D3 Preview: New Final Match-up, Guaranteed
February 26, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Dundee and Richmond have met in the last four MHSAA Division 3 championship matches.
That will not happen this weekend.
By way of Dundee receiving the top seed and Richmond the fourth, those rivals could meet in a Saturday morning Semifinal, with the winner expected to see either Remus Chippewa Hills or Lake Fenton to decide the title this time.
And that's if seeds play out – a scenario four more teams are working against.
Below is a look at all eight teams competing in Division 3, listed by seed. Quarterfinal matches begin at 4 p.m. Friday, with Semifinals at noon 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 results throughout, check the MHSAA Wrestling page.
The MHSAA Wrestling Finals are presented by the Michigan Army National Guard.
#1 Dundee
Record/rank: 19-0, No. 1
League finish: First in Lenawee County Athletic Association.
Coach: Tim Roberts, 17th season (458-61-1)
Championship history: Eight MHSAA championships (most recent 2014), six runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 135 Tylor Orrison (33-3) soph.; 140 Zach Blevins (44-3) sr.; 145 Alex Motylinski (34-11) jr.; 152 Sean Sterling (40-4) jr.; 160 Kyle Reinhart (21-10) soph.; 171 Kyle Motylinski (31-9) soph.; 189 Brandon Whitman (41-1) soph.; 215 Gabe Heiserman (39-9) sr.
Outlook: Dundee is up to 14 straight appearances at Finals weekend, coming off its eighth championship match appearance in nine seasons although the Vikings saw their two-season streak of titles come to an end with a two-point loss to Richmond a year ago. Three more wins would give Dundee its first perfect season under Roberts – it has lost only one match twice during his tenure, including in 2013-14. Whitman was the champion at 171 and Blevins an individual runner-up last season at 135, and Orrison, Sterling, Heiserman and senior Drew Mandell all were placers.
#2 Remus Chippewa Hills
Record/rank: 30-1, No. 4
League finish: First in Central State Activities Association Gold.
Coach: Nate Ethridge, 16th season (463-90)
Championship history: Has never finished among the top two teams in Finals competition.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Mason Hayes (36-10) fr.; 119 Kaden Ellis (42-6) jr.; 140 Todd Slade (43-4) sr.; 145 Jaycob Sharp (46-4) soph.; 152 David Spedowski (35-8) soph.; 160 Luke Henderson (36-14) jr.; 189 Brendan Barry (43-6) sr.; 215 Billy Koepf (45-4) soph.; 285 Andrew Vinton (35-13) soph.
Outlook: Chippewa Hills is seeking the take the next step for the first time after reaching the Semifinals last season for the second time and the Quarterfinals now for the ninth in 11 seasons. The road once again was a tough one, with No. 6 Caro among those the Warriors defeated to reach CMU. Slade was an individual placer in 2015 and is one of only three seniors in a lineup with eight underclassmen and 12 wrestlers total with at least 30 wins.
#3 Lake Fenton
Record/rank: 38-3, No. 2
League finish: First in Genesee Area Conference.
Coach: Vance Corcoran, sixth season (190-53)
Championship history: Division 3 runner-up 2011.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 AJ Geyer (46-8) jr.; 119 Jarrett Trombley (27-0) soph.; 125 Hunter Corcoran (47-9) jr.; 135 Sean Trombley (42-14) fr.; 135 Devan Melick (48-2) soph.; 140 Jackson Nevadomski (49-8) soph.; 285 Trent Hillger (57-0) jr.
Outlook: Lake Fenton has bounced way back after not winning its league or District last season, returning to the Quarterfinals for the second time in three seasons and third time under Corcoran, a two-time MHSAA individual champion during the mid-1980s. Hillger was the individual champion last season at 215 and helps headline a lineup with only two seniors and 12 wrestlers total with at least 30 wins. Corcoran and senior Saben Spangler also were individual placers last season.
#4 Richmond
Record/rank: 24-10, No. 3
League finish: First in Blue Water Area Conference.
Coach: Brandon Day, 12th season (382-84)
Championship history: Seven MHSAA championships (most recent 2015), five runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Hunter Seguin (20-12) fr.; 112 Roy Costello (35-10) jr.; 119 Cody Keller (36-7) sr.; 119 Alec Ziza (29-11) soph.; 125 Aaron Kilburn (39-4) sr.; 135 Graham Barton (27-6) sr.; 140 Alex Roberts (24-14) soph.; 171 Colton McKiernan (36-6) soph.; 215 Tyler Marino (33-13) soph.
Outlook: Richmond is back at the Quarterfinals for the eighth straight season after edging Dundee for the title in 2015, and despite graduating a strong group of nine seniors who led the charge. There are only four seniors in the lineup this time and six underclassmen, but Kilburn was the individual runner-up last year at 119 and won at 112 as a sophomore. McKiernan and Costello also were placers last winter.
#5 Whitehall
Record/rank: 25-1, No. 5
League finish: First in West Michigan Conference.
Coach: Cliff Sandee, ninth season (210-32)
Championship history: Class C runner-up 1984.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Hunter Bower (39-6) soph.; 119 Corey Robinson (42-6) sr.; 125 Allen Powers (39-13) fr.; 135 Reiley Brown (45-1) sr.; 140 Jwan Britton (45-2) sr.; 140 Josh Thommen (34-13) soph.; 145 Jojo Dowdell (40-5) jr.; 152 Joe Haynes (37-18) sr.; 189 Luke Morningstar (40-15) sr.
Outlook: After a two-season hiatus, Whitehall is back at the Quarterfinals for the third time in five years after surviving a path that included frequent power Grand Rapids Catholic Central. Brown was the individual champion last season at 125, and Britton was third at 135; they anchor a lineup keyed by seven upperclassmen and also 11 wrestlers total with at least 30 wins.
#6 Birch Run
Record/rank: 26-4, No, 7
League finish: Second in Tri-Valley Conference East.
Coach: Mike Miller, first season (26-4)
Championship history: Has never finished among the top two teams in Finals competition.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Kyle Parlberg (31-17) fr.; 125 Mason Breece (49-3) soph.; 135 Trent Naragon (15-8) fr.; 140 Kyle Naragon (24-12) jr.; 145 Ean Taylor (38-8) sr.; 152 Malachi Breece (39-13) sr.; 160 Logan Bovee (40-9) sr.; 160 Tyler Childs (39-8) sr.
Outlook: The Panthers are making their fourth trip to Finals weekend in five seasons, this time with a first-year varsity coach and eight underclassmen – although Miller has coached in the community for more than a decade. Mason Breece, Taylor and Childs all placed at last season’s Individual Finals, and Bovee also is a returning qualifier for that tournament next weekend.
#7 Gladstone
Record/rank: 16-1, unranked
League finish: First in Great Northern Conference.
Coach: Jesse DeBacker, sixth season (65-17)
Championship history: Upper Peninsula champion 1987, two U.P. runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 130 Adam Bruce (36-1) fr.; 145 Bobby Beauchamp (32-4) sr.; 160 Austin Demeuse (35-3) jr.; 160 James Bruce (27-5) sr.; 285 Zach Bailey (24-6) jr.
Outlook: This is Gladstone’s fourth trip the Quarterfinals over the last decade and first since 2013, and comes with Beauchamp also a returning individual placer at 145. He’s one of only two seniors in a lineup with seven underclassmen and a strong group of juniors. Gladstone defeated No. 10 Roscommon by eight points in the Regional Final.
#8 Delton Kellogg
Record/rank: 19-3, unranked
League finish: First in Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley.
Coach: Brett Bissett, first season (19-3)
Championship history: Has never finished among the top two teams in Finals competition.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 119 Jake Bever (41-14) jr.; 145 Christian Kapteyn (24-12) sr.; 152 Jake Reed (48-2) sr.; 215 Tyden Ferris (50-2) soph.; 285 Esteban Villalobos (32-15) jr.
Outlook: This will be the first appearance for Delton Kellogg at an MHSAA Quarterfinals, but the Panthers dominated on the way not giving up more than 15 points in a postseason match. Ferris finished eighth at 215 as a freshman last season and is the most accomplished so far of a lineup with only four seniors. Bissett, a two-time league champion last decade, was an assistant for nine seasons before taking over this winter.
PHOTO: A Remus Chippewa Hills wrestler works against an opponent from Hudson during last month's duals at CMU. (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.)