D3 Preview: Back For a Final Shot

February 27, 2013

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A total of 11 wrestlers – or nearly half of last season's finalists – will return to The Palace of Auburn Hills this weekend for another run at Division 3 championships. 

Consider that a total of 11 wrestlers in this division also enter undefeated, and there should be plenty of stories to tell by the time the final round finishes up Saturday night. 

See below for 10 contenders to watch this weekend, plus others who enter the tournament undefeated or coming off runner-up finishes in 2012. Follow all the matches beginning with Thursday's first round 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. 

10 to watch

285: Josh Capen, Ithaca senior – Hoping to add an individual title to the football championship he helped win this fall; comes into this weekend 40-0.

119: Dakota Ball, Ida sophomore – Enters the weekend 47-4 and going for his second MHSAA championship after winning 103 last season.

119: Andy Caffrey, Parchment senior – Finished fourth at this weight last season, but enters this time 50-0 and arguably the favorite to finish first.

125: Zack Cooper, Whitehall senior – Won championships at 112 and 103 the last two years, respectively, for Remus Chippewa Hills; enters this weekend 50-0 in his first Finals for Whitehall.

135: Zehlin Storr, Leslie junior – Fell to Devin Skatzka (see below) 5-4 in last season’s 135 Final, and should be the favorite this time entering at 55-0.

145: Devin Skatzka, Richmond sophomore – A week after his team finished runner-up in Battle Creek, Skatzka brings a 48-2 record to Auburn Hills and will try to add to his 2012 title at 135.

152: Todd Olson, Dundee senior – Helped Dundee to the team championship last weekend and enters Thursday 46-3 and hoping to finish with another title after ending runner-up at this weight in 2012.

189: Dalton Bailey, Houghton Lake senior -- Last season at 171 became his school’s first finalist dating back to at least 1967, and can become the first champion Saturday after entering 37-0.

189: Donovan Fouchey, Oscoda senior – Bailey might be the favorite, but Fouchey is 46-2 and looking to finish first this time after ending second at this weight in 2012.

215: Gage Hutchison, Buchanan senior – Looking to close an outstanding career with a third straight championship match berth and second-straight title after winning 215 last season; he enters this weekend 52-0.

Also undefeated: Leslie freshman Kanen Storr (103, 54-0), Grand Rapids Catholic Central freshman Devin Schroder (112, 49-0), Grand Rapids Catholic Central sophomore Nate Limmex (130, 18-0), Allendale junior Colin Beebe (189, 35-0), Comstock Park senior John Weldon (140, 34-0).

Others runners-up: Caro senior Shane Herrmann (119, 43-9, 103 in 2012), Allendale senior Luke Jensen (119, 33-4, 112 in 2012), Dundee senior John Marogen (285, 40-7, 285 in 2012), Shelby senior Austin Felt (112, 38-10, D4 103 in 2012). 

PHOTO: Buchanan's Gage Hutchison (right), here in last season's Division 3 championship match at 215, will go for a second-straight title this weekend. (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. 

Whitehall’s Jackson Cook wrestles to a 7-3 decision win at 190 in the Semifinal against Algonac.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.  

Click for full results.

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.)