D1 Preview: Favorites Vie for 1st Title
February 26, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
This weekend’s MHSAA Team Finals Division 1 bracket seems a little upside-down from what we usually expect at Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena.
Last season’s finalists – champion Detroit Catholic Central and runner-up Davison – will instead face off in a Friday Quarterfinal. The top seeds – Brighton and New Baltimore Anchor Bay – are seeking their first championship match berths.
Below is a look at all eight teams competing in Division 1, listed by seed. Their Quarterfinal matches begin at 3:15 p.m. Friday, with Semifinals at 9:30 Saturday morning and the championship match at 4 p.m. All matches this weekend will be streamed live on a subscription basis on MHSAA.TV. For results throughout, check the MHSAA Wrestling page. (Records below are based on those submitted for the Individual Finals.)
#1 Brighton
Record/rank: 26-1, No. 1
League finish: First in Kensington Lakes Activities Association (Lakes and overall)
Coach: Tony Greathouse, second season (53-8)
Championship history: Has never finished among the top two teams in Finals competition.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 112 Lee Grabowski (34-9) soph., 119 Grant Morrison (39-12) jr., 119 Jackson Renicker (39-9) jr., 130 Kyle Bohnsack (30-15) sr., 145 Ryan Salmon (31-9) sr., 152 Tanner Maschke (40-8) sr., 160 Beau Mourer (40-7) sr., 171 Nicholas Brish (41-2) sr., 215 Eric Conquest (40-9) jr., 215 Lucas Ready (45-2) jr.
Outlook: This will be Brighton’s third Quarterfinal appearance in five seasons. Greathouse previously took Tecumseh to the Semifinals in 2012 and can rely on a lineup with 13 upperclassmen including 12 seniors. Brish and Ready were Individual Finals placers in 2014. Brighton’s only loss this winter was to Division 2 top-ranked Lowell, and that dual came down to the final match.
#2 New Baltimore Anchor Bay
Record/rank: 36-0, No. 2
League finish: First in Macomb Area Conference Red.
Coach: Jim Morisette, 25th season (606-223)
Championship history: Has never finished among the top two teams in Finals competition.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 112 Jack Medley (50-1) soph., 119 Nolan Romanoski (44-8) jr., 125 Jeff Andrews (41-9) jr., 130 Adam Wiscombe (43-10) sr., 135 Joey Dombrowski (41-2) sr., 152 Tyler Grimsley (51-1) sr., 171 Ross Morisette (39-6) sr.
Outlook: Anchor Bay is making its third Quarterfinal appearance and first since 2010; that season it fell to eventual champion Detroit Catholic Central, and in 2006 the Tars lost to eventual runner-up Hartland. Anchor Bay has crushed its postseason competition, allowing only a combined 28 points in four matches. Medley, Dombrowski and Grimsley all were Individual Finals placers last season and are among 14 on the team with at least 30 wins.
#3 Hartland
Record/rank: 29-3, No. 3
League finish: Second in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West
Coach: Todd Cheney, 23rd season (631-95-2)
Championship history: Four MHSAA runner-up finishes (most recent 2007).
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Noah Lopez (38-6) jr., 112 Garnet Potter (45-5) soph., 130 Reece Hughes (46-5) soph., 135 Sage Castillo (41-6) jr., 145 Logan Vish (42-4) jr., 152 Jacob Gorial (51-0) sr., 171 Lucas Laforge (44-8) jr., 171 Andrew Spisz (31-13) soph., 215 Jake Economou (33-6) sr.
Outlook: This is Hartland’s 14th straight trip to the Quarterfinals, and it's seeking its first championship match berth since finishing runner-up for the fourth straight season in 2007. The Eagles defeated No. 6 Walled Lake Central in the Regional on the way to Battle Creek and will try to advance to their sixth straight Semifinal. Castillo and Gorial were Individual Finals placers last season – and Gorial is one of only four seniors on the roster.
#4 Detroit Catholic Central
Record/rank: 22-3, No. 4
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League.
Coach: Mitch Hancock, eighth season (171-35)
Championship history: Eleven MHSAA championships (most recent 2014), two runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 112 Aaron Rehfeldt (32-15) jr., 125 Tommy Herrmann (33-13) sr., 130 Trevor Zdebski (41-5) sr., 160 Myles Amine (42-0) sr., 171 Tyler Morland (22-1) soph., 189 Nick Giese (37-14) sr., 285 Nick Jenkins (37-14) soph.
Outlook: The Shamrocks have won four Division 1 titles in five seasons and entered as only the third seed last year before winning again – although this year’s fourth seed comes with a rematch of last year’s Final. DCC rebuilt a bit this winter after graduating some strong contributors from the last few seasons, but still enters this weekend with reigning champions Amine and Zdebski and another placer from last season in Giese.
#5 Davison
Record/rank: 19-6, No. 5
League finish: First in Saginaw Valley Association
Coach: Roy Hall, 18th season (445-78-1)
Championship history: Eight MHSAA championships (most recent 2006), three runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 112 Max Johnson (40-7) jr., 112 Augustine Facundo (32-8) fr., 119 Deven Perez (42-10) jr., 130 Ryan Schlak (32-14) soph., 135 Lincoln Olson (46-0) sr., 140 Hunter Fifield (37-7) sr., 145 Kurt Schlak (33-14) jr., 160 Brenden McRill (36-9) soph., 171 Mike Kennedy (25-14) sr., 189 Tanner Thomas (24-8) jr., 215 Dakota Powers (32-12) sr., 215 Jake Ellis (36-8) sr.
Outlook: The runner-up the last two seasons, Davison is looking to continue its championship match streak from a tougher spot after entering last season as the top seed. But the Cardinals do have Olson – who next weekend will go for a fourth individual title – and another reigning champ in Johnson plus a returning placer in McRill.
#6 Monroe
Record/rank: 37-3, No. 10
League finish: First in Southeastern Conference Red.
Coach: Don Mayes, seventh season (162-73)
Championship history: Has never finished among the top two teams in Finals competition.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Neil Antrassian (48-9) fr., 112 Carl Antrassian (53-2) jr., 140 Logan DiCarlo (41-5) sr., 160 Travis Labell (39-9) sr., 171 Tyler Hammack (53-3) sr.
Outlook: Monroe is making its second appearance in the Quarterfinals after also advancing in 2003 and winning its first District title since 2010. Monroe may have the most senior-dominated lineup at the Finals this weekend, with 10 starters and one at every weight from 125-189. Carl Antrassian is only a junior, but was Individual Finals runner-up at 103 last winter.
#7 Grand Haven
Record/rank: 26-3, No. 7
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Red.
Coach: James Richardson, 17th season (304-92)
Championship history: Has never finished among the top two teams in Finals competition.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 125 Camden Bertucci (39-0) sr., 135 Antonio Reyes (35-4) sr., 140 Evan Johnson (34-11) sr., 160 Aaron Cummings (38-6) sr., 189 Nick Mulcahy (39-9) sr., 285 Chase VanHoef (38-3) sr.
Outlook: Grand Haven is back in the Quarterfinals for the second time and first since 2012 after edging No. 8 Grandville 31-30 in their Regional Final. The Buccaneers have 15 District titles in Richardson’s 17 seasons but this winter have set a high for victories during his tenure. VanHoef was an Individual Finals placer last season.
#8 Oxford
Record/rank: 16-7, unranked
League finish: First in Oakland Activities Association Red.
Coach: Paul McDevitt, 18th season (362-147)
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2011, two runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Ryan Miller (34-11) fr., 112 Sergio Borg (39-9) fr., 125 Alex Hrisopoulos (45-3) jr., 130 Vinny Vackaro (34-14) soph., 135 Collin Campbell (42-6) sr., 189 Wyatt Harden (35-7) jr., 285 Adam Schlickenmeyer (29-12) jr.
Outlook: Oxford is making its seventh Quarterfinal appearance in eight seasons. Hrisopoulos was the Individual Finals runner-up at 112 in 2014 and is the only non-senior captain for a lineup that starts only two seniors total and has eight underclassmen among regulars.
PHOTO: Detroit Catholic Central's Nick Giese (right) and Davison's Jake Ellis faced off in last season's Division 1 Final and will help lead their teams back to Battle Creek on Friday. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Lapeer West 4-Time Finals Winner Set to Build Champions at Oklahoma
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
July 5, 2023
Roger Kish has a habit of accomplishing great things in a short amount of time.
He won an MHSAA Individual Wrestling Finals title as a freshman at Lapeer West, his first of four.
He was an NCAA finalist as a sophomore at Minnesota.
He was a Division I head wrestling coach at North Dakota State University at 27.
So, it should come as little surprise that before hitting his 40th birthday, Kish is now in charge of one of the nation’s most storied college wrestling programs.
Kish, 39, was recently named the head coach at Oklahoma, a program that has won seven national titles and produced 67 individual champions in its history.
“It’s something I’m very grateful for, and I’m certainly humbled to walk the same halls of some of the Oklahoma greats,” the 2003 Lapeer West graduate said. “Being able to lead this program is nothing short of a dream come true. The administration is great, and in terms of the support system that’s in place, what they have at Oklahoma is second to none.”
Kish takes over a Sooners program fighting to get back into the conversation as one of the nation’s best. His time at NDSU portends well for that, as he had the Bison as high as No. 12 in the country a year ago, the highest ranking in program history.
NDSU also defeated Oklahoma in a Big 12 dual meet, and finished 24th at the NCAAs, with a program record 25.5 points.
“Roger knows what it takes to build a championship-caliber program, and he’s done just that at North Dakota State, with many of his wrestlers having won conference titles and earning All-American honors,” Oklahoma Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione said in a release. “His coaching philosophy aligns with our approach at Oklahoma, and I know he’ll guide our wrestling program toward achieving the standards we’ve set for ourselves.”
Had you told a teenage Kish this would be his future as he was racking up the second-most wrestling victories in state history, he wouldn’t have believed it. Not because it was too ambitious, but because coaching wasn’t even on his radar.
In fact, it wasn’t something he was considering even as he was becoming a two-time All-American at Minnesota.
“I would be lying to say that I wanted to be a high school or college wrestling coach, career-wise,” Kish said. “I had other plans.”
Those other plans were to either continue wrestling beyond college, explore a career in mixed martial arts, or become a chiropractor.
It was all on the table for him as his collegiate career came to a close, but an injury and the long recovery process that followed opened up a new avenue for Kish.
“When I had my surgery, I was off the mats for a lot of time, but I was still able to be on the mats, not as a competitor, but in a way that I could help some of my younger teammates,” he said. “I wanted to be able to give back to those guys that had helped me. That’s where it all began.”
He had been accepted into the chiropractic program at Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington, Minn. But he chose to put that off to continue his recovery for a possible mat return, and to serve as a graduate assistant for the Gophers.
The following year, he was asked to join Bucky Maughan’s coaching staff at North Dakota State, and his career as a coach took off.
“Throughout that year (at Minnesota), I really enjoyed helping out those young guys,” Kish said. “I took an opportunity from Bucky Maughan, because he needed a bigger guy to train with those bigger guys. It seemed like the best route in the moment, so I took it and never looked back. I was an assistant for two seasons, and built really good relationships with stakeholders in the athletic department. Following two seasons under Bucky Maughan, he retired after 46 seasons, and the position opened up. They did a national search, and I think the relationships I had built with stakeholders, and the immediate success of the program in the two seasons I was part of it, led to a great opportunity for me to take over at North Dakota State.”
Kish built a strong program in his 12 seasons at the helm, compiling a 108-70 record. During his time, the Bison moved from the Western Wrestling Conference to the Big 12 and didn’t skip a beat. NDSU is 33-26 in its time in the Big 12, including a 6-2 mark this past season, which was good enough for fourth place during the regular season.
NDSU has sent 21 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships over the past four seasons, with nine becoming All-Americans.
While it’s now in the corner and not in the center of the mat, Kish and wrestling success have long been synonymous.
Kish was 117-27 at Minnesota, placing second in the nation as a sophomore and third as a junior. He also won a Big Ten title at 184 pounds as a sophomore.
He was 252-2 in his high school career, with both losses coming during his freshman season. The 252 wins are second in MHSAA history only to 260 won by Justin Zeerip of Hesperia. Kish was unbeaten in his last 223 matches, placing him third all-time for consecutive wins behind Zeerip and Brent Metcalf of Davison (228).
In 2003, Kish became the 11th wrestler in MHSAA history to win four individual titles. At the time, nobody had won them at higher weights, as Kish won at 160, 171, 189 and 189.
“For me, it probably didn’t feel as big in the moment as it probably did for other people,” Kish said. “For me, it was the expectation to win it as a freshman. My own father said, ‘I don’t know if he’s going to get out of the Regional.’ I took it very personal and serious. But I didn’t think of how hard it was to do in the moment. I’m in awe of how talented these (more recent four-timers) are. Doing it today is seemingly a lot more challenging.”
Wrestling has long been a family experience for Kish, as his father, Roger Kish Sr., coached alongside Hall of Famer John Virnich at Lapeer West.
Kish’s older brother James was a two-time Finals champion who wrestled at North Carolina and amassed 215 career high school victories.
“I was fortunate enough to have a father who gave a tremendous amount of care to the sport and was always trying to keep my brother and I busy throughout our youth,” Kish said. “He always had us in some sort of activity. It probably also stemmed from having an older brother that was a couple years older than myself. I was always a little bit bigger, and he was a little more agile. We were always competitors – call it a brother thing. That allowed each of us to excel in sports, having one another to compete with.”
Kish also played football at Lapeer West and was a starting varsity linebacker as a freshman.
“Wrestling was my passion,” Kish said. “I loved playing football, but it was what I did to take a break from wrestling. It allowed some different facets to cultivate in terms of building relationships and recognizing different factors that helped motivate individuals. … Understanding being on a team, and relying on and trusting other people to help you succeed, whether that’s your teammates or your coaches.”
As someone who made the most of his time in high school athletics, and now remains close to them in a recruiting aspect, Kish is fully aware of how important they are for students.
“Having an outlet for young kids to be active and learn the traits that will help them later in life – the discipline and the humility of wins and losses, the work ethic that’s necessary, understanding what goals are and how to achieve those goals, dreaming a little bigger than what’s realistic – is good for kids,” Kish said. “Athletics is a great platform to do that. Wrestling is a great platform to do that. To help them grow as young men and women, that’s extremely important.”
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PHOTOS (Top) Roger Kish stands atop the MHSAA champions podium in 2003, and was hired as Oklahoma’s head coach in May. (Middle) Kish helps Lapeer West to the Division 2 team runner-up finish with this match against Mason as a senior. (Lapeer West photos from MHSAA archives; Oklahoma photo courtesy of University of Oklahoma athletic department.)