D3 Preview: Ready to Make More History

February 28, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The 2018 Division 3 Individual Wrestling Finals gave fans arguably the highlights of the day at Ford Field, with a pair of four-time champions joining a legendary group.

Those are pretty tough acts to follow, of course. But this season’s contenders have opportunities to stack up impressive accomplishments as well.

Below, we look at 10 contenders to watch in Division 3, plus list everyone who finished at least as a runner-up in 2018 and all of the top seeds heading into this weekend. Surely we still missed a few who will end up rising to the top of the podium Saturday – but come back to Second Half early Sunday as we’ll interview and report on all 56 champions.

The “Grand March” on Friday begins at 11 a.m., with five rounds wrestled throughout the day including the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Wrestling picks back up with consolation rounds at 9 a.m. Saturday, and concludes with the championship matches that afternoon at 3 p.m.

Follow all matches on a subscription basis live on MHSAA.tv, and click here for results at MHSAA.com.

112: Hunter Assenmacher, Ida junior (46-3) – Last season’s champion at 103 and runner-up at that weight in 2017 owns the top seed at this weight this weekend. After going undefeated last season, his three losses this winter were all to Dundee – twice to 103 top seed Casey Swiderski and then to teammate Austin Fietz.

119: Dametrius Castillo, Alma sophomore (33-4) – After last year becoming Alma’s first individual champion since 1993, Castillo is back not as a top seed but with an opportunity to avenge one his losses on the way to the final. His defeats this winter all were to Finals qualifiers, with Montrose’s Jake Elasivich a possible semifinal opponent.

125 Corey Gamet, Michigan Center senior (43-0) – He’s the top seed at this weight, previously winning championships in Division 2 at 103 as a freshman and 112 as a sophomore while attending Parma Western. This also would be his second perfect high school season if he takes the title.

140: Christian Killion, Dundee junior (41-5) – The top seed at 140 was the runner-up last season at 130 and also finished fourth at 119 as a freshman. His in-state defeats this season were to reigning Finals champions from other divisions, Detroit Catholic Central’s Derek Gilcher (D1) and Mendon’s Skyler Crespo (D4).

145: Trevor Robinson, Shepherd senior (41-2) – The runner-up last season at 135 is the top seed this weekend at 145, with losses only to Finals qualifiers from Divisions 1 and 2. He also was the runner-up at 125 as a freshman before taking third at 130 as a sophomore.

152: Stoney Buell, Dundee sophomore (41-8) – Buell is another on a possible four-title track after winning 135 a year ago. He has more losses than some others, but they are quality. In-state he fell to Lowell’s Avery Mutschler and Austin Boone, St. Johns’ James Whitaker and Detroit Catholic Central’s Cameron Amine – all returning champions or top seeds this weekend.  

152: Sean Trombley, Lake Fenton senior (47-1) – Last season’s runner-up at 145 is not the top seed at this weight but is opposite Dundee’s Buell, potentially setting up a high-powered final. Trombley also was runner-up at 140 as a sophomore and took fifth at 135 as a freshman. His loss this winter came to Byron’s Jerry Hall in the District, and Trombley avenged it by beating Hall at the Regional.

160: DJ Daniels, Caro senior (52-0) – Last year’s champion at 152 is the top seed at 160, and he’s won a combined 110 matches over the last two seasons. He also took third at 140 as a sophomore.

171: Owen Guilford, Portland senior (44-0) – The reigning champion at this weight has been even better, what little he could improve statistically, with a perfect record after losing just one match last season. The top seed at this weight, he’s looking to add to a run that also included a fourth at 160 in 2017.

189 Gavin Morgan, Mount Morris junior (50-0) – Morgan enters the Finals as an undefeated top seed for the second season in a row after doing the same last year at 160. He went on to finish sixth in part by taking an injury default in his consolation match, but is back seeking his first title after also finishing runner-up at 152 as a freshman.

Other 2018 runners-up: 119 Khalil Moten, Mount Morris senior (10-5, 119 in Division 3 in 2018 competing for Flint Beecher); 135 Tyler Swiderski, Dundee sophomore (25-10, 112 in 2018); 125 Kyle Schaaf, Clare senior (42-4, 119 in 2018); 140 Nick Felt, Shelby senior (41-3, 140 in 2018), 215 Brockton Cook, Birch Run senior (50-3, 189 in 2018).

Additional No. 1 seeds: 103 Casey Swiderski, Dundee freshman (42-2); 119 Josh Sunnerville, Otsego junior (47-2); 130 Josh Rankin, Michigan Center senior (36-4); 135 Jonathon White, Dundee senior (35-9); 215 Brockton Cook, Birch Run senior (50-3); 285 Mike Nykoriak, Algonac senior (44-1).

Also undefeated: 130 Damian Flores-Luevano, Wyoming Kelloggsville senior (21-0); Seth Konynenbelt, Hudsonville Unity Christian senior (45-0).

PHOTO: Alma’s Dametrius Castillo, here last week against Richmond during the Team Quarterfinals, will attempt to win his second individual title after last year claiming the school’s first in more than two decades. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)

Division 1 Makes History Adding 3 to 4-Time Champions Honor Roll

By Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com

March 4, 2023

DETROIT – Never in the history of the MHSAA Individual Wrestling Finals had more than two wrestlers won their fourth title in the same year.

On Saturday, three accomplished the feat in Division 1 alone, including, for the first time ever, a pair of teammates.

Detroit Catholic Central’s Dylan Gilcher and Davison’s Josh Barr and Caden Horwath each won their fourth titles at Ford Field, joining an elite group that now numbers 35. 

“I’m honored to be a part of that group,” Barr said after his 17-5 major decision victory against Hartland’s Brayden Bobo at 175 pounds. “It means that everything I did paid off, and I’m not done yet, I’m just getting started. Me and Braeden (Davis of Dundee, who won his fourth title in Division 3) are going to Penn State together. Caden and Dylan are going to Michigan together. I grew up with Dylan and Caden in the Team Donahoe wrestling room, I’ve been wrestling with Dylan and Caden for a long, long time. Caden is one of my best friends. And Braeden, we probably met when I was 8 or 9. We all push each other, for sure.”

Barr and Horwath were the fourth and fifth Davison wrestlers to win four titles, joining Brent Metcalf (2002-05), Lincoln Olson (2012-15) and Alex Facundo (2018-21). 

“It’s pretty incredible just to be a part of something like that,” said Davison coach Zac Hall, who won four titles at St. Johns from 2011-14. “It’s crazy man, absolutely crazy. A couple years ago these kids were 2 feet smaller than me, and we’re playing dodgeball and kind of carefree. To see the level it’s gotten to, and these guys are obviously both in a situation to go on and do great things at the next level. It’s hard to even encapsulate in words. I’m just super proud of those two guys.”

Horwath claimed his fourth title with a 12-2 major decision against Grosse Pointe South’s Wyatt Hepner (39-7) at 126 pounds. His previous titles came at 103, 119 and 125.

“Just coming off the mat now, it feels pretty surreal,” said Horwath, who finished the season 22-1. “There’s no real feeling, I’m just happy right now. Happy me and my teammate did it, and my future teammate Dylan Gilcher, so that’s cool, too.”

Barr won his about an hour and a half earlier to finish off a 33-0 season. His previous titles came at 152, 160 and 171.

“I expected it of myself, so it feels like the right thing,” Barr said. “It hasn’t really hit me yet, all these people here, it’s awesome.”

It was also a record-tying day for Catholic Central, which had seven individual champions. The Shamrocks had seven champions in 2019, as well, a Division 1 record. Dundee holds the state record with eight in 2021.

Gilcher started it all off with a 20-4 technical fall in the second period against Travis Richards of Brighton (29-7) at 150 pounds. 

His previous titles came at 112, 135 and 140. He finished his senior season at 32-0, and became the second DCC wrestler to win a fourth title, joining Kevon Davenport (2016-19).

“It feels real great,” Gilcher said. “Kevon texted me today and said, ‘Make history.’ I said I didn’t want to be No. 2, but I’m glad I am. I’m really glad I was first (on the team to wrestle Saturday), because I was stressing out about my match. But now all the stress is gone and I can watch happy, just cheer on my team, don’t have to worry about getting tired yelling.”

Detroit Catholic Central's Dylan Gilcher and Brighton's Travis Richards wrestle at 150 pounds.

106

Champion: Wyatt Lees, Detroit Catholic Central, Fr. (42-10)
Decision, 3-2, over Brice LaFleur, Saline, Fr. (43-4)

Lees earned his third victory over LaFleur in four weeks, as the two had met in the District and Regional, as well.

“I felt good, I felt confident throughout the match,” Lees said. “I knew I put in the work and was ready for whatever was thrown at me. It was fun and a great opportunity.”

LaFleur was in the down position late in the match, and nearly was able to score a reversal in the final seconds, but Lees fought it off.

“I had an idea (of how much time was left),” Lees said. “But I was just going to wrestle through no matter what.”

113

Champion: Bohdan Abbey, Hartland, Fr. (44-3)
Major Decision, 13-5, over Archer Anderson, Clarkston, Soph. (27-9)

Abbey came into the match already owning a victory against Anderson this season, but he knew a second wouldn’t come easy.

“I had him earlier in the year, so I had some confidence going in, but anybody can be beat,” Abbey said. “It worked out my way. I wrestled smart, wrestled hard. It was a good match. It’s great, cause I’m only a freshman. I’ve been on other stages like this, but nothing is like the state tournament.”

Abbey held a 4-0 lead heading into the third period, and managed nine more points to put his first title away. For Anderson, it was a second-straight year placing, as he was fifth at 103 in 2022.

120

Champion: Caleb Weiand, Macomb Dakota, Sr. (47-0)
Decision, 5-3 (OT), over Josh Vasquez, Grandville, Soph. (41-3)

Weiand finished off an unbeaten season with his second-straight Finals title. The Michigan State-bound senior won at 112 pounds as a junior. He was runner-up at 103 as a sophomore.

“Two years ago, when I was a sophomore, I let the nerves get to me,” Weiand said. “Last year, I kicked that out, tried to get all the nerves away. This year, there were no nerves. I think it helps me perform way better.”

Vasquez forced overtime in the match with a takedown in the final seconds. But Weiand hit a beautiful duck under seconds into the extra frame to claim the victory.

132

Champion: Drew Heethuis, Detroit Catholic Central, Sr. (53-1)
Decision, 4-3, over Elijah Bunn, Rockford, Jr. (52-3)

Heethuis finished his career with a third Finals championship, as he had won at 112 and 119 the past two years.

He had a 3-0 lead heading into the third period, but had to hold off Bunn, a runner-up at 130 in 2022, in the final seconds.

“It feels awesome,” Heethuis said. “It wasn’t as dominant as I would have liked. But it’s awesome to go out on a third champ. It feels nice.”

Heethuis will wrestle next year at Princeton.

138

Champion: Justin Gates, Davison, Jr. (34-2)
Decision, 2-1, over Mason Stewart, Detroit Catholic Central, Jr. (47-6)

Gates found himself back on top of the podium after finishing runner-up in 2022 to Heethuis. He had won a title in 2021, defeating Weiand at 103 pounds.

“It means a lot more to me,” Gates said. “I feel like I’ve grown a lot more as a wrestler. After taking second, I had a chip on my shoulder.”

He pulled out the victory by scoring a reversal early in the third period and riding Stewart out for the final 1:36.

“I thought I was going to score some more points, but I’ll give credit where credit’s due. DCC always has a good gameplan for us,” Gates said. “I had to overcome and adapt to that. If it’s a close match, you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do.”

144

Champion: Clayton Jones, Detroit Catholic Central, Sr. (49-3)
Technical Fall, 17-2, over Jay’Den Williams, Roseville, Fr. (47-2)

Jones won his second-straight Finals title, and did so in dominant fashion. 

He led 7-1 after the first period, and 15-2 after the second. His takedown 28 seconds into the third ended the match.

“It felt great,” Jones said. “I just put in all the work that needed to be done. I was confident. I’ve been here before, and I was ready to go get my second one.”

Jones, a Michigan State commit, was DCC’s seventh champion on the night.

“This team was great,” he said. “We put in the work. (Coach Mitch) Hancock gave us a gameplan at the beginning of the season, and we stuck to that gameplan and got it done.”

Davison's Josh Barr readies for the next moment during his 175-pound title match.

157

Champion: Darius Marines, Detroit Catholic Central, Jr. (36-3)
Major Decision, 11-2, over Vinnie Abbey, Hartland, Jr. (46-3)

Marines set himself up to be the Shamrocks’ next four-time champion, claiming his third title in as many tries.

“It means a lot to me,” Marines said. “I want to make my family proud, make my teammates proud. That’s what I came to CC to do.”

Marines, who won at 145 and 152 the previous two years, scored a takedown nine seconds into the match and rolled from there.

“It’s just business,” Marines said. “Come here and get it done. I’m at the point where this is routine for me. I’m not being cocky, but that’s what we come here to do. It’s business. It’s just work.”

165

Champion: Cameron Adams, Detroit Catholic Central, Sr. (35-4)
Fall, 1:03, over Nick Rochowiak, Hartland, Sr. (39-4)

Adams had Rochowiak scouted, as they had run into each other several times over the years. So when he saw an opportunity, he was quick to take it.

“We used to wrestle all the time, so I know he’s got that headlock,” Adams said. “He got up to that pinch-like headlock position and I was like, ‘Oh shoot.’ I started backing away, backing away and I reached down for the leg, brought up the leg, grabbed the head when I had the single and put him away.”

Adams had finished seventh at 160 pounds in 2022.

“Honestly, it doesn’t feel real yet,” he said. “But it feels really good. It feels amazing.”

190

Champion: Brayden Mirjavadi, Romeo, Sr. (52-4)
Decision, 3-2, over Ryan Ahern, Rockford, Jr. (51-3)

Before Mirjavadi stepped onto the mat, his coaches told him to put everything he had into his match. He took that to heart, and after that match ended, struggled to get back to his feet, as exhaustion and emotion pinned his shoulders to the mat.

Eventually he made it to his feet, however, and the celebration could begin as he erased the regret of losing in the 2022 Final at 160 pounds.

“Coaches told me that, ‘At the end of the match, if you can get up to raise your hand, you did something wrong,’” Mirjavadi said. “I definitely did that last year at the state finals. But man, I did it this time.”

215

Champion: Connor Bercume, Detroit Catholic Central, Soph. (49-4)
Decision, 8-3 UTB, over Matthew Bollman, Lapeer, Sr. (40-4)

Bercume nearly won the match in regulation, but his takedown at the buzzer didn’t beat the clock.

He regrouped in the second overtime, however, scoring five points in the final 30-second period to win his first Finals title.

“I just had to keep wrestling,” Bercume said. “It was hard going to overtime. I thought I won. But I remember last year, I lost my blood round match in ultimate tiebreaker, and I remembered how that felt. And I just found a way to win.”

Bollman, who was Lapeer’s first finalist since 2015, forced overtime with a stalling call on Bercume seconds before the takedown that wasn’t.

285

Champion: Owen Hawley, Livonia Franklin, Sr. (55-0)
Decision, 4-2, over Judah Kinne, Lake Orion, Sr. (31-2)

Hawley won this match twice. Kind of. 

He appeared to have claimed a 7-2 victory, but a clock malfunction forced officials to put 22 seconds back on the clock and reset the score to 4-2. Unfazed, Hawley was able to ride out Kinne and claim the victory for real.

“I wasted a little bit of energy on that celebration at first,” Hawley said with a laugh. “But looking at my crowd, my parents, my friends, my teammates, my coaches, their faces looked terrible. There was zero belief at that point. All I had to do was give them a thumb’s up, they started cheering, they got excited, and it made me excited.

“I love to wrestle – what’s 22 more seconds?”

Click for full results

PHOTOS (Top) Davison's Caden Horwath, top, works for control against Grosse Pointe South's Wyatt Hepner in their championship match Saturday at Ford Field. (Middle) Detroit Catholic Central's Dylan Gilcher and Brighton's Travis Richards wrestle at 150 pounds. (Below) Davison's Josh Barr readies for the next moment during his 175-pound title match. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)