D3 Preview: Familiar Foes May Lock Again
February 25, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Dundee and Richmond have become predictable opponents for the MHSAA Division 3 championship match over the last few seasons.
They’ve faced off for the last three Division 3 titles, plus in four of the last five Finals for that division and five of the last eight. And heading into this weekend, they own the top seeds again.
Below is a look at all eight teams competing in Division 3, listed by seed. Their Quarterfinal matches begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday, with Semifinals at 11:45 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 Dundee
Record/rank: 23-5, No. 1
League finish: Tied for first in Lenawee County Athletic Association.
Coach: Tim Roberts, 16th season (437-60-1)
Championship history: Eight MHSAA championships (most recent 2014), five runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 119 Drew Scholl (27-14) soph., 125 Tylor Orrison (35-16) fr., 130 Kenny Reinhart (45-5) sr., 130 Drew Mandell (17-5) jr., 135 Zach Blevins (48-1) jr., 145 Sean Sterling (42-4) soph., 160 Donny Mandell (40-4) sr., 171 Brandon Whitman (50-2) fr., 189 Tye Thompson (41-6) sr., 215 Gabe Heiserman (36-10) jr.
Outlook: The impressive numbers just keep building – 13 straight appearances at Kellogg Arena, two straight MHSAA championships after a seventh title match appearance in eight seasons. Reinhart, Donny Mandell, Blevins and Sterling all were Individual Finals placers last season, and Thompson was runner-up at 171 pounds. Reinhart, Mandell and Thompson are the only seniors in the lineup, meaning a third straight title might not be the last one of the current streak.
#2 Richmond
Record/rank: 29-5, No. 2
League finish: First in Blue Water Area Conference.
Coach: Brandon Day, 11th season (358-74)
Championship history: Six MHSAA championships (most recent 2012), five runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Roy Costello (36-8) soph., 112 Connor Behem (38-10) sr., 119 Aaron Kilburn (38-6) jr., 119 Cody Keller (30-17) jr., 130 Graham Barton (9-11) jr., 145 Austin Vannatter (37-8) sr., 152 Colton McKiernan (26-14) fr., 160 Devin Skatzka (47-2) sr., 171 Jordan Adams (37-8) sr., 189 Brady LaFore (25-16) sr., 285 Adam Boyd (35-11) sr.
Outlook: Richmond gave up a combined 23 points to four opponents in returning to the Quarterfinals for the seventh consecutive season. A group of nine seniors dominates the lineup including every weight from 140-285. Skatzka can enter an elite group of champions next weekend when he competes for his fourth Individual Finals title, and Behem, Kilburn and Vannatter also were placers in 2014.
#3 Remus Chippewa Hills
Record/rank: 26-3, No. 3
League finish: First in Central State Activities Association.
Coach: Nate Ethridge, 15th season (432-88)
Championship history: Has never finished among the top two teams in Finals competition.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 125 Mike Felix (40-10) sr., 135 Slade Todd (41-13) jr., 140 Jaycob Sharp (49-4) fr., 145 Mason Dey (51-4) sr., 152 Kevin Briscoe (44-6) sr., 285 Kyle Vandenbrooks (35-14) sr.
Outlook: Chippewa Hills will compete in its eighth Quarterfinal over the last decade and for its second Semifinal berth (and first since 2007). The Warriors moved up from a sixth seed at last season’s Finals and defeated No. 5 Whitehall to advance this time. Briscoe and Dey placed fourth and sixth, respectively, at 145 pounds at last season’s Individual Finals and man a veteran half of the lineup that includes five seniors over the heaviest six weights. All but two starters have at least 32 wins.
#4 Saginaw Swan Valley
Record/rank: 39-1, No. 9
League finish: First in the Tri-Valley Conference Central.
Coach: Darrell Burchfield, 13th season (412-72)
Championship history: Has never finished among the top two teams in Finals competition.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 112 Edwin Hernandez (48-8) jr., 119 Jose Hernandez (52-4) sr., 125 KJ Suitor (52-1) jr., 130 Matt Santos (52-1) jr., 140 Collin Dole (51-3) sr., 145 Gerad Bott (47-7) soph., 152 Sam McLean (47-5) sr.
Outlook: The Vikings are a combined 120-4 over the last three seasons and advanced to the Semifinals last season before falling to Dundee. Swan Valley edged No. 6 Caro 38-36 in the Regional Semifinal on the way to Battle Creek. Seven starters have at least 45 wins this season; four Individual Finals placers from last winter anchor the lineup, with Suitor returning after finishing runner-up at 112 in 2014.
#5 Grand Rapids Catholic Central
Record/rank: 19-3, No. 7
League finish: Second in Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold.
Coach: B.J. Schroder, fourth season (73-15)
Championship history: Has never finished among the top two teams in Finals competition.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 119 Devin Schroder (40-1) jr., 130 Kole Krauss (36-3) jr., 140 Nate Limmex (37-0) sr., 145 Foster Karmon (25-0) jr., 145 Dominic Forbes (30-10) jr., 215 Grant Tennihill (34-3) sr.
Outlook: B.J. Schroeder has led the Cougars to two league, three District and two Regional titles over the last three seasons, and GRCC just missed making its first Semifinal in 2014 with a four-point Quarterfinal loss to Swan Valley. Devin Schroder and Limmex are two-time MHSAA champions, and Limmex hasn’t lost a match since his freshman season. Tennihill also was a placer at last season’s Individual Finals and joins those two and junior Kole Krauss – a 2013 individual placer – among Cougars with at least 33 wins this winter. Karmon was an individual champ last season for Allegan.
#6 Allegan
Record/rank: 29-6, No. 8
League finish: First in Wolverine Conference.
Coach: Murray Rose, 28th season (718-151-2)
Championship history: Two MHSAA championships (most recent 2007 in Division 2), two runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Davynn Schneider (42-12) soph., 119 Richard Jefferson (30-16) soph., 125 Justin Wiseman (26-20) soph., 130 Joey Orr (32-13) jr., 171 Levin Sabin (47-7) jr., 189 Chase Beard (50-2) soph., 189 Austin Ferrell (39-12) jr.
Outlook: This is Allegan’s seventh straight trip to the Quarterfinals and second straight in Division 3 after a run in Division 2. Allegan also has made three straight Semifinals and is seeking its first championship match berth since 2010. Five juniors anchor the bottom of a lineup that could be on the verge of two special runs – the team doesn’t have a senior. Beard and Sabin were individual placers last winter.
#7 Birch Run
Record/rank: 22-9, No. 4
League finish: First in Tri-Valley Conference East.
Coach: Bart Bennett, eighth season (228-40)
Championship history: Has never finished among the top two teams in Finals competition.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 119 Mason Breece (36-8) fr., 125 Jerry Fenner (47-3) sr., 130 Adam Grim (43-12) sr., 135 Joe Damm (35-18) jr., 140 Ean Taylor (33-9) sr., 145 Tyler Childs (32-10) jr., 160 Logan Bovee (33-8) jr., 215 George Lahar (46-3) sr., 285 Colin Slavik (39-9) sr.
Outlook: The Panthers missed Battle Creek last season but are making their third trip in four seasons to go with five straight league and six straight District titles. Fenner was an Individual Finals runner-up at 125 last season and Lahar also was a placer. They are two of only four seniors in a starting lineup that features 10 athletes with at least 30 wins this season.
#8 Mason County Central
Record/rank: 29-7, unranked
League finish: Third in West Michigan Conference.
Coach: Jim Allen, seventh season (128-78)
Championship history: Class C runner-up 1979.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 135 Jacob Shoop (48-5) soph., 145 Logan Merrick (44-7) jr., 160 Spencer Knizacky (47-3) jr., 160 Jordan Steiger (41-7) sr., 189 Josh Quinn (49-3) sr., 285 Matt Quinn (40-13) soph.
Outlook: For the second straight season, Mason County Central is the last team standing from the loaded West Michigan Conference, which also includes annual powers Whitehall (ranked No. 5 in Division 3 heading into the postseason) and Shelby. Josh Quinn and Knizacky are returning Individual Finals placers and among six 40-match winners in the lineup.
PHOTO: Dundee's Kenny Reinhart (left) and Richmond's Aaron Kilburn wrestled to a 5-4 decision (for Kilburn) in last season's Division 3 Final. Their teams could meet again this weekend. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Senior Pair's Selfless Leadership Crucial to Benzie Central's Historic Run
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
March 3, 2023
It is pretty well-known now that a historic wrestling run by Benzie Central came to an end in a Division 4 Quarterfinal last weekend.
Perhaps equally known is the Huskies qualified 11 grapplers for the Individual Finals taking place today and Saturday at Ford Field.
But not many are familiar with the story of senior athletes Wyatt Noffsinger and Austin Smith — the undisputed motivational leaders of the team — and their personal Benzie wrestling history.
The story began when Noffsinger was an eighth grader. He took a trip with a friend and his father to watch the MHSAA Finals. And it is ending this weekend with Noffsinger and Smith watching — and cheering on — their teammates at the championship event.
Noffsinger and Smith did not qualify for this weekend’s competition. Noffsinger fell one point shy in his 175-pound bracket at the Individual Regional. And Smith graciously had opted to give up his spot in the postseason lineup to Noffsinger.
Last year Smith was among 12 Benzie wrestlers who advanced to Regionals. And injuries kept Noffsinger off the mat.
“It’s a proud moment for me as a coach,” said 10-year veteran coach Josh Lovendusky. “These two guys haven’t missed a practice in the postseason because they knew they had to be there for the team to help them train so they can be ready for the Finals.
“They don’t have to be there — they put their team first,” he continued. “They’re giving up their time to make sure their teammates are successful.
Noffsinger and Smith represent what the Huskies – who made their first-ever appearance at Team Finals weekend – are all about, according to Lovendusky, who now shares his coaching duties with co-coach Cody Vandonkelaar.
“It is what we’ve been trying to embody this entire season,” Lovendusky said. “Coaching for as long as I have, I have never seen somebody as selfless as these two individuals have been this season.”
Smith may get the honor of being the most selfless. He voluntarily gave up his slot wrestling at 144 pounds for his friend Noffsinger, nicknamed “Cheddar.”
Teams may send only 14 competitors into the individual tournament (not counting the girls division). Benzie’s postseason roster was developed by team vote, and Smith was originally selected. After stewing on it for a few days and recalling how Noffsinger – who wrestles at 175 pounds – didn’t get a shot at Districts or Regionals last year, Smith approached Vandonkelaar about making the change.
“I only felt right that we both get three chances at (the postseason),” Smith said of his decision. “I don’t get four and he only gets two.
“I just thought it would be fair if we both went three for three.”
Both Smith and Noffsinger are thrilled the coaches made the roster change, especially since it resulted in a nail-biting finish in the “blood round” – the round that determines the final two qualifiers who will advance or be done. As luck would have it, Noffsinger faced a teammate in his Finals-qualifying match hosted by Charlevoix, and lost by one point.
“Cheddar exceeded my expectations, to be honest,” Smith said. “It came down to one point.
“I was on the end of my seat, and whoever lost I’d feel bad for and whoever won I’d feel awesome for,” Smith continued. “He came up a little bit short, and I am just happy he got a shot to go.”
Noffsinger is at the top of his class academically and led the Huskies to academic all-state recognition this year. The three-sport star is grateful Smith yielded his spot.
“Austin didn’t have to do that,” Noffsinger said. “I wasn’t expecting it.
“It completely says a lot about who he is as a man … who he is as a friend,” he continued. “I was so grateful.”
Without Smith, Noffsinger is quick to point out, he would not have had the chance to fulfill the dream of competing at the Finals that began with that eighth-grade trip.
“Knowing that I was going to have the last shot to make it was a huge sense of relief and gratitude for him as a friend to give me that opportunity,” Noffsinger said. “I wanted to win really bad and make it.
“And the same time, it hurts knowing if you do win, you’re going to take a teammate’s shot at making it – and it really hurt knowing your dream was gone,” Noffsinger said of falling one point short. “It is still cool because we made it as a team, and it will be awesome to be down there for the experience and the amazing atmosphere.”
Lovendusky is quick to point out the two seniors represent much more leadership than any coach could ever request.
“These two individuals are the unsung, motivational leaders of this team,” Lovendusky said. “At the team states neither one of them wrestled, but they were the absolute loudest.
“They made sure the team was ready to go,” Lovendusky continued. “You can’t ask for better senior leadership than kids giving everything they have even though they didn’t have the opportunity to wrestle, and they were a pivotal part of what our team did.”
Smith and Noffsinger have one more leadership task to complete when the Individual Finals are over. They’ll lead the charge into the Brazilian steak house that’s become a tradition for the Huskies team.
They’re looking forward to the large serving of steak on a skewer. And they will celebrate this year’s team making history.
“It’s all-you-can-eat meat, and it’s an awesome experience,” said Noffsinger.
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) From left: Benzie Central co-coach Cody Vandonkelaar, Wyatt Noffsinger, Austin Smith and co-coach Josh Lovendusky show off the program’s hardware won this winter. (Middle) Smith and Noffsinger help as officials at a youth wrestling tournament this week. (Below) Smith celebrates a match win, while Noffsinger attempts to break free from an opponent. (Photos courtesy of Jill Robinson and Shane Iverson.)