D1 Preview: Titans Prepare to Clash

February 23, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

To call the Division 1 Quarterfinal field loaded would be an understatement.

The top seven ranked teams at the end of the regular season all have advanced to this weekend's final rounds at Central Michigan University's McGuirk Arena – paced by a top-seeded Detroit Catholic Central team on one of the most dominant runs in MHSAA history.

Below is a look at all eight teams competing in Division 1, listed by seed. Quarterfinal matches begin at 2:15 p.m. Friday, with Semifinals at 9 a.m. Saturday and the championship match at 3:30 p.m. All matches this weekend will be streamed live on a subscription basis on MHSAA.tv. For Friday’s schedule and results throughout, check the MHSAA Wrestling page.

The MHSAA Wrestling Finals are presented by the Michigan Army National Guard.

#1 Detroit Catholic Central

Record/rank: 28-1, No. 1
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League
Coach: Mitch Hancock, 10th season (215-43)
Championship history: 
Eleven MHSAA championships (most recent 2014), two runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Devon Johnsen (31-9) jr., 112 Benyamin Kamali (34-3) jr., 112, Rhett Newton (30-8) soph., 119 Derek Gilcher (27-8) fr., 125 Stone Moscovic (26-10) jr., 130 Kevon Davenport (36-3) soph., 140 Joseph Urso (33-12) soph., 145 Cameron Amine (38-3) soph., 152 Aidan Wagh (28-12) jr., 171 Tyler Morland (30-0) sr., 171 Easton Turner (23-9) soph., 189 Dane Flynn (29-9) sr., 215 Jackson Ross (21-9) sr., 285 Nicholas Jenkins (39-1) sr.
Outlook:
 Hancock has coached four Division 1 championship teams over his decade running the program, but this has been his most dominant so far. The Shamrocks’ only loss was to Ohio power Lakewood St. Edward, and they shut out all three of their postseason opponents so far. Davenport, Amine, Morland and Jenkins all were individual champions last season, while Kamali, Ross and Moscovic were Finals placers.

#2 Davison

Record/rank: 24-3, No. 2
League finish: First in Saginaw Valley League.
Coach: Roy Hall, 19th season (495-89-1)
Championship history: 
Eight MHSAA championships (most recent 2006), four runner-up finishes. 
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Andrew Chambal (33-6) fr., 112 Steven Garty Jr. (30-5) soph., 119 Jaron Wilson (30-5) fr., 125 Marc Shaeffer (28-4) fr., 125 AJ Facundo (32-5) jr., 140 Ryan Schlak (32-7) sr., 140 Jay Nivison (24-6) fr., 145 Brian Case (27-6) soph., 160 Cal Stefanko (27-5) jr., 171 Trevor McGowan (28-7) soph., 189 Brenden McRill (34-2) sr., 285 Arron Gilmore (25-9) soph.
Outlook:
 Last season’s runner-up has eight starters back from the championship match loss to Hartland, despite eight underclassmen (and only three seniors) in this season’s top lineup. McRill won the 189 individual championship last winter, while Facundo was a runner-up (after winning at 112 in 2015) and Case also placed at the Individual Finals. Davison beat DCC in a Semifinal last season by four; in their meeting last month, DCC won 32-22.

#3 Macomb Dakota

Record/rank: 32-3, No. 3
League finish: Second in Macomb Area Conference Red
Coach: Ed Skowneski, fifth season (148-36)
Championship history: Has not appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Brock Prater (41-8) fr., 103 Nick Alayan (48-3) soph., 112 Andrew Barrett (29-9) soph., 112 Justin Tiburcio (45-8) soph., 125 Nick Barrett (45-7) sr., 130 Tyler Sanders (37-2) jr., 152 Christian Karges (41-13) jr., 152 Dustin Solomon (40-6) soph., 160 Layne Malczewski (50-3) jr., 171 Frank Alcini (37-15) sr., 285 Rhami Khalil (47-7) jr.
Outlook:
 Dakota has moved up to a third seed from sixth last season and with 11 Individual Finals qualifiers after coming to CMU with four a year ago. The Cougars got past No. 9 New Baltimore Anchor Bay to return to the Quarterfinals for the fourth time under Skowneski. Sanders was the individual runner-up last season, losing his championship match by just a point, and he’s one of 10 upperclassmen expected to start. Malczewski and Tiburcio also placed individually last winter.

#4 Oxford

Record/rank: 24-5, No. 4
League finish: First in Oakland Activities Association Red
Coach: Paul McDevitt, 23rd season (488-177-2)
Championship history: 
Division 1 champion 2011, two runner-up finishes. 
Individual Finals qualifiers: 119 Daltan Myers (16-12) jr., 130 Garrett Tyrrell (38-10) sr., 135 Sergio Borg (22-5) jr., 140 Ryan Miller (32-12) jr., 145 Caleb Tabert (39-12) soph., 152 Trent Myre (38-12) soph., 160 Devin Trevino (43-6) soph., 215 Byron Schlickenmeyer (33-4) sr.
Outlook:
 Oxford has won 10 straight league titles and 12 District championships over the last 13 seasons under McDevitt, who also has led nine of his last 10 teams to the Quarterfinals and reportedly will retire from coaching after this season. The next coach will inherit a strong group; McDevitt’s team will march into this weekend with only four senior starters but eight individual qualifiers. Borg was a placer last season.

#5 Hartland

Record/rank: 32-3, No. 5
League finish: First in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West
Coach: Todd Cheney, 25th season (699-100-2)
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2016, f
ive MHSAA runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Wyatt Nault (47-8) fr., 112 Corey Cavanaugh (49-9) soph, 119 Kyle Kantola (47-9) soph., 130 Hayden Culver (41-14) sr., 140 Tanner Culver (30-6) soph., 145 Reece Hughes (37-1) sr., 152 River Shettler (48-6) soph., 160 Joey Livingston (43-5) jr., 189 Andrew Spisz (49-4) sr.
Outlook:
 After a number of just-misses, Hartland finally got its championship last season and returns five starters from that title match. Along the way this time, the Eagles avenged an earlier loss to No. 8 Walled Lake Central, in the Regional Semifinal, after clinching their 16th league title over the last 17 seasons. Hughes won the individual title at 140 last season and Spisz, Kantola and Cavanaugh also were placers.

#6 Westland John Glenn

Record/rank: 29-6, No. 6
League finish: First in KLAA South, Kensington and overall
Coach: Bill Polk, 19th season (369-115)
Championship history: Has not appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 112 Kyle Borthwell (23-5) soph.; 119 Mikey Mars (53-2) jr., 125 Isaac Lefler (48-7) jr., 135 Anthony Gibson (49-4) jr., 145 John Siemasz (47-6) jr., 189 Lional Cornish (28-19) fr., 215 JaWuan Peete (46-5) sr., 285 Brandon Carreathers (34-11) sr.
Outlook:
 John Glenn is back at the Quarterfinals for the first time since back-to-back trips in 2009 and 2010 and after upping its win total each of the last three seasons. The Rockets beat Novi and No. 8 Walled Lake Central to win the overall KLAA title, and earned an eight-point win over Temperance Bedford to get to CMU. Mars won the individual title at 112 last season, and Siemasz was runner-up at 135; Borthwell also placed.

#7 Grandville

Record/rank: 14-5, unranked
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Red
Coach: Bubba Gritter, seventh season (113-38)
Championship history: Two MHSAA championships (most recent 1993), three runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 125 Anthonie Taylor (30-9) fr., 130 Mason Priest (34-8) sr., 145 Allan Matthews (19-10) jr., 152 Kameron Bush (35-1) sr., 160 Jake Paganelli (28-15) soph., 171 Sam Greco (38-4) sr., 189 Ryan Vasbinder (18-1) sr., 215 Ian Hall (29-8) sr., 215 Bryce Henning (15-19) sr.
Outlook:
 An experienced lineup with six seniors and nine upperclassmen among the starting 14 will bring Grandville back to the Quarterfinals. The Bulldogs advanced with a 20-point win over league rival and No. 10-ranked Rockford in the Regional Final after losing to the Rams by nine in January. Bush is the reigning individual champion at 152 pounds

#8 Brighton

Record/rank: 16-8, No. 7
League finish: Second in the KLAA West
Coach: Tony Greathouse, fourth season (89-24)
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2015.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Logan Kehres (29-16) fr., 103 Ben Manly (37-8) soph., 119 Eddie Homrock (30-9) fr., 125 Seth Soto (27-18) sr., 135 Dane Donabedian (22-17) fr., 140 Lee Grabowski (40-6) sr., 145 Nick Bleise (215) jr.) 171 Jake Soop (31-12) sr.
Outlook:
 Brighton is another contender from the loaded KLAA and got to CMU in part by avenging last year’s Regional upset by Grand Ledge. The Bulldogs have five freshmen among eight underclassmen in the starting lineup, but three that have qualified for the Individual Finals – and this tournament experience no doubt will pay off for seasons to come. In the meantime, Brighton is the rare state-ranked eighth seed filling out a strong field. 

PHOTO: Hartland's Reece Hughes (left) and Davison's Cal Stefanko, facing off at last season's Division 1 Final, have led their teams back to McGuirk Arena. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)

Mason County Central's Quinn Wins for Team, Family, Community

By Drew Ellis
Special for MHSAA.com

March 5, 2022

DETROIT – Standing across from Mason County Central’s Andrew Quinn on Saturday was the reigning Division 4 champion at 285 pounds, who also hadn’t lost in two seasons.

Despite a near-perfect record of his own, Quinn likely wasn’t the favorite to most. But he had other ideas.

The senior scored a reversal in the second period and quickly transitioned it into a pinfall against New Lothrop’s Isiah Pasik to earn his first MHSAA Finals title.

Dealing with a small team at Mason County Central, Quinn (51-1) credited the victory over Pasik (46-1) to his coaching staff, family, and friends who have all put time on the mat with him.

“I’ve got three older brothers up there watching me. They have pushed me my whole life,” Quinn said. “There’s tons of people that came to the wrestling room to help me out. We don’t have a big team, so I get to beat up on these guys (the coaches) every day. 

“There’s tons of people to thank. I didn’t do it alone.”

103
Champion: Logan Gilbert, Martin/Climax-Scotts, Fr. (41-6)
Decision, 10-5, over Logan Mears, Union City, Fr. (45-5)

Gilbert knew what he needed to do to come away with the 103-pound title.

Having faced Mears three previous times this season, and winning all three, he just stuck to his game plan.

“I was just trying to stop the switch on bottom. (Mears) loves to hit that, and he’s really good at it. In neutral, he likes to hit the slot, but I tried to tie him up with my right arm,” Gilbert said. “I was ready for him.”

Gilbert kept the pressure and scored five takedowns during the match.

“I don’t think it has hit me yet,” Gilbert said of winning a title. “I don’t know what I am feeling right now, but it feels good.” 

112
Champion: Jacob Bunn, Manchester, Sr. (46-2)
Decision, 5-2, over Trent Kimmel, Martin/Climax-Scotts, Sr. (37-3)

Making his fourth Finals appearance, Bunn finally got through to the top of the mountain.

“It’s something I have been working toward for 14 years now,” Bunn said. “I am just glad that I was able to get to the top in my senior year.”

It was a hard-fought win for the Manchester senior, as he held off a late surge from Kimmel.

“Even before the match, I just was thinking that it was another match and I couldn’t change up my style because it was a state final,” Bunn said. “I went out there and just didn’t let the pressure get to me and stayed focused.”

119
Champion: Shawn McGuire, Iron Mountain, Jr. (39-2)
Decision, 5-0, over Tyler Winch, Iron Mountain, Soph. (32-14)

It was a bittersweet championship victory for McGuire, the junior, as he dispatched of his Iron Mountain sophomore teammate for the title.

“It’s tough. It’s like your worst nightmare,” McGuire said. “I can never imagine going against my teammate, especially in a state final. It was difficult.”

McGuire controlled the match from start to finish, scoring a pair of takedowns and adding an escape while keeping Winch from getting on the scoreboard.

“It does feel great to be a champion. I’ve worked really hard for this,” McGuire said. “I’ve come close in the past and lost, but I just kept working toward this goal. It’s hard to put into words.”

125
Champion: Landyn Crance, Union City, Soph. (45-3)
Decision, 8-1, over Austin Marry, Hudson, Soph. (27-12)

As a freshman, Crance saw his chances at competing for a Finals title ended by COVID-19. This year, he made sure to make the most of his opportunity.

“Last year was devastating, having it all taken away from me because of COVID. But, I knew I just wanted to work harder this year to make up for it,” Crance said.

Crance started fast and never looked back, maintaining control of Marry throughout the six minutes.

“I knew I had to ride tight and stay on top,” Crance said. “I knew getting off the bottom would be difficult with (Marry), so I just had to keep control of him.”

130
Champion: Derek Mayle, Breckenridge, Sr. (38-3)
Major Decision, 14-1, over Dalton Birchmeier, New Lothrop, Fr. (31-13)

Mayle made sure his last match was one of his best.

The Breckenridge senior came within inches of a pinfall victory, but still came away with a 14-1 win.

“This was the last match of my life, so I just wanted to go out and have fun and end it on a bang,” Mayle said. “I wanted to make sure that I didn’t leave anything on the mat.”

Mayle overwhelmed Birchmeier, whom he had seen before in Regional competition. Still, the New Lothrop freshman fought hard to see the full six minutes.

“I was pretty confident, but I didn’t want to take the match lightly,” Mayle said. “I just needed to stay disciplined and keep attacking.”

135
Champion: River Roberson, Hesperia, Sr. (45-2)
Decision, 10-7, over Payton Rogers, Hudson, Sr. (33-7)

In one of the more back-and-forth matches of the Division 4 Finals, Roberson grinded out a 10-7 win.

“It’s hard to believe, but it’s an amazing feeling,” Roberson said. “I’ve worked so hard for this, it’s hard to believe it’s actually happened.”

Roberson found himself in a nearfall situation early in the match, but battled back to take control. Once he got it, he didn’t allow Rogers to get it back.

“When (Rogers) got the first takedown, it kind of made me nervous. But, I knew what I have been through to get here,” Roberson said. “My coaches put me through a lot of intense training to be ready for matches like this.”

140
Champion: Manus Bennett, Marlette, Jr. (43-0)
Decision, 2-0, over Bronson Marry, Hudson, Sr. (27-3)

In a matchup of two past champions, Bennett scored a takedown in the second period to find a way past Marry.

“A lot of it was just mental technique for me. I knew if I could get the takedown, I am really good at riding legs,” Bennett said. “I knew he was a good wrestler. I just had to not allow him to work his strengths, and find a way to work mine.”

The 103-pound champion in 2020, Bennett used his riding ability and endurance to hang on for his second title.

“Wrestling is the longest six minutes of your life. Two minutes can feel like years,” Bennett said. “Seeing that clock finally hit zero, it was a lot of relief.”

145
Champion: Sebastian Martinez, Riverview Gabriel Richard, Fr. (33-4)
Decision, 4-1, over Dillon Raab, Bark River-Harris, Jr. (34-3)

Martinez became the first Finals champion in the young history of the Gabriel Richard program by scoring a pair of key takedowns.

“I am starting a new legacy for future Pioneers coming to this school,” Martinez said of being the first champion. “This program is going to be something great, and I am just glad I got to be the first.”

Leading 2-1 entering the third period, Martinez didn’t get passive. He made an aggressive shot on Raab and earned a powerful takedown to lock up the victory.

“I was just trying to hold on, but the best defense is a great offense,” Martinez said. “I decided to take the shot in the third and managed to get the takedown to really secure the win.”

152
Champion: Parker Stroud, Iron Mountain, Sr. (41-6)
Decision, 11-9, over Josh Collins, Hemlock, Sr. (41-5)

Stroud ended his prep wrestling career with a championship, but wasn’t too thrilled with his performance in an exciting 11-9 victory over Collins.

“It feels pretty good, but I didn’t really wrestle my best. It takes a little away from it, but it still feels good to be a champion,” Stroud said.

Stroud was getting a number of takedowns, but Collins would respond with reversals and threaten to take the victory. It took an explosive takedown from Stroud to get the go-ahead points in the closing seconds.

“I was wrestling pretty well, but I wasn’t getting much done on top,” Stroud said. “I just managed to get the score in the end.”

160
Champion: Shenard Foster, Detroit Loyola, Sr. (17-0)
Decision, 5-4, over Gavin Wilmoth, Traverse City St. Francis, Sr. (39-3)

After losing in overtime of last year’s championship match, Foster was determined to not let that happen again this year.

The Detroit Loyola senior used his explosiveness and athleticism to top Wilmoth, last year’s 152-pound champion.

“It feels great. I fell short last year, so it feels great to win (a title) this year,” Foster said. “It motivated me a lot, because I knew I could do it.”

Foster was able to score two takedowns in the match while adding an escape. That’s all he needed, as Wilmoth was unable to get him to the ground.

“I just had to stay smart. I am used to wrestling guys that are taller than me. (Wilmoth) was my height, so I just had to be aggressive. I knew he couldn’t stop my shots,” Foster said. 

171
Champion: Cole Hopkins, Evart, Jr. (54-0)
Major Decision, 15-7, over Noah Etnyre, Lutheran Westland, Jr. (48-5)

Hopkins completed an unbeaten junior season and avenged his lone loss in the 2021 Finals by scoring a major decision in the 171-pound championship match.

“That is the greatest feeling in the world,” Hopkins said. “Since that day (last year’s loss), it’s been eating me alive. Every time I wake up, that’s what I have been thinking about and it made me go harder.”

It was all about the takedowns for Hopkins, as he repeatedly got Etnyre to the ground. He scored a quick takedown in the first and never trailed in the match.

“I just had to not wrestle scared,” Hopkins said. “I had been here before, so that gave me the confidence to wrestle that much harder and get the job done.”

189
Champion: Drew Allgeyer, Bark River-Harris, Jr. (40-4)
Decision, 9-5, over Cameron Kimble, Hudson, Sr. (43-2)

It wasn’t always easy for Allgeyer, but he led throughout the match to kick off the Division 4 Finals and earn his first championship.

“It feels amazing,” Allgeyer said. “I am on top of the world.”

Allgeyer secured some early takedowns, but Kimble put up a game effort with a reversal in the second period to keep things interesting. In the end, Allgeyer pushed a pace that Kimble couldn’t quite match.

“When I was warming up, I just kept telling myself that these six minutes were going to be mine,” Allgeyer said. “That’s the way that I wrestle every single match.” 

215
Champion: Caden Ferris, Delton Kellogg, Sr. (49-0)
Major Decision, 10-2, over Grayson Orr, New Lothrop, Jr. (47-6)

Caden Ferris will be a name the Orr family is likely never to forget.

The Delton Kellogg senior won a second consecutive title at 215 pounds with a dominant 10-2 win over Grayson Orr on Saturday.

Last year, Ferris defeated Grayson’s brother, Camden Orr, in the 215-pound final by a score of 13-11 in OT.

“It’s pretty cool,” Ferris said of winning another title. “I’m feeling pretty good about it. I was pretty focused on winning.”

Click for full results.

PHOTOS (Top) Mason County Central’s Andrew Quinn, standing, celebrates his win at 285 pounds Saturday at Ford Field. (Middle) Marlette’s Manus Bennett, top, works toward a win at 140 pounds. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)