Photo by Geoff Kimmerly, MHSAA
Team state is finally here! 32 of the best teams in the state have qualified for the team state tournament in Kalamazoo, and we have all of the rundowns. The 4:30pm slot on Friday will be the Division 3 quarterfinals, so we are going to give a rundown of those duals here. Dundee has become the kings of D3, making 24 straight appearances in the team state tournament, and they’ve now won 8 straight titles. Whitehall is now wrestling in their 6th straight quarterfinals, while 7 of these 8 teams were all here last year. We predict potential weigh-ins for each matchup below, give some analysis on the dual, and take a friendly guess at the result of each dual.
Stay tuned throughout the week as we give the On Paper previews for the rest of the divisions. Click Here to head to the MHSAA website for any additional information regarding the team state tournament!
Schedule
Friday, 12pm EST – D4 Quarterfinals
Friday, 2:15pm EST – D1 Quarterfinals
Friday, 4:30pm EST – D3 Quarterfinals
Friday, 6:45pm EST – D2 Quarterfinals
Saturday, 9:30am EST – D1 and D4 Semis
Saturday, 12pm EST – D2 and D3 Semis
Saturday, 3:45pm EST – FINALS
Quarterfinal Matchups
#1 Dundee (23-3) vs #8 Allegan (31-4)
#4 Lake Odessa Lakewood (22-7) vs #5 Montrose (28-3)
#3 Yale (26-6) vs #6 Ogemaw Heights (38-6)
#2 Whitehall (30-0) vs #7 Hart (26-6)
Analysis: This is a repeat of last year’s semifinals dual, where Dundee swept the board. This team is perhaps better than last year’s team, as they have a staggering eight #1s in this lineup. Allegan has had a solid season, and they have three going to Ford Field next week, but the Vikings shouldn’t have any trouble in this one.
Prediction: Dundee +60
Analysis: Another battle of returning state qualifying teams here. Whitehall has been on a roll this year, and they have 10 wrestlers going to Ford Field next weekend. That’s going to make them a tough team to beat. Hart is solid, as they’ve got 7 going to Ford Field, including three ranked in the top-10. While these two teams did not meet this year, they should be familiar with each other, as they are in the same conference. A lot of flexibility in the lineups makes specific matchups tough to predict. Our prediction is that Whitehall is going to be too much in this one, especially down low.
Prediction: Whitehall +8
Analysis: 8 state qualifiers for Yale and 7 for Ogemaw Heights, so this should be a pretty competitive dual. Yale’s first half of the lineup is loaded, while Ogemaw Heights has more of a steady lineup throughout. Ogemaw Heights will likely look to get creative with their lineup and try to get some favorable matchups, like Ziegler on Frazer and/or Marshall on Coarse. Yale should be on track to reach the semis, though.
Prediction: Yale +8
Analysis: Rematch from the regular season here, where Lakewood won a 32-31 dual. This time, however, Montrose is firing on all cylinders. They’ve got 9 state qualifiers for next weekend, making for a very tough lineup. Lakewood is led Harmer and Boucher, both ranked in the top-3, and they’ve got 2 other state qualifiers. We are going with the Rams on this one, as they just have a steady lineup and some flexibility where it matters, but this really is a toss-up.
Prediction: Montrose +3
