D1 Preview: History on the Brink

March 4, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

When 135-pound matches are wrestled at The Palace of Auburn Hills this weekend, many eyes will be watching Davison’s Lincoln Olson.

Olson – along with Richmond’s Devin Skatzka in Division 3 – will compete for his fourth MHSAA championship, hoping to join only 19 other Michigan wrestlers who have ended all four years of high school with a title.

See below for 10 contenders to watch this weekend at the Division 1 Individual Finals, plus others who enter the tournament undefeated or coming off runner-up finishes in 2014. 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.

Those listed below are only a handful of numerous contenders for this weekend’s 14 Division 1 championships – in this division alone, seven athletes not listed below have lost only once this season. Come back to Second Half at the end of this weekend, when we’ll have post-match thoughts from all 14 title winners.

112: Max Johnson, Davison junior (42-7) – Last season’s champion at this weight may not have as sparkling a record as some contenders, but he entered last season’s Finals with an identical W-L on his way to winning the title.

112: Carl Antrassian, Monroe junior (54-2) – He’s a favorite at his new weight after falling to Ben Freeman (see below) in last season’s championship match at 103 and after leading his team to the MHSAA Quarterfinals last weekend.

125: Camden Bertucci, Grand Haven senior (40-0) – After just missing the Finals last season, Bertucci can add a title to his runner-up finish at 103 as a freshman and third place at 112 as a sophomore.

125: Ben Freeman, Walled Lake Central sophomore (40-0) – Last season’s champion at 103 has only one loss during his high school career and won all of his 2014 Finals matches by technical falls.

130: Trevor Zdebski, Detroit Catholic Central senior (42-5) – His high school career so far has included a championship last season at 119 pounds, a third place at 103 as a freshman and two team titles.

135: Lincoln Olson, Davison senior (48-0) – As noted above, Olson is poised to enter an elite group; in addition, he carries a 185-3 record into his final weekend before moving on to Oklahoma State University.

145: Logan Parks, Southgate Anderson senior (53-0) – After finishing third in what arguably was the toughest bracket at last season’s Finals – 140 – Parks can cap this season with a title and the last two with a combined 111-2 record.

152: Jacob Gorial, Hartland senior (54-0) – Recall the 2013 Finals, when Gorial had the difficulty of facing and falling to teammate Austin Eicher in the 130-pound championship match; he can add a first title to a seventh place as a freshman, the second as a sophomore and a fourth place last winter.

160: Myles Amine, Detroit Catholic Central senior (43-0) – Another of the latest Shamrocks stars can graduate as a back-to-back champion after winning at 140 pounds last season and finishing third at 130 as a sophomore.

285: Brian Darios, East Lansing senior (5-2) – Yes, that record is correct; Darios has battled through multiple injuries this season, but remains a favorite to finish on top after falling in an ultimate tie-breaker in last season’s championship match.

Other 2014 runners-up: Oxford junior Alex Hrisopoulos (125, 48-3, 112 in 2014), Lapeer senior Dillon Ellsworth (145, 49-2, 152 in Division 2 in 2014 for Lapeer East), Lapeer junior Devon Pingel (171, 43-3, 171 in Division 2 in 2014 for North Branch).

Also undefeated: West Bloomfield senior Matt Gudenau (140, 45-0), Dearborn Heights Crestwood junior Ali Wahab (285, 56-0), Lapeer junior Dan Perry (285, 57-0).

More of note: Saline freshman Daniel Poupore (103, 36-2), Grand Blanc senior Noah Gonser (119, 52-3), Holt senior Benny Gomez (119, 30-2), Hartland sophomore Reese Hughes (130, 49-5), Utica Eisenhower senior Connor McDill (140, 38-2), Detroit Catholic Central senior Nick Giese (189, 42-4), Brighton junior Lucas Ready (215, 48-2).

PHOTO: Davison's Lincoln Olson competes during his team's MHSAA Semifinal last weekend against eventual champion Brighton. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)

Highlight Reel: Team Finals Video

March 1, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The MHSAA Team Wrestling Finals came to an end Saturday evening with familiar champions in Lowell, Richmond and New Lothrop and a first-time winner in Brighton.

See below for highlights from all four championship matches – including one from all eight teams that competed – plus links to watch the matches in full on-demand on MHSAA.tv.

 

Division 1 

Laforge at the Fore: Hartland jumped out to a 22-12 lead after eight weight classes in the Division 1 Final against league rival Brighton. Hartland's Lucas Laforge wins his 160-pound bout with Tanner Maschke, 4-3, in the final period.

Title Takedown: It came down to the final match at 112 pounds to decide the Division 1 title, and Brighton's Lee Grabowski claimed a 4-2 win over Hartland's Garnet Potter. Here's the second period takedown that gave Grabowski a 3-0 lead. Brighton won the crown, 31-25.

Watch the entire match and order DVDs by Clicking Here

Division 2 

Dean Scores The Fall: Lowell scored the first 15 points of the Division 2 title tilt with Eaton Rapids and never looked back. Zeth Dean got a first-period pin against Eaton Rapids' Eric Anderson at 130 pounds in that streak.

Schultz In An OT Thriller: Tristen Schultz of Eaton Rapids and Logan Blough of Lowell took the 189-pound match in the Division 2 Final to its ultimate length, before Schultz prevailed, 9-8. It cut the Lowell lead to 24-16, but the Red Arrows pulled away for a 40-16 championship victory. 

Watch the entire match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.

Division 3 

Drew Starts It For Dundee: Dundee jumped out to a 16-6 lead on Richmond in the Division 3 title match, with Drew Scholl starting things off with a 7-4 win over Cody Keller at 119.

Richmond Wins! Richmond Wins!: Richmond got two straight pins to come from behind and defeat Dundee, 27-25, for the Division 3 title. Connor Behem gets the fall at 112 pounds over Harry Wallace. 

Watch the entire match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.

Division 4

Copes Pins Welch: Trevor Copes of New Lothrop comes up with a key pin of Nick Welch of Hudson at 145 pounds in the Division 4 championship match.

Roberts Rules: Hudson gets off to a good start against New Lothrop in the Division 4 Final, as Tyler Roberts pinned Austin Birchmeier in 25 seconds. New Lothrop came back to win the title, 38-24. 

Watch the entire match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.