Freshman Facundo Starts Title March
March 3, 2018
By Jeff Chaney
Special for Second Half
DETROIT – Alex Facundo knew the wrestler and the impressive wrestling resume he had in front of him.
But that didn't faze the Davison freshman.
Facundo, who came in with a pretty impressive youth resume of his own, and a top-10 national ranking, won one of the most anticipated matches of the weekend at the MHSAA Individual Finals at Ford Field when he beat Detroit Catholic Central two-time champion Cameron Amine, 4-2, in their Division 1 152-pound title match Saturday evening.
"He was a two-time state champ, so he was pretty good, but look at my stuff," said Facundo, who ended his freshman season with an umblemished 29-0 record. "I love the underdog role. I had nothing to lose out there. I was a freshman coming in wrestling a junior, a two-time state champ, so I just went out and had fun."
Facundo showed talent on his feet, and scored the lone takedown of the match.
"The key were my shots," said Facundo, who ended his year with a 29-0 record. "He tried to be a bully, pushing me around and stuff, so I had to become a bully, too."
Amine ended his year at 43-3.
103
Champion: Brock Prater, Macomb Dakota, Soph. (51-3)
Decision, 8-2, over Blake Noonan, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek, Soph. (46-1)
The Macomb Dakota wrestling program has molded many talented wrestlers in the recent past, but none were able to win that elusive title.
That was until Prater beat Noonan 8-2 in their title match.
"I have never felt this way before," said Prater after his win. "I won five MYWAY state titles, but that never really felt this good. I'm really kind of speechless. I have been working for this all year long. There were a lot of time where I wanted to give up, but I stuck with it."
112
Champion: Andrew Chambal, Davison, Soph. (35-3)
Decision, 7-1, over Nick Alayan, Macomb Dakota, Jr. (49-2)
Last weekend at the MHSAA Team Finals in Kalamazoo, Chambal had a rough weekend, bumping up a weight and losing two matches.
But he came back strong this weekend, winning all four of his matches and taking home the 112-pound title.
"I was wrestling up a weight class last weekend, but I was also doing it to get better," Chambal said. "I learned from my losses, and I worked harder this week. (I was) more crisp on my shots."
119
Champion: Benyamin Kamali, Detroit Catholic Central, Sr. (35-1)
Decision, 9-4, over Mark Brado, Waterford Kettering, Jr. (44-6)
It's on to the University of Virginia for Kamali, who ended his highly successful high school career by winning his third championship.
"This is special, you know," Kamali said. "To be mentioned with all of the other three-timers, that's special. It proves that all the hard work that I have put in has paid off. It feels great. I wrestled my match.
"I'm excited to bring this momentum to the Division I level," Kamali added. "I want to wrestle the same way there. I want to dominate."
125
Champion: Michael Mars, Westland John Glenn, Sr. (52-0)
Decision, 5-1, over Kyle Kantola, Hartland, Jr. (55-2)
Mars is his own harsh critic.
The Westland John Glenn senior had just won his third title Saturday evening with a hard-fought 5-1 win over Kantola, but didn't like how he performed – showing a mentality that no doubt contributed to his becoming a multi-year champion.
"I feel good, but I wish I did better in that finals match," Mars said. "I won, so I am proud of it. I thought I wrestled pretty good this year, so I am proud of that, too. I just wish I could have wrestled better in that finals match."
130
Champion: Joshua Edmond, Detroit Catholic Central, Soph. (24-0)
Decision, 7-4, over Jared Riggins, Jackson, Jr. (35-3)
Two highly athletic and talented wrestlers took to the mat during the 130-pound final, and the Detroit Catholic Central sophomore showed he had just a little more in his tank while also going back to the basics.
"I just needed to stay on pace and keep in good position," Edmond said. "Also hand fighting, I knew I needed to stay in good position and keep hand fighting. It was stuff like that, staying to the basics."
135
Champion: Derek Gilcher, Detroit Catholic Central, Soph. (39-5)
Decision, 8-5, over Sergio Borg, Oxford, Sr. (46-6)
Not many times was a Detroit Catholic Central wrestler considered an underdog this weekend.
That may have been the case in the 135-pound final.
But Gilcher showed just how much he has learned in the DCC practice room, as he pressured his way into an 8-5 win and his first title.
"I feel very excited with how I performed," Gilcher said. "I just didn't let off the whole time. I always try and keep constant pressure, and that's what gave me the win."
140
Champion: Nick Freeman, Walled Lake Central, Sr. (29-0)
Decision, 2-0, over Anthony Gibson, Westland John Glenn, Sr. (51-5)
Winning MHSAA titles is a Freeman family tradition.
One year after his older brother Ben Freeman won his fourth MHSAA championship for Walled Lake Central, senior Nick Freeman won his second.
"We are competitive, and we like to win," Nick Freeman said of his family. "Every single competition we enter, we give it our all. If that doesn't work out, whatever."
It has worked out the past five years for the Freeman family.
145
Champion: Kevon Davenport, Detroit Catholic Central, Jr. (41-3)
Decision, 7-1, over Vic Schoenherr, Bay City Western, Jr. (47-3)
Just like last week at the Team Finals, when Detroit Catholic Central gets on a roll, it's hard to stop.
That was the case Saturday at Ford Field, as Davenport was the fourth straight Shamrock to win a championship, claiming his third with a decisive 7-1 win over Schoenherr.
"This feels great," Davenport said. "To follow suit with the rest of my teammates. We already had three guys that won, and I wanted to do whatever it took to keep that momentum going."
160
Champion: William Marano, Dearborn Edsel Ford, Sr. (56-0)
Decision, 10-5, over River Shettler, Hartland, Jr. (44-4)
Edsel Ford senior Marano did something Saturday that hadn't been accomplished in 33 years.
He won an MHSAA wrestling title for his school.
"The last state champ at the school was in 1985; it was Scott Wyka," Marano said. "He was a heavyweight, and he was up in the stands. I had a lot of friends and family here for my support, and this feels so amazing."
And he left little doubt.
"All season I wanted this like no on else," Marano said. "I just kept the pressure on and kept moving out there."
171
Champion: Layne Malczewski, Macomb Dakota, Sr. (54-0)
Decision, 5-0, over Cal Stefanko, Davison, Jr. (40-4)
The fourth time was the charm for Malczewski
This weekend was his fourth trip to the Finals. In his three previous three, he came home with medals, but not that elusive championship.
"Those years in the past helped me for this year," Malczewski said. "Obviously I have been working hard, but this summer I put extra time in, and that helped out."
189
Champion: Benjamin Cushman, Flushing, Sr. (53-0)
Major Decision, 16-5, over Jacob Ransom, Traverse City West, Sr. (44-6)
Not many times in the upper weight divisions do you see a wrestler drop down a weight class to compete. Most of the time, a body's growth dictates that the big men keep growing.
That wasn't the case for Cushman, who won a Division 1 title at 215 pounds last year, then came back this year and won at 189.
"We kind of flip a coin every year, and last year Coach wanted me to go 215 pounds, so I did it," Cushman said. "And this year it didn't matter as much, so we decided I go 189 pounds."
Asked which title was harder to win, there was no hesitating.
"Two hundred and 15 pounds, they were bigger," Cushman said.
215
Champion: Easton Turner, Detroit Catholic Central, Jr. (36-1)
Fall, 5:28, over Blake Wingate, Temperance Bedford, Jr. (41-9)
Sacrifice is a regular part of wrestling.
This past fall, Turner gave up football to concentrate on his winter sport – and won his first MHSAA Finals championship.
"All the extra work I put in after practice, and not playing football to put in extra work, it all paid off in the end,” Turner said.
285
Champion: Austin Emerson, Temperance Bedford, Sr. (48-3)
Decision, 5-1, over Steven Kolcheff, Detroit Catholic Central, Soph. (31-8)
Last season, Emerson lost at the Finals to a Detroit Catholic Central wrestler.
He wasn't going to let that happen again.
A year after dropping a heart-wrenching 3-2 loss to the Shamrocks’ Nicholas Jenkins, Emerson beat DCC sophomore Kolcheff 5-1.
"I just kept working on repetitions on what I was drilling, putting myself in situations," Emerson said. "And I also blew my lungs out, really working on my conditioning. That really helped me this year."
PHOTO: Davison freshman Alex Facundo locks up Detroit Catholic Central’s Cameron Amine on the way to claiming his first Division 1 title. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Inspired by Dad's Memory, Lawrence's Vasquez Emerges After Family Losses
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
January 16, 2024
LAWRENCE — While COVID-19 affected many students in different ways, it definitely made an impact on Austin Vasquez.
As a freshman at Lawrence High School during the pandemic, Vasquez lost his grandmother Theresa Phillips to cancer on March 25, 2021.
Two days later, on March 27, his father Tom Vasquez, died of complications from COVID. And on April 19 that spring, his grandfather Darrell “Gene” Phillips also lost his fight against the coronavirus.
“There is no way (to cope). You just have to keep on moving,” Austin said. “It’s what (my dad) would want me to do.
“He was my biggest (influence) in sports. He talked to me about never giving up – leave everything you’ve got.”
That is just what Vasquez is doing in the midst of his three-sport senior year.
He is the top wrestler at the school, competing at 175 pounds with a goal of making the MHSAA Tournament. He was a versatile contributor on the football field this past fall, and he’s planning to join the baseball team this spring.
He’s 8-3 with six pins on the mat this winter after a busy summer of camps and tournaments. Those experiences helped lessen the nerves he’d felt during matches previously, and now he’s wrestling with an outlook of “everything to gain and nothing to lose.”
And Vasquez said he feels his dad’s presence as he prepares for competition.
“Before every match, before every game, I just think about what my dad would be telling me,” he said. “Everything he’s always told me has taught me to get better.
“In life, I still remember everything he taught me. He was definitely a great man, and I want to be like him someday.”
Wrestling also has made Vasquez more in tune with his health.
His sophomore season he went from 230 pounds to 215, and by his junior year was down to his current 175.
“I just wanted to be healthier, not just for wrestling,” he said. “I started going to the gym every night, watched my calories, and from there grew (taller).
“Now I’m at 6-(foot-)2, and I don’t know how that happened,” he laughed.
Lawrence coach Henry Payne said Vasquez always has a positive attitude and helps the other wrestlers in the program.
“When he notices a kid next to him doing a move wrong, he’ll go over and show him the right way,” Payne said. “We have a lot of young kids that this is their first year, and he’s been a good coach’s helper.”
The coach’s helper gig will continue after graduation.
"Next year we’re hoping to open up a youth program here, and I got him and an alumni that graduated last year and is helping the varsity team this year (Conner Tangeman) to take over the youth program for us,” Payne said.
On the football team, Vasquez was a jack of all trades.
“He started at guard, went to tight end, went to our wingback, went to our running back. He was trying to get the quarterback spot,” football coach Derek Gribler laughed.
Vasquez said there is no other feeling like being on the field, especially during home games.
“Wrestling is my main sport, but I’d do anything to go back and play football again,” he said. “I just love it.”
Although the football team struggled through a 1-8 season, “It was still a really fun season,” Vasquez said. “Everybody was super close. Most of us never really talked before, but we instantly became like a family.”
Vasquez had the support of his mother, Heather, and four older sisters: Makaylah, Briahna, Ahlexis and Maryah. He also found his school family helped him get through the end of his freshman year.
“(My friends) were always there for me when everything was going on,” he said. “I took that last month off school because it was too hard to be around people at that time.
"Every single one of them reached out and said, ‘Hey, I know you’re going through a rough time.’ It really helped to hear that and get out of the house.”
The family connection between Vasquez and Lawrence athletic director John Guillean goes back to the senior’s youth.
“I was girls basketball coach, so I coached his sisters,” Guillean said. “I remember him when he was pretty young. I knew the family pretty well. I knew his dad. He was pretty supportive and was there for everything.”
Vasquez said that freshman year experience has made him appreciate every day, and he gives the following advice: “Every time you’re wrestling, it could be your last time on the mat or last time on the field. Treat every game and every match as if it’s going to be your last. If you’re committed to the sport, take every chance you have to help your team be successful.”
Gribler has known Vasquez since he was in seventh grade and, as also the school’s varsity baseball coach, will work with Vasquez one more time with the senior planning to add baseball as his spring sport.
“When we talk about Tiger Pride, Austin’s a kid that you can put his face right on the logo. His work ethic is just unbelievable,” Gribler said. “Everything he does is with a smile. He could be having the worst day of his life, and he’d still have a smile on his face. He pushes through. It’s tough to do and amazing to see.”
The coach – who also starred at Lawrence as an athlete – noted the small community’s ability to rally around Vasquez and his family. Lawrence has about 150 students in the high school.
“It goes beyond sports,” Gribler said. “Austin knows when he needs something he can always reach out and we’ll have his back, we’ll have his family’s back. It’s not so much about winning as it is about the kids.”
Vasquez is already looking ahead to life after high school. He attends morning courses at Van Buren Tech, studying welding, and returns to the high school for afternoon classes.
“I’d like to either work on the pipeline as a pipeline welder or be a lineman,” he said, adding, “possibly college. I would like to wrestle in college, but let’s see how this year goes.
“I’m ready to get out, but it’s going to be hard to leave this all behind.”
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Lawrence senior Andrew Vasquez, right, wrestles against Hartford this season. (2) Vasquez works on gaining the advantage in a match against Mendon. (3) From left: Lawrence wrestling coach Henry Payne, athletic director John Guillean and football and baseball coach Derek Gribler. (4) Vasquez also was a standout on the football field. (Wrestling and football photos courtesy of the Lawrence athletic department. Headshots by Pam Shebest.)