Dundee Adds Perfect Season to Tradition

February 27, 2016

By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half

MOUNT PLEASANT — In case the championship banners and trophies weren't enough of a reminder, it wasn't necessary for an aging alumnus or a veteran coach to help Dundee's wrestlers understand the Vikings' tradition.

In their midst is a senior who has lived that tradition more than most who have come through one of Michigan's most successful programs. 

Zach Blevins wrestled in an MHSAA team wrestling championship match for the fourth time in his career Saturday, as Dundee completed a perfect dual-meet season by beating Remus Chippewa Hills, 40-16, in the Division 3 Final at Central Michigan University.

Blevins beat Austin Spedowski by a 19-6 major decision at 140 pounds, giving him a 4-0 career record in championship matches at the Team Finals. In his career, he was 11-1 on Finals weekend, the only loss coming Saturday in the Semifinal, a 4-3 decision against Jwann Britton of Whitehall. Britton was third at the MHSAA Finals at 135 pounds last year, while Blevins was second.

Taking the mat before a sold-out crowd of more than 4,300 at McGuirk Arena, it felt like just another match for Blevins. It was his 26th career match at the Team or Individual Finals. He finished eighth at 112 pounds in 2013 and fifth at 125 pounds in 2014 to go with the second place at 135 last year.

"It helps a little bit, being down here all four years," said Blevins, who will wrestle at Eastern Michigan University. "You won't get as nervous, because you know what to expect. I was feeling confident and calm."

Blevins was on three championship teams and a runner-up in his four years with Dundee, which has won nine MHSAA titles. It was the fifth straight year the Vikings reached the final match and the 14th straight year that they earned a trip to Finals weekend. Blevins is the only member of the current championship team who wrestled in the 2013 title match.

"He's really been a go-to guy and a very talented wrestler who has done a great job for us," 17-year Dundee coach Tim Roberts said. "In four years in the lineup, he's always stepped up and did his job well. I remember one year we needed him to get five takedowns in one period so we could get a tech, and he did that."

Blevins and Sean Sterling wrestled in the 2014 title match, as Dundee beat Richmond. Eight wrestlers who took the mat Saturday competed in the 2015 final match against Richmond, which won the last three matches to erase a 25-12 deficit and win, 27-25.

"We just worked really hard all year to make sure it wouldn't happen again, and it paid off," Blevins said.

Although the Vikings won by 24 points, it could've been a different outcome had Dundee wrestlers not come from behind in the final seconds of three matches.

Tyler Orrison, who was sixth at 125 pounds last year, got things started for Dundee by twice scoring in the final seconds of periods in a marquee matchup with Slade Todd, who was sixth at 135 in 2015. Orrison scored three points at the buzzer in the second period to take a 7-6 lead in the 135-pound match. He then won the match, 9-8, with a two-point reversal with 16 seconds left.

At 171, Dundee's Kyle Motylinski scored two points with 12 seconds left in the third period to tie his match with Luke Henderson, 2-2. Motylinski won 4-2 in overtime.

At 103, Dundee's Jonathan White scored two points with 25 seconds left to win 3-2 over Bray Haynes.

"That was a case of they've been here before," Chippewa Hills coach Nate Ethridge said. "Give all the credit in the world to Dundee. They did a heck of a job and knocked us off; they deserve it. We needed those three and we didn't get those three. Then we had to do some things with our lineup that we didn't necessarily want to do, because we had to win out."

Dundee didn't have much lineup flexibility, with only 15 healthy wrestlers. Drew Mandell, who was eighth at 130 pounds last year and a participant in the 2014 team championship match, was on crutches after breaking his leg. District champion Grant Ott had an arm in a sling because of a separated shoulder.

"These guys kept stepping up and gutting it out," Roberts said. "You saw all those last-second wins we were getting there. That's just a testament to guts, and the guys kept wrestling."

Roberts said Dundee typically has about 24 wrestlers, but had a low turnout this season. An Individual Finals qualifier was among those who chose not to come out.

How does that happen to a program with Dundee's tradition? 

"You tell me," Roberts said. "The culture can change where it's not cool to wrestle, then we get to win state. It makes it that much more satisfying that these guys pulled together and did it. I'm really proud of this group. Whenever we had injuries, we had guys cut down in weight to make us stronger. Guys stepped in and really sacrificed to make this team better."

Dundee (21-0) reached the title match by beating Delton Kellogg, 63-13, in the Quarterfinal on Friday and Whitehall, 39-18, in the Semifinal on Saturday.

Sterling, White, Zachary Bellaire and Brandon Whitman were 3-0 on the weekend for Dundee. Sterling and Whitman won all three of their matches with pins, with neither of their matches lasting beyond the second period.

"My early memories were when I was in fourth grade," Whitman said while holding the championship trophy. "We were always watching Dundee. My brother was in high school a couple years before I was. It was always fun watching him. The expectations are high. When you come into the room, you've got to work as hard as you can every day."

Brendan Barry, Billy Koepf and Austin Young had 3-0 records on the weekend for Chippewa Hills (31-2), which was making its first appearance in the title match. The Warriors historically were 2-8 on Finals weekend before beating Gladstone, 48-24, in the Quarterfinal and Lake Fenton, 31-27, in the Semifinal.

The Warriors have nine qualifiers for next weekend's MHSAA Individual Finals, with only one senior among that group.

"We've been close a lot of times," Ethridge said. "Obviously, we had a heck of a weekend to get where we're at. Our kids are great. They train really hard. They're pretty awesome."

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The MHSAA Wrestling Finals are presented by the Michigan Army National Guard.

PHOTO: A Dundee wrestler, left, and his Chippewa Hills opponent work for position during Saturday’s Division 3 Final. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)

Spidle Sets Up 2020 Run for 4-Title Glory

By Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com

March 2, 2019

DETROIT – A change in divisions couldn’t slow Sean Spidle down.

The Flint Powers Catholic junior claimed his third straight MHSAA individual wrestling championship Saturday, defeating Tecumseh’s Joshua Hilton 9-6 in the Division 2 112-pound final. Spidle won titles in Division 3 the previous two years, at 103 in 2017 and 112 in 2018.

“It feels amazing,” Spidle said. “This is what I train for. I thought about this every single night. I have to give a lot of credit to my parents and coaches; they pushed me to be better every single day.”

Spidle took a 6-2 lead in the match and held off a late charge from Hilton, who scored a pair of takedowns in the final period. Spidle ran into the stands following his win, celebrating with family and friends as he has now given himself a chance to join the ranks of four-time champions.

“It’s time to train and get ready for it,” he said. “It’s awesome. It makes it even better that my friends and parents came to support. This is everything I wanted.”

285

Champion: Donovan King, Farmington, Sr. (51-2)
Fall, 4:39, over Jaren Johnson, Warren Lincoln, Sr. (37-2)

After missing his entire junior season with a torn knee ligament, King made up for lost time and rolled to his first Finals title.

He racked up three pins in his four matches, including in the final, to become Farmington’s first MHSAA champion since 1995.

“It feels great to come back to win this and be the third person to win states from Farmington High School,” King said. “It was very hard. I had to overcome a lot of pain during the season, my knee shifting out of place during a match. It’s just a mindset. I’m just glad I got through that this whole season.”

103

Champion: Jacob Brya, St. Johns, Fr. (42-2)
Decision, 9-2, over Jamison Zimmerman, Niles, Jr. (37-7)

In his first high school season, Brya showed that his youth success was no fluke.

The former MYWAY state champion’s run to an MHSAA championship included two pins and a four-takedown performance in the title match.

“I just kind of wanted to be conservative so I could win the match,” Brya said. “I didn’t want to do anything dumb so I could blow a lead, so I just kind of wrestled conservative and beat him off my feet.”

119

Champion: Vincent Perez, Tecumseh, Sr. (53-0)
Major Decision, 18-8, over Joe Haynes, Warren Woods-Tower, Soph. (34-8)

After finishing second his junior season, Perez wasn’t going to leave anything to chance Saturday night.

He scored nine points in the third period to turn a close match into a major decision and put an exclamation point on a perfect season.

“I didn’t come here just to win, I came here to dominate,” Perez said. “Third period, it was still a decision, and I wasn’t content with that. I wanted to dominate. I’ve been working all year to control, be aggressive and dominate. Last year, it didn’t work out so well, came up a little short. But this year, it’s a better taste leaving.”

125

Champion: Chaise Mayer, Warren Woods-Tower, Sr. (44-3)
Decision, 3-2, over Chayse Lajoie, Gaylord, Jr. (48-2)

After finishing as a Division 2 runner-up in 2016 and 2017, Mayer made it to the top of the podium, knocking off a two-time returning champion in Lajoie.

The two wrestlers traded a takedown and a reversal in the first period, and a Mayer escape in the second proved to be the difference as he rode Lajoie out for the entirety of the third period.

“It’s much deserved and well-earned,” Mayer said. “I’ve worked my whole life for this. To come so close so many times and not get it, I couldn’t let that happen again. It was just about being gritty and knowing I could do it. Knowing how to win.”

130

Champion: Kaleob Whitford, St. Johns, Sr. (42-2)
Decision, 6-0, over Nate Young, Holly, Jr. (51-7)

A dominant display in the top position capped a dominant overall tournament for Whitford, who had racked up a pair of pins and a major decision prior to the final.

He scored a takedown late in the first period of his match against Young, and rode him out through the end of the second.

“I feel accomplished,” Whitford said. “My dad was a state champion his senior year, my brother was a four-time state champ, so I had to keep the generation going. I didn’t really think about it. I tried to keep my mind clear. I don’t think about anything when I’m about to wrestle.”

135

Champion: Christopher Lilly, Croswell-Lexington, Jr. (52-7)
Decision, 6-3, over Matthew Tomsett, Madison Heights Lamphere, Sr. (52-3)

After watching his dad coach a pair of Finals champions in previous years, Lilly was determined to create a father-son moment at Ford Field.

Thanks to a three-takedown performance against Tomsett, he was able to do just that. Lilly was a Regional runner-up, and won each of his matches by three points or fewer, not making it easy on his dad, Cros-Lex coach Joe Lilly, and fans. But in the end, it was well worth it.

“It’s pretty crazy,” Christopher Lilly said. “I wanted to do that since I was little when I watched Donnie Corby win a state title and then I watched Collin Lieber win a state title. I wanted him to be in my corner, then (watch) me win a state title.”

140

Champion: Avry Mutschler, Lowell, Sr. (37-2)
Decision, 5-2, over Nick Matusko, Chelsea, Jr. (45-1)

Mutschler felt that at previous MHSAA Finals he hadn’t wrestled at his best through the end of matches. This time, he finished the job.

The Lowell senior capped off a career that already included four team Finals championships with his first individual title, securing a takedown with nine seconds left to seal the match.

“Those last 30 seconds, every year that I’m here I tend to quit wrestling and I start hanging on and that’s when bad things happen,” Mutschler said. “I kept trying to remind myself, ‘You have to keep going forward, you have to keep moving your feet, you have to keep hand fighting when you’re trying to score, 0-0 in the first.’ That’s what I did, I got a takedown and I iced it.”

145

Champion: Caleb Fish, Eaton Rapids, Jr. (44-1)
Major Decision, 17-5, over Nick Gates, Marysville, Sr. (40-4)

Fish closed out a dominant tournament performance, earning his third major decision of the weekend and first championship.

A year ago, Fish was the runner-up at 135 pounds, and this year he wasn’t going to let anything get in his way.

“I felt pretty great,” Fish said. “I felt that I had control in my hands. He was not shooting his shot and I shot mine.

“It feels pretty darn great. I’ve worked hard. I took second last year and that really hurt, so I went even a step further and worked harder and finally got my success that I was working for.”

152

Champion: Austin Boone, Lowell, Jr. (31-4)
Fall, 2:57, over Devin Spears, Melvindale, Sr. (47-6)

Nobody bothered to send out a wrestler against Boone a week ago at the Team Finals as Lowell picked up its sixth straight championship. This is why.

The Lowell junior earned his third individual title in three tries, putting an exclamation point on his season with a second-period pin against Spears.

“It was a fun season,” Boone said. “I definitely think we had more fun in the room than we have in the past. Obviously it’s still working. It’s a great feeling to know that the team can celebrate along with you.”

160

Champion: Omari Embree, Warren Woods-Tower, Fr. (37-5)
Decision, 5-2, over Nelson Poet, New Boston Huron, Jr. (35-10)

Embree was tired after winning his first championship. But he found one more burst of energy to pull off a flawless backflip.

“At the time I was really tired, so it was hard,” he said. “But it just played out well. Everybody was yelling.”

Embree took an early lead in the match, and led 3-2 late in the third before another takedown sealed it.

“I felt in control,” Embree said. “I knew it was going to be close because obviously it’s the state finals, and we wrestled before in the Regional Semifinal, so he knew what I was going to do. I just knew I had to manage the match, and I managed the match really well.”

171

Champion: Ryan Ringler, Cedar Springs, Sr. (48-0)
Decision, 4-2, over James Penfold, Goodrich, Sr. (46-4)

Penfold was one of the few wrestlers to push Ringler this season, as this was a rematch of Ringler’s 3-2 win at the Goodrich Tournament of Champions.

Ringler was again able to come out on top Saturday, getting a takedown with 11 seconds remaining to claim his second straight title.

“I had a plan coming into it,” Ringler said. “I knew he was going to be a little more defensive. ... I just had to push the pace and get to my stuff.

“I love wrestling the great guys. It only makes you better, too. It’s great to have that rivalry between two guys.”

189

Champion: Sage Serbenta, Cedar Springs, Jr. (46-1)
Decision, 3-2, over John Shelton, East Grand Rapids, Jr. (46-2)

Neither wrestler had to go a full six minutes to get to the final, but it took every second to decide this Regional Final rematch.

Like he did in that Regional, Serbenta came out on top, getting in on a leg late and holding on to keep Shelton off the board.

“I knew what he was going to do. I knew he was going to switch his style up on me,” Serbenta said. “Last time, he didn’t take a single shot, so I knew he was going to start coming in, and he did. I knew he liked those underhooks, so I was trying to avoid those. I feel like I deserve (the title) with how much I work. … You realize that those last 30 minutes of practice when you don’t feel like practicing, those are when you practice.”

215

Champion: Taye Ghadiali, Warren Fitzgerald, Sr. (45-0)
Decision, 11-4, over Honour Kline, Goodrich, Sr. (52-2)

A dominant weekend for Ghadiali ended with a championship and an unbeaten season.

Ghadiali won by first-period pin in each of his first three matches, and used a pair of first-period takedowns to take control of his match with Kline.

“All the work that I’ve been doing through MYWAY – I wasn’t always good in MYWAY – I just kept working and working, I always wanted to be a state champ, and now today I am,” Ghadiali said. “My mindset was, after that semifinal match (a year ago), I just felt like I wasn’t setting up my shots, I was just shooting to shoot. I was always wrestling just to win and now my wrestling style, I wanted to dominate. I wrestled to score the most points I can.”

Click for full results.

PHOTO: Flint Powers Catholic’s Sean Spidle works to gain control during his Division 2 championship match at 112 pounds. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)