D2 Preview: Hall of Fame
February 26, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
For the second time in three seasons, a St. Johns wrestler can finish his career as one of the MHSAA’s all-time greats.
Redwings senior Zac Hall will compete this weekend for his fourth MHSAA individual championship. Succeeding would make him the 18th ever to do so, joining recent additions to the list Adam Coon of Fowlerville in 2013 and former teammate Taylor Massa in 2012.
Win or lose, his run this weekend is sure to make headlines. But the Division 2 field appears wide open in terms of who might join him. Bay City Western’s Christian Schoenherr is back from an injury and shining again. Lowell’s Lucas Hall, Kanon Dean and Josh Colegrove are coming off helping the Red Arrows to a team title, and St. Clair’s Colton Pfaendtner and Eaton Rapids' Jaedin Slapsky are among those also not mentioned in much detail below – but don’t forget those names or any of the others that follow.
See below for 10 more 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: Ian Parker, St. Johns sophomore (46-0) – Fell by pin in last season’s 103-pound Final, but hasn’t lost since and enters as the favorite at his new weight.
119: Mason Smith, Clio junior (51-0) – Following up last season’s 112-pound championship and 55-4 record by moving up a weight and building a perfect record.
119: Zeth Dean, Lowell sophomore (32-4) – Last season’s runner-up at 112 fell by pin in that match to Smith, but looks good to force a rematch after also moving up.
130: Bailey Jack, Lowell junior (31-4) – Moved up to first place in his class last season after two lower finishes as an underclassmen, and can make it two championship weekends in a row after helping the Red Arrows to the team title in Battle Creek.
140: Zac Hall, St. Johns senior (48-0) – Claimed titles at 103, 112 and 125 his first three seasons and carries a 194-2 career record into this weekend.
145: Steve Bleise, Chelsea senior (45-0) – Lone loss last season came by pin in the 135-pound Final, but he hasn't lost again and can add his first title to that second place, a fourth earned as a sophomore and a fifth achieved while wrestling at Dexter as a freshman.
152: Logan Massa, St. Johns junior (47-0) – Has added an undefeated season so far to his championship at 135 in 2013 and runner-up finish at 119 as a freshman.
171: Devon Pingel, North Branch sophomore (52-1) – Said after last season’s championship at 160 that he hopes to win four, and he’s off to another great start after beating a senior in 2013 to secure his first.
189: Angus Arthur, St. Johns junior (43-0) – Claimed last season’s championship at 171 after finishing fifth at 145 as a freshman for Lowell; combined for 14 losses over those first two seasons but is expected by some to finish this winter with none.
189: Garrett Stehley, Lowell senior (28-1) – Last season’s runner-up at 189 likely will have to face former teammate Arthur to win his first championship, but has improved every season from sixth as a freshman to fourth as a sophomore to second a year ago.
Another 2013 runner-up: Christian Schoenherr, Bay City Western junior (140, 14-4).
Also undefeated: Fremont senior Luke Spotts (130, 33-0), Lowell sophomore Lucas Hall (112, 33-0), St. Clair senior Colton Pfaendtner (285, 54-0).
Others of note: Edwardsburg sophomore Michael Higley (103, 40-1), Warren Woods Tower senior Nick Pipes (125, 44-5), Eaton Rapids junior Jaedin Slapsky (130, 47-1), Lowell junior Jordan Hall (135, 30-3), Lowell senior Kanon Dean (160, 29-6), Lowell junior Josh Colegrove (215, 31-1).
PHOTO: St. Johns’ Zac Hall (red head gear) works on an opponent during last week’s Team Semifinal against Tecumseh. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Led by 1st-Year Coaches, Dundee Adds to Longtime Tradition with Another D3 Win
By
Jeff Chaney
Special for MHSAA.com
February 25, 2023
KALAMAZOO – Nate Hall and Garrett Stevens knew what they were taking over when they were announced as co-coaches of the Dundee wrestling team before this season.
Longtime coach Tim Roberts did not leave the cupboard bare when he decided to retire.
His Vikings program had won five straight MHSAA Division 3 team titles and was littered with talented and powerful wrestlers.
Hall and Stevens proved to be the right picks to take over the legendary program, as they helped coach the Vikings to their sixth-straight title, and 14th overall.
And Dundee did it in its usual impressive fashion, with a 60-18 win over Whitehall in the Final on Saturday at the Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo.
"The well was not dry, and don't wreck it," said Hall, whose team finished duals at 19-2. "We didn't change much. We have all been around the program long enough, we had a great idea of what was taking place and how we are successful."
Which is?
"The commitment of the families, that is 100 percent why this program is so successful," Hall said. "I am not chasing kids down to have them wrestle in the summer. I'm chasing them trying to keep up with them."
And that is exactly what the Vikings' three opponents were doing all weekend in Kalamazoo – chasing down Dundee's talent.
In the Final, the Vikings were down 12-0 after two pins by Whitehall. But after that, Dundee went on to win 11 matches in a row, seven straight by pin.
Freshman Haydn Nutt began with a pin in 3 minutes, 9 seconds. Nutt was one of six freshmen who took to the mat this weekend for the Vikings. And all six are ranked among the top 10 in their respective weight classes by Michigan Grappler, including Nutt, who is the state's top-ranked 106-pounder in Division 3.
"We started the year and we had 13 freshmen, and I can't say enough the way our program has developed those kids," Hall said. "They were ready from day one this year, and they stepped up and progressed properly. They were ready to go."
It helps when you have a senior class of state champions leading the way like Braeden Davis at 132 pounds, Kaden Chinavare at 138 and Aiden Davis at 157.
"Dundee is the best place to be when you want to pursue wrestling," said Braeden Davis, who will look to win a fourth-straight individual title next weekend at Ford Field and couple that with his now four team titles. "We have a great staff, a great community. It's all about wrestling at Dundee."
Braeden Davis went 3-0 for the weekend and helped Dundee defeat Hart in the Quarterfinals 64-15 and Constantine in the Semifinals 59-16.
Braeden Davis was most impressive in the Final, when he won by fall in 15 seconds.
Whitehall co-coach Justin Zeerip knows good wrestling when he sees it. A four-time Individual Finals champion himself, Zeerip was impressed with the Vikings.
"Dundee is so tough, " said Zeerip, whose team ended with a 32-4 record. "From 106 to 175, they have seven top-ranked guys. And a couple other guys are ranked really high, so hats off to them, they are a great program. Our kids wrestled hard, they are just a super team."
Whitehall did wrestle hard during the two-day event as well, downing Gladstone in the Quarterfinals 48-24 on Friday, and then Algonac in the Semifinals 40-27 earlier Saturday. Whitehall wrestled over its seed in that match, as the No. 3-seeded Vikings got past the second seed.
"I was proud how my guys wrestled this weekend," Zeerip said.
PHOTOS (Top) Dundee’s Kaden Chinavare, right, goes for a takedown during his 126-pound match with Whitehall’s Caden Varela. (Middle) Whitehall’s Jackson Cook wrestles to a 7-3 decision win at 190 in the Semifinal against Algonac. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)