions. Forbes is the final state placer, but he may end up at 145. Other ranked wrestlers are Mashke and Vandermeer who are both off to very strong starts this season. D2 SQ’s Humphries and Smith as well as D3 RQ Huff all could potentially finish in the top 4 as well.


160
P15 #2/D1 #1 Myles Amine, Detroit CC (12) – State Champ
D2 #3 Derrien Perkins, Warren Lincoln (11) – State 8th
P15 #14/D4 #2 Kyle Johnson, Hudson (11) – State Champ
D1 #7 Beau Mourer, Brighton (12) – State Qualifier
D1 #8 Noah Kinne, Lapeer (12) – State Qualifier
D1 #9 Matt Mills, GR FHC (11) – State Qualifier
D1 #10 Boony Merryweather, Grandville (11) – Regional Qualifier
D2 #9 Fred Kemp, Niles (12)
D2 #10 Dan Kruse, Lowell (11) – 2X Regional Qualifier
D3 #9 Trey Boerman, Allegan (11) – 2X Regional Qualifier
Demetrius Reid, WWT (12) – State Qualifier
Austin Avision, Woodhaven (11) – Regional Qualifier
Nolan Ericksen, Clarkston (11) – Regional Qualifier

Incredibly, there are 10 ranked wrestlers projected to be here. However, Amine should be a step ahead of the field. He’s ranked #13 in the country at this weight, and last week he had an incredibly impressive major decision over 3X state champ Devin Skatzka of Richmond. The top contenders to make finals opposite Amine are juniors Perkins and Johnson, but it’s an extremely competitive field and I could see a lot of others making a run. Mourer is a tough match up and split matches with Merryweather earlier this year. D1 SQ’s Kinne and Mills definitely figure to be squarely in the mix as well.


171
D1 #1 Devon Pingle, Lapeer (11) – State Champ
D1 #3 Nick Brish, Brighton (12) – State 6th
D1 #4 Sam Greco, Grandville (10) – State Qualifier
D2 #1 Jelani Embree, Warren Lincoln (10)
D2 #10 Sean Craig, Niles (12) – Regional Qualifier
D3 #4 Levi Sabin, Allegan (11) – State 5th
D3 #10 Jared Tennihill, Grand Rapids CC (12) – State Qualifier
D4 #5 Clayton Brockway, Hudsdon (12) – State Qualifier
Robert Duncan, Woodhaven (12) – Regional Qualifier
Ike Kinney, GR FHC (11) – Regional Qualifier

This is probably the weight I’m most excited about. After missing his entire freshman season, Embree is finally back on the mats. Now he’ll really be put to the test against some top competition. Most notably state champ Devon Pingle who looked terrific at the GFC and is off to a strong start this season. Brish is also a title contender, and talented underclassmen Greco and Sabin are definitely others to watch.


189
P15 #1/D1 #1 Nick Giese, Detroit (12) – 2X State 3rd
P15 #5/D3 #2 Chase Beard, Allegan (10) – State 5th
P15 #10/D2 #4 Mason Litz, Fowlerville (12) – 2X State Placer
D2 #8 Kody McKrate, Tecumseh (12) – State Qualifier
Cody Okes, BC Western (12) – State Qualifier
Wyatt Thornton, Niles (12) – Regional Qualifier

It’s not one of the deeper weights, but this is another one that I think is especially intriguing. Giese is a former CC Invite champ and the favorite to win, but he’ll get some serious competition. Beard is on fire to start his sophomore season and recently upset nationally ranked Ty Wildmo. Meanwhile, Litz can be a bit inconsistent, but he’s extremely talented and also has the potential to win this weight.


215
P15 #1/D2 #1 Josh Colegrove, Lowell (12) – State Champ
P15 #5/D1 #1 Luke Ready, Brighton (11) – State 4th
P15 #6/D3 #2 Grant Tennihill, Grand Rapids CC (12) – State 3rd
P15 #8/D1 #2 Antonio Balabani, Macomb Dakota (12) – State 7th
P15 #11/D1 #5 Eppe Saarenheimo, Grandville (12) – State Qualifier
D1 #7 Jake Perry, Lapeer (12) – Regional Qualifier
D1 #8 Wyatt Harden, Oxford (11) – State Qualifier
D2 #6 Ted Jackowiak, Niles (12) – Regional Qualifier
D3 #8 Austin Farrell, Allegan (11) – State Qualifier
Mitch Ely, Hudson (12) – State Qualifier
Nathan Troutvine, Clarkston (11)
Blake Beuter, Detroit CC (10)

This is the best of both worlds. Phenomenal depth AND the potential for a premier finals matchup. The favorite is Colegrove who is currently ranked #7 in the country at 220. He was last year’s champ at this weight, beating graduated D1 state champ Jordon Brandon in the finals. The top challenger is Ready. He’s coming off a huge summer that was highlighted by in appearance in the Cadet National Freestyle finals. If he meets Colegrove in the finals it could be the match of the tournament, but both will have some serious obstacles to get there. Tennihill and Balabani in particular are seniors and returning state placers that will compete for a finals spot. Harden was a double Cadet AA in Fargo this summer, and Perry recently beat him in a tight match. With 3 additional SQ’s in Saarenheimo, Farrell, and Ely, this is about as good as it gets for an in-season tournament.


285
D1 #2 Dan Perry, Lapeer (11) – State 4th
D2 #8 Alex Bata, Niles (12) – Regional Qualifier
D2 #10 Logan Wilcox, Lowell (12) – Regional Qualifier
D3 #9 Jacob Holmes, Allegan (11)
Eric Conquest, Brighton (11) – Regional Qualifier
Blake Johnson, Lincoln Park (12) – Regional Qualifier
Colin Shock, Macomb Dakota (11) – Regional Qualifier
Nate Brady, Tecumseh (12)
Nick Jenkins, Detroit CC (10)
Adam Schlickenmeyer, Oxford (12)

One could argue that Perry is the safest pick to win this tournament. On paper he’s definitely the class of this weight, which features no other SQ’s. The rest of the field is extremely balanced and just about anyone could wind up wrestling Perry in the finals. Bata, Wilcox, and Holmes round out a total of 4 ranked wrestlers and Conquest was ranked at 215 earlier in the season.

COMMENTS

Please login to comment.

@ oxfordadkk

OVER 8 YEARS

Strong work, as always....gonna be a barn-burner and the second best event of the season....get there early folks, that place fills up quickly !!

Please LOGIN to reply.

‍