Dundee Dynasty's Secret: Keep Driving

By Chip Mundy
Special for Second Half

January 13, 2017

By Chip Mundy
Special for Second Half 

DUNDEE – The west entrance at Dundee High School, which leads to the gymnasium, makes something known to visitors in a hurry.

The wrestling program is special.

On the left, across the hall from the wrestling room, team photos of all nine MHSAA champions adorn the wall along with photos of each wrestler who won the 35 Individual Finals titles in school history.

It is an impressive display honoring an impressive program.

“We call it our own little wall of fame,” Dundee wrestling coach Tim Roberts said. “We wanted to make sure all of our kids are recognized.”

Dundee has won the Division 3 championship in three of the past four years, and the Vikings have been in the championship match in nine of the past 10 years. That's the resume of a true state power.

While the wrestling tradition at Dundee has always been strong – the Vikings had an overall 925-155-5 record in dual meets since 1970 entering this season – it didn't appear in MHSAA team championship match until 1992-93, when it settled for a runner-up finish after losing to Constantine.

Making of a coach

When Roberts was wrestling at Dundee in the mid 1980s, the standards were different. While it still was a winning program, Dundee did not win a Regional title until 1987 – the year after Roberts graduated.

The Dundee coach at the time was local icon Jim Wittibslager, whose run included four consecutive MHSAA championships (1995-98) and a 333-36-3 career record in dual meets. Roberts was a fine wrestler from 1983-86 and is tied for 56th in school history with 122 wins.

However, Roberts felt like he had some unfinished business in wrestling. He qualified for the Individual Finals meet, but he failed to win a match. And that stuck with him.

“That was really the drive of getting me to coach,” he said. “All I wanted to do in high school was place at state one time. I lost in the blood round at state – back then we only placed six and I lost to the kid who ended up third. I lost some close matches, but there were some things I didn't do right. I lost by a point to the kid who finished second. I didn't accomplish what I wanted to in this sport in high school, and it made me not get over it. I wasn't satisfied with what I did.”

After graduating from Dundee, Roberts enlisted in the Army, and that turned into a life-changing experience.

“While I was in the Army, I learned some things, maybe indirectly, because my drill sergeant just pushed us in a way that made me get more out of myself than I ever had before,” he said. “I turned myself into something that I wasn't before, and I learned something about that.

“When I got out, I had a drive to want to help other kids to learn that they can do that. It wasn't just what you were born, that you can make yourself something better. I had a real drive to want to come back and help kids with that, and I still had a passion for what I wanted to accomplish in this sport. So then I had a goal. At the time, we had three state champs in school history, and my goal was for us to have more state champions and help more kids place at state, because that had been my goal.”

Roberts approached his former coach, Wittibslager, and asked about any opportunities as an assistant coach. Roberts was hired, and soon he had reached his goal.

“We did that, and I thought I was going to be done,” he said. “I got it out of my system. We got a guy, and I worked with him every day and I would pick him up in the summer and we'd wrestle, and he won state. I was feeling great, and I had gotten to where I wanted to get, and now I'm coaching his son. I thought I was going to be done, but here I am, still doing it, and I still have the passion to do it.”

After Dundee won four consecutive MHSAA team championships from 1995-98, Wittibslager retired, and Roberts was hired as his successor. The guy whose plan to come back was for just a few years not only was succeeding his high school coach but succeeding the reigning Wrestling USA Magazine National Coach of the Year.

“There was pressure because Jim was one of the better wrestling coaches in Michigan history, so you're coming after that and trying to do your best,” Roberts said. “What I learned from him I tried to carry on. It was nerve-wracking the first few years doing it, and you're not sure if you know what he knew. I had to turn that off and apply myself and what I knew and keep moving forward and keep getting better.”

The job was to be Coach Roberts and try not to be Coach Wittibslager.

“I'd say a lot of what I do harkens back to those days,” Roberts said. “He was so good at it, it would be foolish not to take from him and learn from him. Obviously I'm not him, so I'm not going to do everything exactly as he did it, and I knew going in that I couldn't pretend to be him.

“To be successful, I had to be myself, but did I learn from him? Oh yes. Most of what I know about coaching I learned from him. I was very fortunate to be able to spend eight years with a guy who was that good coaching this sport and be able to learn from him.”

The promotion from assistant coach to head coach came with a few surprises as well.

“I was surprised at the amount of time and how much more you put of yourself into it once you're head coach,” he said. “As assistant coach, I thought I was totally living it and totally putting all of myself into it, and then as head coach, it just raises a whole new level.

“It's hard to realize that until you actually go through it. As an assistant coach, it's a little easier to make decisions here and there, and as a head coach you know that every decision made comes back at you. It was a transition.”

Richmond: The greatest rival

One of the best team rivalries in the state over the past decade has been Dundee and Richmond. They have combined to win the past seven Division 3 titles, and they have met in the championship match in six of the past 10 years, including four in a row from 2012-15. Dundee split those six championship matches with Richmond, further fueling the rivalry.

“It is fun,” Roberts said. “It's a challenge every year. They are very good, and that's the challenge to get your team at the level to compete with another team that's very good.

“They do a great job, and I have a ton of respect for them, and I think they have respect for us as well. It's been a great rivalry over the years.”

When he was a freshman, Brandon Whitman scored maybe the most memorable victory of his career against a wrestler from Richmond, even compared to Whitman’s victory last year to win an individual championship.

Devin Skatzka – who would go on to become one of only 21 four-time individual champions in MHSAA history – was a Richmond senior and ranked No. 1 at 160 pounds in Division 3, and he stepped up to 171 in the Hudson Super 16 meet two years ago this month. Whitman was ranked No. 1 at 171 in Division 3, so it was a great matchup, even though it was senior vs. freshman.

“That was pretty cool,” Whitman said. “It certainly boosted my confidence quite a bit, and I was pretty excited about it.”

It was even more exciting because of the rivalry with Richmond.

“I like going against Richmond,” Whitman said. “All the people from each town go there and watch when we wrestle, so it's a fun experience.”

Roberts remembers the feeling prior to the big match.

“It was a big moment for all of us,” he said. “Devin was a great Michigan high school wrestler. We knew that he was probably going to win his fourth state title that year, and to get an opportunity to wrestle a kid at that level and you're in ninth grade and going against him, that's special.

“I knew Brandon was good, and I knew Devin was very good. You just don't know how it's going to go. We're either going to learn a lesson here or have success.”

The same might be said for every time Dundee takes the mat against Richmond.

“You enjoy the competition; it keeps you hungry and drives you to keep getting better,” Roberts said. “I believe we have made each other better. We work really hard so we can beat them, and I think they work really hard so they can beat us.

“I know it has pushed me to new levels and to do new things and open up so I can be more competitive. I know they've made me better.”

Secret to success

If there truly was a secret to success, coaches might bottle it and sell it. But they likely wouldn't do so until after they retired.

Roberts just shrugged when asked about his secret to success.

“Honestly I don't know,” he said. “The only place that I've really done this is here, and I was able to do it with Jim. I wrestled in high school here, and then I took over and did it. So I don't know what we do that is different than anyone else.

“We have maintained success. I feel fortunate with the people we have in our program and all the work we put into it, but the secret that has helped us maintain our success? I can't tell you, I don't know what is different than anyone else. I know I have a lot of passion into it, and I know I've put a lot of time into it, and it's an endless pursuit in trying to get better and learn more about the sport.”

Whitman, a junior, believes Roberts and the coaching staff is a key – but not the only key – to that success.

“I think it's just the hard work we do,” he said. “Tim is a great coach. His coaching and the hard work we do are what make us successful.

“We start right after school around 3 o'clock and get out of practice around 7:30. We go from an hour and a half to two hours of lifting and around a two-hour practice follows after that.”

Hard work and great coaching certainly can help lead to success. And as Roberts talked about coaching technique and coaching the mental aspect, his philosophy became very clear.

“If you are going to be successful in this, you have to be all of it,” he said. “I think one of the great aspects of this sport is everything about you as a person will be exposed in this sport. If you are mentally not strong, it will be exposed. If you are technically not good, it will be exposed. If you are not strong enough, it will be exposed. If you are not in good enough shape, it will be exposed. You have to work at all of those things if you want to be a success.

“The goal is to get as good as you can at all of them and keep growing as a person as you do it. Some will excel more in one area than others but you try to be as rounded as you can. If you totally neglect one of them, it will be tough to be successful at the highest level.”

Ranked No. 1 – again

Dundee is ranked No. 1 in the latest Division 3 MichiganGrappler.com poll and unbeaten in dual meets this season. That’s par for the course at Dundee, which is coming off its first undefeated season in dual meets in school history. The Vikings are off to another undefeated start in duals this winter.

Roberts isn't out to record undefeated seasons, either. The Vikings traveled to Ohio around the holidays to participate in the highly competitive 48-team Brecksville Tournament and finished 21st with Whitman taking a first place and Tylor Orrison sixth.

“Of course you go out to win every match, but if losses weren't good, I would make our schedule so we wrestle all of the easiest teams,” Roberts said. “You need to go in those battles and learn about yourself and learn what you are not good at. You have to battle against good people to find that out, and if you do that, along the way you are probably going to have some losses.

“It's all about learning lessons as you go, and then hopefully you are as ready as you can be by the end of the year.”

Whitman and senior Sean Sterling are reigning individual MHSAA champions for the Vikings. Whitman, who won at 189 pounds last year, is off to a 17-0 start, but Sterling has been sidelined with a rib injury and just recently returned to action.

Whitman was 57-2 as a freshman with both of his losses coming against Logan Massa of St. Johns, who was considered by some the top wrestler in the state regardless of weight class. As a sophomore, Whitman was 50-1 with his only loss coming in a 1-0 decision.

“Brandon really excels technique-wise because he works at it a lot,” Roberts said. “Brandon has so many different attacks that he can do. Most people have a few takedowns or maybe one or two that is their go-to move, and Brandon has about 10 of them. That's unusual, especially for a bigger guy like him to have that many attacks.”

Sterling, who plans to wrestle at Central Michigan University, was 47-4 last year en route to winning the Division 3 title at 152 pounds.

“He is a really tough competitor, and he is really smart about what he is doing out there,” Roberts said. “He's strong. I think he does well in all the aspects of wrestling. He has great technique, too.”

Even with such accomplished wrestlers as Whitman and Sterling, Roberts strives to help them and the rest become better.

“I strongly feel that my job as coach is to make you better and do all I can to make you better, so whatever you are, my job is to help you get better,” he said. “They are very good, but I am always looking at what can I do to help him get better.

“Nobody is at the ultimate, and guys like that have a ways to go because they have big goals and want to be successful in college. We know we still have growing to do.”

Dundee has two other returning wrestlers who placed at the Finals last year: Orrison was fourth at 135, and Alex Motylinski was sixth at 145. Orrison is off to a 17-3 start this season, while Motylinski is 14-2.

Roberts also has been encouraged by Caleb Fairchild, a 103-pounder who is 9-3.

“Caleb is ranked in the state, and when he came in, he was unsure of where he was at,” Roberts said. “He's doing a great job, and he's learned a couple of things he can do well, and I'm really proud of him.”

Winning might be common for Roberts, but it is far from routine.

“I've been fortunate enough as an assistant coach and head coach to be part of nine state championships, and every time it's been the best day of my life,” Roberts said. “That's nine times. It's really exciting.

“It's so hard to get all of it together and the work that goes in and the passion that you put into it. When you get it all together and everything works right and you achieved your goal, I still find that exciting. When it isn't exciting to me anymore, maybe I will retire.”

Dundee's all-time wrestling records

  • Three-time MHSAA Finals champion: Cosell Beavers (2002-04)
  • Most wins in a career: 237, Pete Rendina (2006-09)
  • Most wins in a season: 65, Joe Rendina (2008-09)
  • Most wins in a season without a loss: 64, Joe Rendina (2009-10)
  • Most consecutive wins by a wrestler: 117, Joe Rendina (2009-11)
  • Most consecutive wins by a team: 74 (1995-1997)
  • Most pins in a career: 118, Jimmy Rowe (2005-08)
  • Most pins in a season: 46, Jimmy Rowe (2007-08)

Chip Mundy served as sports editor at the Brooklyn Exponent and Albion Recorder from 1980-86, and then as a reporter and later copy editor at the Jackson Citizen-Patriot from 1986-2011. He also co-authored Michigan Sports Trivia. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.

PHOTOS: (Top) Sean Sterling's hand is raised after his victory for Dundee during last season's MHSAA Team Final against Remus Chippewa Hills. (Middle) Dundee coach Tim Roberts celebrates during the championship match win at Central Michigan University. (Below) The Dundee trophy case is full of hardware celebrating the wrestling program's succcess.  (Click to see more action photos from HighSchoolSportsScene.com; trophy and wall photos by Chip Mundy.)

Individual Finals: From 16 to No. 1

March 3, 2012

AUBURN HILLS – A total of 56 individual wrestling champions were crowned Saturday at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

One was St. Johns senior Taylor Massa – and he earned his own story after finishing his career without a loss.

But there were plenty of others to tell. Following is one for each of the 13 other weight classes, starting with 189 pounds – the opening weight at this season’s Individual Finals – plus a mention of all 56 champions. Click for full results.

189

Among the many Jordan Thomas thanked after winning his third MHSAA title was the one opponent who beat him at the Palace during the last four seasons.

Thomas and St. Johns’ Massa led the opening march Saturday, around the mats where Massa dealt Thomas that loss, in the 145-pound Division 2 Final when both were freshmen.

From that day on, Thomas lost only once more. And he capped his championship career by knocking off the reigning Division 2 champ at his weight. In one of the first matches of the day – and arguably the best – Thomas edged Lowell senior Gabe Dean 5-1.

“This being my last match ever, there’s no redemption after this, so I knew I had to get this win,” said Thomas, who will wrestle next season at the University of Michigan. 

He finished 45-0 this season and 217-3 for his career despite taking off a month this season after tearing a knee ligament. That continued to slow him Saturday, but he had been building for a strong finish since the day he fell to Massa 5-2 – a match he said paid off through the rest of his Greenville career.

“At high school it’s not about the win and loss, it’s about getting better,” Thomas said. “And I feel like that improved me as a person and a wrestler so much. I don’t regret it a bit.”

Dean, who also quarterbacked Lowell's Division 2 runner-up football team, finished 30-4.

  • Division 1: Kevin Beazley did one better on his 2011 1-0 championship loss at 171 by downing Temperance Bedford junior Brandon Sunday 6-0. The Detroit Catholic Central senior finished 45-1.
  • Division 3: In a battle of one-loss juniors, Morley Stanwood’s Steven Malloy handed a second to Oscoda’s Donavon Fouchey, 7-6, to finish 46-1.
  • Division 4: New Lothrop senior Austin Severn pinned Dansville senior Lantz Miller in 1:49 to win a second straight championship and finish 51-2.

215

Prescott Line’s wrestling career came to an end Saturday. This fall, he’ll join the Southern Methodist University football team.

But the Oxford senior finished in the best possible way – with his second straight MHSAA individual championship. Line defeated Wayne Memorial’s Dimitrus Renfroe 5-1 in the Division 1 Final after also winning at that weight in 2011.

“Wrestling made me a better person. … (It develops) mental toughness, and it works on your one-on-one competition a lot,” Line said. “It’s a great sport.”

Line finished 49-0 this season and 184-23 over his four-year high school career.

  • Division 2: Holly senior Shawn Scott finished a 52-0 season with a 3-1 win over St. Johns junior Payne Hayden.
  • Division 3: Buchanan junior Gage Hutchison finished a 57-0 season by pinning Comstock Park senior Tyler Gruszka in 1:03.
  • Division 4: St. Ignace junior Joe Ostman edged Springport senior Joe Ericson 4-3 to win the title and move to 44-0 this season. Ericson had just one loss entering the Final.

285

Fowlerville junior Adam Coon showed the result of moving up to 285 pounds this season after winning two MHSAA titles at 215. His Division 2 championship match ended with his tongue and lips spotted with blood.

But the result that mattered most remained the same – Coon won his third championship, 7-4 over Mason senior Adam Robinson, and will go into next season hoping to become the 17th wrestler in MHSAA history to win four Finals titles.

Coon faced Robinson four times this season on the way to finishing 50-0.

“Of course, at the state finals it’s going to be a little aggressive. So maybe there were head butts in there for both sides,” Coon said. “But you know what? That’s what wrestling is. It’s aggressive. … You’ve got to be able to take those.”

  • Division 1: Rochester Hills Stoney Creek senior Nick Gajdzik became his school’s first champion and capped a 46-0 season with a 2-1 win over Temperance Bedford senior Logan Rimmer – who had only one loss heading into the Final.
  • Division 3: Lakewood senior Garrett Hyatt finished his high school career by pinning Dundee junior Josh Marogen in the title match in 1:48. Hyatt was 46-3 this winter.
  • Division 4: Hesperia senior Brett Martin capped a 53-0 season by outlasting Whittemore-Prescott freshman Ryan Prescott in a 4-3 decision. 

103

Carson City-Crystal junior Kenneth Dittenber is getting used to finishing his season with a win. He’s ended the last two with an MHSAA Division 4 title at 103 pounds.

But Saturday’s clincher had a different spin. In 2011, Dittenber won his Final 5-4. This time, he pinned Shelby junior Austin Felt 56 seconds into the second period. It was a much better reward for a season filled with higher expectations.

“I just practiced a lot harder. I knew I was going to have a target on my back as a state champ last year,” Dittenber said. “I just wanted to wrestle everybody like I should."

  • Division 1: Davison freshman Lincoln Olson capped a 46-0 season with a 16-5 major decision over Grand Haven freshman Camden Bertucci.
  • Division 2: Goodrich senior Isaac Jewell closed his career with an 8-1 championship win over Hamilton junior Collin Welcher. Jewell finished 45-5 this winter.
  • Division 3: Ida freshman Dakota Ball improved to 46-4 with a 2-0 win over Caro junior Shane Herrman.

112

Temperance Bedford junior Mitch Rogaliner had one opponent on his most wanted list this weekend. And he got his wish, drawing Holt’s Shayne Wireman in a Division 1 Semifinal.

Wireman had beaten Rogaliner 2-1 in last season’s 103-pound Final. But Rogaliner got him back Friday with a third-period pin before earning a 9-5 decision over Canton sophomore Ben Griffin in Saturday’s Final.

Rogaliner said he knew if he could beat Wireman, the championship should be his as well – and he used lessons learned last season to finish the run.

“You can’t let the nerves get to you. You can’t just go out there scared,” Rogaliner said. “You just have to lay it all out on the mat, and hope that your all can win it for you.”

Rogaliner finished 46-2 this winter.

  • Division 2: St. Johns sophomore Zac Hall won his second MHSAA title, this time with an 8-1 win over Lapeer West junior Dean Somers. Hall finished 43-1 this season.
  • Division 3: Remus Chippewa Hills junior Zack Cooper also won his second MHSAA title, improving to 60-2 this season with a 7-2 win over Allendale junior Luke Jensen.
  • Division 4: Decatur senior Luke Bell improved to 54-10 this season and won the 200th match of his career in pinning Erie Mason freshman Logan Griffin in 2:38.

119

Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern senior Tim Lambert had picked up a reputation as the best wrestler in Michigan never to win an MHSAA title.

He doesn’t have to hear that one anymore.

Lambert – who crushed the 200-career win milestone earlier this season – finished with one more, getting a takedown just before the buzzer to beat St. Johns freshman Logan Massa 5-3 in overtime. The Division 2 championship is the first for a Forest Hills Eastern wrestler, and capped a 58-0 finish for Lambert this season.

“There was definitely a lot of pressure. But I just came out to win, whether it was by two points or 10,” he said. “Logan’s a very tough wrestler. He’s going to have a great career. I knew it was going to be a grind until the end, no matter what. And that’s what it was.”

  • Division 1: Davison sophomore Justin Oliver won his second MHSAA title and finished 44-2 this season with a 3-1 win over Hartland sophomore Austin Eicher.
  • Division 3: Richmond senior Stephen Ireland edged Lake Fenton senior Todd Melick 10-7 to finish 24-3 this winter.
  • Division 4: After losing in a championship match last season, Hudson sophomore Cole Weaver earned his first MHSAA title with a 6-0 win over Hesperia sophomore Zack Yates. Weaver was 51-0 this season.

125

Comstock Park senior Nick Ross admitted Saturday he came into this season overconfident after winning last season’s Division 3 championship at 119 pounds.

But that overconfidence dissolved with two losses and a fourth-place finish in Comstock Park’s first tournament – and was replaced by more intense practice and extra workouts.

Ross never lost again. He capped a 49-2 season Saturday with an 8-4 win over Ida senior Dan Sorter.

“It was a great wake up call. I wanted to real quick,” Ross said of rebounding from the early losses.

“The second (MHSAA title) is definitely tougher. You’ve got a big old ‘X’ on your head. Everyone is after you.”

  • Division 1: After losing by a point in last season’s Final, Howell senior Alex Calandrino beat Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central senior Mitch Hrnyak 8-4 and finished the season 42-1.
  • Division 2: St. Johns junior Jacob Schmitt, a runner-up last season, beat Holly junior Mason Cleaver 11-1 to finish 46-2.
  • Division 4: Watervliet sophomore Brock Thumm outlasted Marlette senior Matt Mata, handing Mata his first loss with a 10-9 decision that improved Thumm to 47-5.

130

Detroit Catholic Central junior Ken Bade knew what was necessary to win big at this season’s Finals.

Last season he earned the title at 125 in part by surviving two one-point decisions. But this time, he advanced with two technical falls and a pin before downing Oxford sophomore Mike Willits 6-1 in the Final.

“I said it earlier in the tournament: It’s all confidence and not cockiness. And you just need to work as hard as you possibly can,” said Bade, who finished 50-1. “This week was the hardest I’ve ever worked in my life.

“There was only one goal in mind and that was a state championship, and I got it done.”

  • Division 2: Holly junior Anthony Gonzales scored at least 10 points for the third straight match, this time outlasting Allegan sophomore Kyle Simaz in a 10-9 decision. Gonzales finished 48-3.
  • Division 3: Otsego senior Alberto Lopez won his second straight nail-biter, following an overtime Semifinal victory with a 3-2 title-clincher over Fremont senior Theron Blake. Lopez finished 51-2.
  • Division 4: New Lothrop junior Jacob Perrin moved to 52-3 with a 5-3 win over Niles Brandywine junior Chanc Ravish.

135

Traverse City St. Francis senior Isaiah Schaub and White Pigeon senior John Tullos both entered Saturday’s Division 4 Final with one loss apiece.

But Schaub also already had one MHSAA championship. He added a second with an 11-4 decision capped by a final three points just before the third-round buzzer.

“I kept on attacking,” Schaub said. “It’s not like I haven’t. I just kept on attacking like Coach told me to.”

Schaub finished 51-1. He also won at 130 pounds in 2011.

  • Division 1: Canton sophomore Alec Pantaleo defeated Detroit Catholic Central sophomore Malik Amine 9-6 to finish the season 53-3.
  • Division 2: St. Johns junior Brant Schafer, the runner-up at 125 last season, handed Muskegon Reeths-Puffer senior Cody Stenberg his first loss, 10-8 in overtime. Schafer finished 37-1.
  • Division 3: Richmond freshman Devin Skatzka opened his high school Finals career by edging Leslie sophomore Zehlin Storr 5-4 to finish 44-8.

140

St. Johns junior Ben Whitford already had won two Illinois individual championships, and helped St. Johns to an MHSAA team title last weekend.

He finished his first season back in Michigan by beating the same opponent he faced in the team Final – Lowell senior and reigning individual champion Gabe Morse.

Whitford handed Morse just his second loss of this season, 11-4. A week ago, Whitford beat Morse 11-9.

“In the first match, I kept getting out of position. That’s how he was able to score,” Whitford said. “This time, (I stayed) in a good position, had to stay on his head, get him tired, keep working him.”

Whitford finished 37-0. Morse finished 40-2.

  • Division 1: Portage Central senior Angelo Latora capped his career with a 3-1 win over Jenison senior Trent Samuels. Latora finished the season 53-1.
  • Division 3: Richmond senior Garett Edwards handed Fremont junior Johnny Wiggers his first loss, 6-5 in overtime. Edwards finished 48-6.
  • Division 4: New Lothrop junior Clayton Simons added his second-straight MHSAA title and moved to 33-5 for the season with a 7-2 win over Reading senior Nick Rubley.

145

Midland Bullock Creek senior Scott Flowers admitted it would’ve been nice to face a different opponent in Saturday’s Final than Hemlock senior Justin Tomasek.

They both came from the Tri-Valley Conference Central, and the championship match was their fourth against each other this season. Flowers won this time 4-0 to even their record against each other to 2-2.

“If I don’t know (what an opponent) is going to do, I can wrestle my own style instead of changing my style to fit his style,” Flowers said. “(But) it also helped too.”

Flowers, who posted a third place in 2011, finished 51-7. Tomasek finished 45-4.

  • Division 1: Flint Carman-Ainsworth senior Jake Weissend closed out a 58-0 season with a 1-0 decision over Portage Central sophomore Dominic Latora.
  • Division 2: Allegan senior Taylor Simaz capped his career and a 57-1 season with his second MHSAA title. He beat Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern senior Gabe Stepanovich 15-5 after also claiming the 125-pound championship in 2010.
  • Division 4: Addison junior Jared Bruner edged Springport freshman Jacob Cooper 4-2 to finish 36-5.

152

Saturday’s Division 1 152-pound Final was one of the most anticipated of the entire Individual Wrestling Finals. And not because Brighton junior Aaron Calderon was on the card.

Detroit Catholic Central senior Alec Mooradian was seeking to become only the 16th wrestler in MHSAA history to win four individual championships. Instead, Calderon won his first – and became part of history for what he didn’t allow to happen.

Mooradian scored first before Calderon hung on and spun out of a late potential takedown to win 3-2.

“I wasn’t too worried because he had everything to lose and I had everything to gain. That kinda helped take all the pressure off,” Calderon said. “I just thought, he was just another kid my age. I can be just as strong. I can be just as fast. I can be just as good.”

Calderon finished this season 56-2. Mooradian ended 44-3.

  • Division 2: Lowell senior Andrew Morse won his second MHSAA championship and closed out a 34-0 season with a 4-2 win over St. Johns senior Travis Curley.
  • Division 3: Lakeview senior Jordan Betham improved to 56-2 this season with a 14-6 win over Dundee junior Todd Olson.
  • Division 4: Hudson senior Joel Varney finished his high school career with his second straight MHSAA title thanks to a pin in 2:20 of Sand Creek junior Nick Garza. Varney finished 47-2.

160

The only disappointment on Hudson senior Devan Marry’s MHSAA championship resume came last season, when he lost in the 160-pound Final after previously winning titles at 152 and 135.

On Saturday, he made sure to pick that one up too.

Marry also has been a big part of four MHSAA team championships. So make that seven total for the future Eastern Michigan wrestler, who claimed his last with a 10-4 decision over Sand Creek senior Sam Mehan – who beat Marry 7-5 in last season’s 160 Final.

“It’s that much more special to go out on a last hurrah,” Marry said. “I’m just happy to have such good classmates and all the classes below me coming together. Not only did it show last weekend, but it showed here how hard we work and how it finally pays off at the end.”

Marry finished 47-2. Mehan finished 52-2.

  • Division 1: Davison sophomore Jordan Cooks defeated Grand Blanc senior Christian O’Guinn to finish the winter 34-2.
  • Division 2: St. Johns senior Jordan Wohlfert closed his career with a second straight MHSAA title, this time thanks to a 16-5 win over Allegan senior Andrew Kelley. Wohlfert finished 47-1.
  • Division 3: Napoleon senior Lelund Weatherspoon capped his senior season with his second straight MHSAA title, defeating Grant senior Ryan Connell to improve to 49-1. Weatherspoon won 152 in Division 4 last season.

171

Click for a separate piece on St. Johns’ Taylor Massa and his perfect high school career.

  • Division 1: Detroit Catholic Central sophomore Drew Garcia outlasted Utica Eisenhower junior Charlie Myers in a 5-2 decision that pushed Garcia’s final record to 43-3.
  • Division 3: Comstock Park senior Dillon Francisco improved to 52-1 in handing a major decision to Houghton Lake junior Dalton Bailey, 11-0.
  • Division 4: St. Ignace junior Galloway Thurston won an 8-2 decision over Shelby senior Mason Courtright to finish this season 52-2.

PHOTO of Greenville's Jordan Thomas. See more photos from the Finals and all season at High School Sports Scene.