Team State Finals Recap

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Division 1

#1 Detroit Catholic Central vs #3 Davison

Recap: After losing by 35 points to Brighton a month ago, Davison pulled off a huge win in the semis over the Bulldogs. The dual came down to criteria after it was 31-31 through 14 matches, and Davison moved on based on their advantage in wins 8-6. Detroit Catholic Central also had an interesting semis, as Clarkston was able to keep it relatively close. Ultimately, it was DCC and Davison meeting in the finals for the 7th time since Mitch Hancock took over for the Shamrocks. Davison won three matches, all by pin, so the dual was still competitive at 26-18 through 9 matches. The Shamrocks were able to pull away from there, winning the last 5 matches, which included pins from Benny Eziuka and Richard Mogle to close it out. The 50-18 win secured the 12th dual state championship for Detroit CC, and their 18th overall state championship including titles from individual format scoring.

Division 2

#1 Lowell vs #7 Fowlerville

Recap: Fowlerville made history as being the only 7-seed to ever reach the finals since the MHSAA moved to seeding the QFs. The starting weight was not ideal for the Gladiators, who are top-heavy. Lowell was able to jump out to a 46-0 lead with the help of three pins and four techs. Fowlerville got on the board with bonus points from Foster and both O'Neils up top, but Lowell would take the dual 52-14. That's the 12th straight team state championship for Lowell, and the 11th straight for head coach RJ Boudro. The finals appearance was the first for Fowlerville since 1998, which was a state championship for the Gladiators, a squad also led by Dan Coon.

Division 3

#1 Dundee vs #2 Yale

Recap: Dundee made history en route to their 8th straight state championship. The Vikings had an individual record of 41-1 on the weekend, outscoring their opposition 221-6 in three duals. For Yale, it was their first-ever state finals appearance, but they were no match for potentially the best Dundee squad ever assembled. Dundee won all 14 matches by bonus points over a great Yale squad that features 8 state qualifiers. The wildest part is that this Dundee team will return 13 of these starters next year.

Division 4

#1 Hudson vs #3 Climax-Scotts/Martin

Recap: This was arguably the best dual of the finals, as Climax-Scotts/Martin was still within striking distance with two matches remaining, but Hudson was able to pull away to win their 4th straight. CSM went on a fantastic run this weekend, beating an extremely tough Union City team, and then upsetting #2 St. Louis in the semis. They jumped out to an early 12-0 lead in this one, but Hudson relied on their gauntlet of Perry, Sorrow, Campbell, and Kimling to get them back on track. All 5 of the CSM wins were bonus point victories, and it took Hudson until the 13th match to seal this one when Malachi Marshall picked up a 2nd-period fall. The win was a record 12th state championship for legendary coach Scott Marry.

By the Numbers

QF Appearance Droughts Snapped

• Adrian-Madison – First-ever
• Charlevoix – First-ever
• LakeVille – 1993            
• Ogemaw Heights – 1998
• Union City - 2000
• Linden – 2007
• Roscommon – 2012
• Allegan – 2016  

Semifinal Appearance Droughts Snapped

• New Boston Huron – First-ever
• Three Rivers – First-ever
• Fowlerville – 1998
• Lakewood – 2004
• Clarkston – 2007
• Allegan – 2014

Finals Appearance Droughts Snapped

• Yale – First-ever
• Fowlerville – 1998
• Climax-Scotts/Martin - 2004

Team Dual Championship Streaks

• Lowell – 12 years
• Dundee – 8 years
• Hudson – 4 years
• Detroit Catholic Central – 3 years

Team Dual Championships Overall

• Dundee – 17 championships
• Lowell – 15 championships
• Detroit Catholic Central – 12 championships
• Hudson – 12 championships

State Championships by Coaches

• Scott Marry (Hudson) – 12 championships
• Mitch Hancock (DCC) – 11 championships
• RJ Boudro (Lowell) – 11 championships
• Garrett Stevens/Nate Hall (Dundee) – 3 championships

Grappler Awards

Outstanding Wrestlers

• Division 1 - There were a number of outstanding performers for the Shamrocks, but Braxten Roche had potentially the best weekend out of everyone. It wasn't just his tech fall over state qualifier Turley, or his major in a high-pressure situation against Clarkston, but it was his massive win in the D1 finals against Julius Pacheco that earned him this award. The Frosh won some big scrambles over the returning state placer to pick up an 8-4 victory and help lead his team to a state title.
• Division 2 - Senior captain Owen Segorski did exactly what was asked of him all weekend. He picked up bonus points in all three matches this weekend with two of them being against state qualifiers. He picked up a second-period pin over #6 Faile. He then followed that up with a big tech fall over #9 Lamkin in the finals.
• Division 3 - Almost the entire team went undefeated over the weekend, but it was Senior Kole Katschor that was perhaps the most impressive. He saw a state qualifier in every round this weekend, and he picked up bonus points in each match. The state champ teched Williams (Allegan) and pinned McLaughlin (Yale) and Lambert (Ogemaw Heights).
• Division 4 - Another Freshman OW here. This time it's Beckett Campbell, who was lights out all weekend. He cruised to a large lead before pinning state qualifier Ritchie in the finals against Climax-Scotts/Martin, but he really earned this award in the semis. The Frosh was dominant in a 7-2 decision over #1 Long (Clinton) to help lead the Tigers to a decisive win.

Best Crowds

• Division 1 - Brighton may have traveled best, but a surprising loss in the semis kept the crowd somewhat tame. Clarkston traveled better than what may have appeared on camera, as they spread out into the end of the arena, whereas most crowds sit directly behind their team's mat. Clarkston was also loud, both for their win over Bedford, and for their competitive dual with Detroit Catholic Central. Their crowd erupted for Nate Carter's huge upset win at 144lbs over DCC, and they stayed loud until DCC put it away late.
• Division 2 - Lowell travels as well as anyone. It seems like their entire town has shown up for 12 straight years to see the Red Arrows win state championships, and they were as loud as it gets in their dominant win in the finals. However, this year it was Fowlerville that really surprised with their numbers. There was a lot of purple in the arena when D2 was on the mat, cheering on their Gladiators to upset wins over #2 Freeland and #3 New Boston Huron.
• Division 3 - Dundee probably had the highest numbers, but the Lakewood crowd on Friday was one of the loudest we have heard. When Lakewood picked up back-to-back upsets at 285 and 106, that Lakewood crowd was impressive. They didn't slow down until Yale put them away late in the dual in the semis. Solid showing from Lake Odessa Lakewood!
• Division 4 - Every round, the Climax-Scotts/Martin crowd showed up, and they were loud. It's tough to beat a Hudson crowd for the Saturday finals, but CSM had a massive and loud crowd in the QFs, semis, and finals. That crowd didn't settle down until after the 13th match in the final dual.

Unexpected Individual Performances

• Division 1 - It was not just the three bonus point victories for Steven Vaughn (Davison) that gave him this award, but it's the weight he did it at. Vaughn unexpectedly dropped to 113 for the first time this season just to help the team, and it paid off. Without Vaughn down to 113, Davison likely does not get past Brighton in the semis. That dual kicked off at 113, and Vaughn picked up a huge major decision over #3 Shinkonis to get the Cardinals started.
• Division 2 - Liam O'Neil of Fowlerville picked up as many team points as possible at the team state tournament. That's remarkable for any Freshman, but he also did it at 215 and 285lbs, which makes it all the more impressive. O'Neil's pin in the quarterfinal dual against #2 Freeland put the Gladiators up 26-5 and gave the crowd life as they realized a massive upset was in the works.
• Division 3 - Lakewood heavyweight Bryan Aguilera that picked up potentially the biggest win of the weekend. Down big and looking like he'd lose by bonus points, Aguilera threw a massive headlock to pin #1 Jenkins of Whitehall. That spark led Lakewood to an upset over #3 Whitehall, who had beaten them by 22 points earlier in the season. Aguilera then picked up a pin in 23-seconds in the semifinals to give Lakewood a 13-12 lead, although they would ultimately drop the dual.
• Division 4 - It's not unexpected at all when a state champ goes 3-0 on the weekend, Logan Gilbert was asked to do a lot in three duals, and he did not disappoint. CSM relied on Gilbert to go out and beat #4 Russell (Union City), #3 Rodriguez (St. Louis), and returning state placer Clark (Hudson). Although Clark had to injury default in the first period, Gilbert looked impressive in the other two wins. He picked up 18 points in a decision over a really solid Russell, and he was chasing bonus points against defending state champ Rodriguez before Rodriguez picked up a late takedown. Gilbert's 9-6 win in a battle of returning state champs helped lead CSM to a massive upset over #2 St. Louis

Best Individual Matches

• In the D1 quarterfinals, it was #1 Aulbach (Rockford) against #2 Jelinek (Davison). Jelinek dominated most of the match, taking an 8-3 into the last 30 seconds of the match. Aulbach was in on a number of head inside singles but could not finish until late when he picked up two TDs to force overtime. In overtime, Aulbach was back in on the legs quickly, earning a 12-9 sudden victory win over the Davison state placer.
• In the D1 semifinals, there was a massive upset at 144lbs. Nate Carter (Clarkston), who went 150 for the postseason, was back at 144 for the team this weekend. It looks like Grayson Fuchs (Detroit CC) was going to roll like last time, getting in on Carter's legs multiple times early. Midway through the first, however, Carter pulled Fuchs up from a head inside single and threw him to his back with a lat drop for a 7-point move. Carter would then cruise to a 9-4 decision and upset over the state champ Fuchs.
• With the team score being 25-24 in the last match, Climax-Scotts/Martin sent out freshman Jacinto Lopez to see state qualifier Rudy Clapp of St. Louis. Lopez was dominant, scoring early and often before picking up a big fall to send CSM to their first state finals since 2004.

Outstanding Team Performances

• Division 1 - It's not often that a team can lose by 35 points in the regular season and then turn around and beat the team in the state semis. But, that's exactly what Davison did this year over #2 Brighton. Without their everyday starters in Keeney (106), Brown (113), and Dunaway (285), the Cardinals still found a way to pull off the upset. Steven Vaughn dropped to 113 for the first time this year and earned a huge major decision over #3 Shinkonis, while Davison also won nearly every swing match in the middle of the dual. Martz, T. Pacheco, and McDunnah were all losing late and found big takedowns to beat state qualifiers, propelling Davison to the finals.
• Division 2 - It's pretty easy to pick out the outstanding performance in D2. Fowlerville became the first ever 7-seed to reach their first finals since 1998. Specifically, the Gladiators were impressive against #2 Freeland in the quarterfinals. Fowlerville jumped out to a quick 26-5 lead thanks in large part to pins from freshmen Jacob Hodge and Liam O'Neil. Knowing Freeland would put up a plethora of points late, it was a tech from Loomis and a pin from G. Stankov in the middleweights that put the dual away early, leading Fowlerville to the semis.
• Division 3 - It's easy to give this to a team that won their three duals by a combined 221 to 6, but like Davison, Lakewood was a heavy underdog after losing to their opponent by a wide margin earlier in the year. It seemed like Whitehall was well on their way to another decisive win before Aguilera picked up a massive pin at 285 over #1 Jenkins, and Harmer earned an OT takedown over Leeke to reverse a 7-2 loss from earlier in the season. Still down by 1 late, Lakewood received a pin from Bryson Boucher and a tech from Calder Villanueva to send Lakewood to the semis.
• Divison 4 - A #3 over a #2 is not all that unpopular. In fact, it happened in D1 this year. However, this was not your usual #2 team in St. Louis. The Sharks were heavily favored in the semis and expected to be competitive with Hudson in the semis. It was a fantastic performance all weekend from CSM, and it was in large part to Jacinto Lopez at 106lbs. Although Gilbert got the Grappler OW for his big wins, CSM was in the finals thanks to Lopez. Down 25-24 in the last match against St. Louis, Lopez picked up a huge fall over state qualifier Clapp to send them to the finals.