On Paper - 12/11/2024

Three ranked duals tonight across the state, with all of them coming in D1. #1 ranked Detroit Catholic Central will travel to #8 Dakota, while #7 Rockford will wrestle both #2 Brighton and #4 Hartland.

Breakdown: While DCC likely has too much firepower for Dakota, there could be some really intriguing individual matches in this dual. At 120, we could see Totten (#1 at 113) against returning state placer Carl Nihranz, or it could be #3 Jamison Gregory on Nihranz. At 144, we are hoping to see #1 Fuchs against #5 Ozia Wilson. Up top, we assume Detroit CC will bump up White, Krueger, and Bercume as they have so far this year. That could get returning state placers White and Criteser on each other at 190, and returning state placers Lee Krueger and Hamby on each other at 215.

Prediction: DCC by 35

Breakdown: Brighton and Rockford are both trying to fill a few holes early in the season as they have a few starters out with injuries. Nonetheless, they are both really solid all the way through their lineups. If Martin wrestles up at 120 as he has so far this year, we could see him against returning state finalist Ethan Smith. To give themselves a better shot in the dual, Rockford may need to consider bumping Fitzpatrick and Aulbach to try to win both matches over #9 Courneya and #2 K. Tindall. If that happens, we could see a handful of really tough ranked matches.

Prediction: Brighton by 10

Breakdown: This plays out a lot like the Brighton vs Rockford dual. Hartland is likely going to have too much from 132 to 165, although Hartland has been without a few key pieces so far this year. If Tougas and Culver are back in the lineup, that makes this a really tall task for the Rams. If not, Rockford can be looking at winning 5 or 6 matches, depending on matchups. One match we would like to see is #7 Jewell against #4 Fitzpatrick.

Prediction: Hartland by 15