D1 Preview: Champs Close Careers
February 26, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Winners of a combined nine MHSAA Division 1 individual wrestling championships will graduate this spring.
But that group can add six more to their collective total at this weekend’s Finals at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
See below for 10 contenders to watch this weekend, plus others who enter the tournament undefeated or coming off runner-up finishes in 2013. Follow all the matches beginning with Thursday's first round on a subscription basis live on MHSAA.TV, and click here for results at MHSAA.com. And check back with Second Half later Saturday night for full coverage from the Finals, including comments from all 14 champions.
112: Benny Gomez, Holt junior (47-1) – Cruised through his sophomore season undefeated at 47-0 and won the 103-pound title, and is back as the favorite one class heavier and with only one loss.
125: Lincoln Olson, Davison junior (41-1) – Going for a third MHSAA title after winning 103 as a freshman and 112 as a sophomore; brings a 133-3 career record into the weekend.
135: Austin Eicher, Hartland senior (35-1) – Defeated teammate Jacob Gorial to win last season’s championship at 130 and looking good to make it two straight titles with a combined record of 87-2 over the last two seasons.
140: Justin Oliver, Davison senior (43-1) – Finished only third at 135 last season after winning titles at 112 and 119 his first two of high school, respectively; he has lost only five times during his career.
145: Malik Amine, Detroit Catholic Central senior (30-3) – Finished fifth, second, and then first, at 140, his first three seasons, respectively, and also has been a key contributor to three straight DCC team champions.
171: Jordan Cooks, Davison senior (38-3) – Claimed the championship at 160 the last two seasons after finishing third at 145 as a freshman; can go over 40 wins for the third season of his varsity career.
171: Drew Garcia, Detroit Catholic Central senior – Looking to finish his career with four championship match berths and three straight individual titles after winning this weight in 2013; beat Cooks 3-1 in overtime in Saturday’s Team Final.
189: Shwan Shadaia, Rochester senior (40-3) – Took a couple more losses than during last season’s championship run, but can finish in a similarly dominating way after making the jump from seventh place to first as a junior.
215: Jordon Brandon, Westland John Glenn senior (50-2) – Returns seeking to finish his career with a championship after falling just shy in the 2013 Final at 215, a 5-4 overtime loss.
285: Parker Tillman, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central senior (42-0) – Three-time MHSAA qualifier lost a tough championship match 3-0 last season but hasn't fallen since; he’s 83-4 over his final two seasons so far.
Other 2013 runners-up: Farmington Hills Harrison junior Michael Volyanyuk (112, 37-6, 103 in 2013), Martin Rodriguez, Holt senior (119, 42-1, 125 in 2013), Davison senior Matthew Miller (135, 33-7), Hartland junior Jacob Gorial (145, 54-1, 130 in 2013), Livonia Franklin senior Jordan Atienza (160, 60-1, 152 in 2013).
Also undefeated: Birmingham Brother Rice senior Shon Powell (171, 13-0), Grand Haven senior Dakota Juarez (160, 38-0), Detroit Catholic Central senior Nick Bennett (152, 39-0), Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central senior Parker Tillman (42-0, 285), West Bloomfield senior Ross Bahro (130, 48-0), Canton senior Alec Pantaleo (145, 49-0), Ypsilanti Lincoln senior Jordan Markey (135, 54-0).
More of note: Walled Lake Central freshman Ben Freeman (103, 39-1), Detroit Catholic Central junior Trevor Zdebski (119, 23-2), Ypsilanti senior Kyle Abdellatif (130, 52-2), Brownstown Woodhaven senior Derek Hillman (189, 46-2).
PHOTO: Davison’s Justin Oliver celebrates his win during Saturday’s Division 1 Team Final. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Rematch of Rivals Goes Dundee's Way
February 23, 2019
By Jeff Chaney
Special for Second Half
KALAMAZOO – One of the things that makes the MHSAA Team Wrestling Finals special is that a wrestler can be a hero for his team and make a real difference by taking a "good" loss.
That's exactly what happened for the Dundee Vikings in their Division 3 championship match against familiar foe Richmond on Saturday at Wings Event Center.
With his team down two points, and three matches left to wrestle, Dundee freshman Austin Jaworski stepped on the mat with Richmond junior Austin Kilburn, one of the top Blue Devils.
Suffering a pin would have been damaging, putting the Vikings behind Richmond by eight points with two pairs of evenly-matched wrestlers facing off in the next two matches.
Jaworski battled, and lost to Kilburn 11-5, but no bonus points were surrendered.
Dundee won the next two matches by decision with Tyler Swiderski and Jonathon White, and the Vikings won their second straight Division 3 title and 11th title overall with a 26-25 victory over Richmond.
"I just went out there and did my job," Jaworski said. "I didn't worry about how good he was, I just went out there and wrestled. I did the best I could."
Even though Jaworski may sound humble about what he did for his team, it did not go unnoticed by coach Tim Roberts.
"When Austin Jaworski did his job, and he had a stellar guy he was going against and only gave up three points to them, I felt confident going into those last two," Roberts said. "We didn't know this would come down to the last match. We hoped it would be over before that, but that is the way it goes in duals with good teams."
And Richmond and Dundee are two good teams.
Over the last 13 years, they have wrestled nine times for the Division 3 title. Dundee now has won the last two Finals matchups, and is 5-4 against its rival during that time.
"Every year it comes down to us two," said Roberts, whose team ended with an 18-5 record. "They do such a great job over there. They are a fantastic coached team, and they have a community that is really into it. Their kids work so hard, I have nothing but respect for what they do over there. So when we get a chance to compete with them and win, it feels really good because you beat somebody good."
The lead by either team was more than five points only once during the dual. And the Blue Devils had chances, but were unable to extend the lead when they had it.
"Both teams had their chances," said Richmond co-coach Brandon Day, whose team ended 26-3. "I wouldn't say one kid changed this match one way or another. We have some young guys that did a great job saving bonus, and they had some young guys do the same."
PHOTOS: (Top) Dundee's Stoney Buell works toward a major decision during his championship match bout at 160 pounds Saturday. (Middle) The Vikings celebrate their second straight Division 3 title. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)