Grandville Celebrates Champion in D1
March 5, 2016
By Nick Hankins
Special for Second Half
AUBURN HILLS – Kam Bush gave the Grandville High School wrestling program and his community something to cheer about Saturday at a time when cheers were fewer than usual at the end of a wrestling season.
Because of an unfortunate oversight, the Grandville wrestling team, and most of the individuals on the team, were unable to wrestle in the MHSAA Tournament because the team had too many competition dates during the regular season.
Bush, along with three teammates, were able to compete in the postseason because they missed some of the earlier events with injuries or illnesses. Bush made the most of the opportunity, winning a Division 1 title at The Palace of Auburn Hills with a 7-6 win over Ryan Morgan of Rochester at 152 pounds.
“This feels amazing knowing that all of the hard work paid off.” Bush said. “(I knew) that this state championship isn’t just for me, but for the whole program. Winning this state championship means a lot to me, but all of the guys that couldn’t wrestle feel like state champs, just like I do right now.
“(Grandville coach Bubba Gritter) told us four we were still eligible to wrestle, and he nailed it in our brains that he was sorry for everything that happened, it is now over and we are representing Grandville and we need to come out strong and show everyone we are the Bulldogs,” added Bush, who ended his season with a 44-2 record.
Gritter said it was a lesson learned for his program.
“We brought all 14 guys down so they could experience this tonight.” Gritter said. “This was a tough year, and it is bittersweet for me. It was a good finish to the season, the best way it could finish for our program.”
103
Champion: Benyamin Kamali, Detroit Catholic Central, Soph. (20-1)
Decision, 10-8 SV-1, over Ravon Foley, Ann Arbor Pioneer, Jr. (57-1)
Kamali was part of a special night for the Shamrocks, as he was one of five Detroit Catholic Central champions.
The Shamrocks were 5 for 5 on the night in title-deciding matches.
“I feel amazing, amazing,” Kamali said. “I just kept pushing the pace. I lost to him at Regionals, and I knew I could beat him. It’s just awesome knowing all the hard work you put in pays off. I knew he was tired, so I pushed the pace in overtime to get the takedown.”
112
Champion: Michael Mars, Westland John Glenn, Soph. (52-2)
Fall, 1:09, over Max Johnson, Davison, Sr. (30-1)
Mars may have been a little nervous before his championship match with Johnson, but it sure didn’t show.
Mars wasted little time in winning his second title, pinning Johnson in one minute, nine seconds.
“It feels really good,” Mars said. “I was a little worried at the beginning of the match, but I stayed calm and finished the match. It feels amazing finishing with a pin and hearing the crowd roar.”
119
Champion: Kevon Davenport, Detroit Catholic Central, Fr. (47-3)
Decision, 8-1, over AJ Facundo, Davison, Soph. (31-10)
Davenport proved he is one of the top freshmen in a strong freshmen class statewide this year.
He handled returning champion Facundo, 8-1, in their 119-pound match.
“I feel really ecstatic right now,” Davenport said. “All the hard work I am putting in has paid off. I want to thank my family, God, my coaches and all my siblings for supporting me all of these years. I knew that if I just kept working hard, it would pay off.”
125
Champion: Cameron Amine, Detroit Catholic Central, Fr. (39-9)
Decision, 6-0, Donte Rivera-Garcia, Southgate Anderson, Jr. (54-3)
Another Detroit Catholic Central contender, another championship. And another impressive win, as Amine beat past finalist Rivera-Garcia, 6-0.
“I feel great right now,” Amine said. “We were five for five as a team. It was a lot of motivation watching everyone win in front of me.
“I come from a great wrestling family that helps me and inspires me to be my best everyday.”
130
Champion: Noah Schoenherr, Bay City Western, Jr. (49-2)
Decision, 7-6, over Tyler Sanders, Macomb Dakota, Soph. (55-7)
A move up in divisions didn’t affect Noah Schoenherr. He came back off his loss in the Division 2 Finals a year ago with an exciting 7-6 win over Sanders.
“This is the best feeling in the world,” Schoenherr said. “It was the last match of the year. I had to give it everything, all I had to get it done.
“My goal was to beat my brother Chris (in MHSAA titles won; Chris won last season at 145). He helps me whenever he can, mainly on my feet. I learned a lot from last year being a runner-up. I was nervous, and being there helped me with my mindset this year.”
135
Champion: Ben Freeman, Walled Lake Central, Jr. (42-0)
Fall, 1:18, over John Siemasz, Westland John Glenn, Jr. (52-4)
He’s arguably the best wrestler in the state in all divisions, and Ben Freeman proved that this weekend, winning four matches on his way to his third MHSAA championship.
His last came with a pin in one minute, 18 seconds.
“That was pretty cool to finish a tournament like that,” Freeman said. “Yesterday I felt sluggish, but I felt really good in my warm up today – I was ready to go. I just need to stay focused. I set my goals high, so when I get nervous I just think of what I want to accomplish as an ultimate goal – it makes it seem really small.”
140
Champion: Reece Hughes, Hartland, Jr. (51-4)
Decision, 7-3, over Alex Hrisopoulos, Oxford, Sr. (51-6)
It’s been a great two weeks for Hartland junior Reece Hughes.
A week after helping his team win its first MHSAA championship, he won his own individual title with a 7-3 decision over rival Hrisopoulos.
“I feel amazing right now; this feels great,” Hughes said. “I knew he was not going to stop, so I knew I had to have him wrestle my pace and my way. So I slowed him down to set up shots better.”
About the team championship, he added: “We have two state championship titles in one week. I am proud of my team and how hard we worked all year. This is for all my practice partners: Sage Castillo, Noah Lopez and all of the captains, everyone who was working hard, who got me here to win this title. I am not taking any solo credit for this; it was our team.”
145
Champion: Nathan Atienza, Livonia Franklin, Jr. (57-0)
Fall 0:42 over Kajuan Caldwell, Bloomfield Hills, Sr. (26-1)
Atienza wasted little time in realizing his dream of an MHSAA championship.
He pinned Caldwell in 42 seconds, and just as quickly, jumped to his feet and acknowledged the roaring crowd.
“I feel amazing right now,” Atienza said. “I feel like I am on top of the world right now. I was feeling really confident in myself going out there, and I knew there was nothing he could do to stop me – it was mine this year.”
160
Champion: Blake Montrie, Temperance Bedford, Sr. (51-1)
Decision, 2-0 SV1, over Nate Vandermeer, Clarkston, Sr. (47-6)
History repeated itself for Temperance Bedford senior Blake Montrie.
Last year he won an MHSAA title in overtime, and this year he did the same.
“It was almost the exact same as last year,” Montrie said. “I finished them both in overtime. (Coach Kevin Vogel) pushes us so hard in the room. I honestly think we are in better condition than anyone in the state. I can go forever, and he has prepared me for that.”
171
Champion: Tyler Morland, Detroit Catholic Central, Jr. (45-1)
Decision, 6-2, over Devon Pingel, Lapeer, Sr. (50-4)
Morland wanted to avenge his only loss of the year, and went against his rival to do it.
Staying in the 171-pound weight class, Moreland beat Pingel to win his first championship.
“I purposely went 171 this year (for the postseason) because this was my only loss of the year,“ Morland said. “I came back and beat the kid I lost to; that was all I wanted. I could have gone 189, but that was all I wanted. I prepared for this match, and my coaches got me ready to win. I learned from the loss that I needed to be in better condition, and my coaches prepared me for that. It means everything to join the list of state champs at Catholic Central.”
189
Champion: Brenden McRill, Davison, Jr. (38-2)
Decision, 7-6 TB1, over Nicholas May, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, Sr. (50-1)
On a tough night for Davison finalists, McRill brought home a title for the Cardinals with a hard-fought 7-6 overtime win.
McRill was one of three Davison finalists, but the only one to earn a championship.
“I knew this was going to be a fight,” McRill said. “I studied his state finals match from last year. I wanted this match. It was a good feeling. I got a stall called on me to go into overtime, and it was my fault. I have to get on the attack more to get it done. It feels great to be a state champ for Davison. I feel we have the best wrestling program in the nation. Our coaches are the best around, and it is an honor to wrestle for them.”
215
Champion: Lucas Ready, Brighton, Sr. (41-1)
Fall, 1:57, over Sam Kinne, Lapeer, Soph. (48-9)
Ready was just as impressive winning his second title as he was winning his first.
“This feels pretty good; it feels just like last year,” Ready said. ”It was a lot of fun. I did not expect to pin him that quick. My gameplan was to finish the match as quick as I could, and I executed it tonight. I trained all summer to get back to the top of the podium this year.”
285
Champion: Nicholas Jenkins, Detroit Catholic Central, Jr. (39-10)
Decision, 5-1, over Ali Wahab, Dearborn Heights Crestwood, Sr. (60-1)
In one of the biggest upsets of the night, Jenkins beat undefeated and returning runner-up Wahab.
“It was crazy as time expired,” Jenkins said. “I feel amazing right now. I am on top of the world. A lot of preparation and a lot of hard work over the past year have led me to this point. Our coaches have prepared me to get to this point in my career, and we had a game plan going into this match, and I was able execute.”
The MHSAA Wrestling Finals are presented by the Michigan Army National Guard.
PHOTO: Grandville's Kam Bush wrestles an opponent from Midland in his first-round match Thursday; on Saturday, he won the Division 1 title at 152 pounds. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Westland John Glenn's Polk Passes 500 Coaching Wins, Looks Forward to Future
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
February 21, 2023
If you can’t beat them, join them.
When Bill Polk was a high school wrestler at Dearborn High School, he lost his last match – at the MHSAA Finals – to a wrestler from Westland John Glenn.
Now, 30 years later, Polk is racking up wins on behalf of John Glenn as the Rockets’ varsity wrestling coach. Earlier this season, Polk collected career victory No. 500 and sees no end in sight for his ultra-successful wrestling career.
“I still have the passion,” said Polk. “About 15 minutes after we lost in the Regionals, I was meeting with our assistants and talking about camps and jotting down our lineup for 2023-24.”
Polk has been a fixture at John Glenn since graduating from Olivet College and landing a teaching job with the Westland district. Wrestling played a role in that as well.
“The head coach that was leaving contacted me and asked if I would be willing to come in,” Polk said. “We got into a conversation about it, and I talked him into staying a little longer and helping me out. It was nice he stuck around for two years and gave me the reigns.”
His first season as head coach at John Glenn was 2000-01, when the team went a modest 9-6. The Rockets won 17 matches both of the next two winters and 27 in 2003-04.
“I thought I would be winning state titles in a couple of years,” Polk said. “I had no clue of the intricacies it took to do such a thing. It’s been a good journey.”
John Glenn has made five trips to the MHSAA Team Finals, reaching the final four once.
And, Polk added, “there have been about a dozen times where we were one match away.”
He’s done a masterful job of putting together a great foundation at John Glenn.
“It’s not easy. It took 10 years before we had our first final eight appearance. There’s a lot that goes into building a program – changing the culture, building a youth program, getting everything set in the summer. It took some time for all of that and to get buy-in.”
The sport has changed dramatically during his 25 years of coaching, from the year-round training to the tremendous impact that youth wrestling has had on the sport across the state.
“Wrestling has changed so much since then,” he said. “About 20 years ago, you took a few kids to camp and had some summer open mats. Now, the kids are coming into ninth grade ready to wrestle. It’s phenomenal. Our youth program has 90 kids involved. I couldn’t imagine that 20 years ago. What youth wrestling has grown into is absolutely crazy.”
Polk has always welcomed his former wrestlers back to contribute to the program, from youth to junior high to the varsity level. In fact, nearly all of the assistant coaches and youth coaches wrestled for him.
“The group I have now, for the most part, all wrestled for me, were super successful, are young guys and they know the system,” Polk said. “I’m there and part of it, but I’m more or less invisible now. They know what they are doing and are super passionate about it and do an outstanding job. I’m very fortunate with that.”
John Glenn won its 18th District title this year under Polk but lost 36-27 to Temperance Bedford in a Division 1 Regional Semifinal. The Rockets and Mules seem to run into each other every year, and there have been some great state tournament battles.
One of Polk’s signature dual meet wins was against the Mules.
“The first year we finally beat Bedford was huge,” Polk said. “That was a big one. That was the 2008-09 season. That was a statement that we made it and our team was known as a competitive team. The best part about that is we’ve been able to maintain that and stay near the top. We really haven’t had a lot of down years from there.”
At first, Polk’s 500th career win came and went without anyone noticing. He saw a local newspaper report about a coach that had won match No. 400, and his assistant coaches began asking how many wins he had. That was about 14 wins after No. 500, which came Dec. 14 against Dearborn Edsel Ford.
“I told those guys not to say anything and, of course, they made a big deal out of it,” he said. “It’s nice. It’s a good milestone to hit. I just didn’t want it to distract from the task at hand. I kind of feel like a small-town celebrity now. The community was pretty excited about it.”
His 2021-22 team won 32 matches, as did his 2009-10 team. This year’s squad went 29-6.
His record now stands at 522-145.
It’s fitting that he has won so many dual meets, because dual meets are one of his favorite parts about the sport. Twenty or so years ago, dual meets made up only a fraction of the season, but today they are a big part.
“It’s my favorite part – the research that goes into trying to bump guys around to win those big meets,” he said. “It’s a chess match. It’s part of what makes it fun.”
The atmosphere surrounding a big dual meet or quad, he said, can be electric.
“You can’t substitute that environment,” he said. “The team aspect is my favorite. Everyone is involved, from your all-staters to your first-year ninth graders. They can all be there and be part of it, not just four or five guys.”
Polk has coached six Individual Finals champions and nearly 90 placers as well.
As a college wrestler, Polk qualified for the nationals three times at Olivet and was team captain his senior season. It was sometime during his junior year that he realized he wanted to remain with the sport after college.
“I just started thinking I wanted to be involved,” he said. “I didn’t know it at the time or what, but coaching was something that started interesting me. I hadn’t been involved in the sport for very long at that time. I wasn’t a youth wrestler or anything. I’m still very passionate about it.”
Polk just turned 49. He has no plans to step away from coaching anytime soon.
“I love it. I’m fortunate to be in a good place surrounded with good people. I’m still having fun. I still really enjoy it,” he said. “I’m going to keep going. I don’t know if I will be one of those guys who are in it 40-50 years, but I’m going to go for a while.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTO Westland John Glenn coach Bill Polk holds up a banner honoring his 500th victory. (Photo courtesy of the Westland John Glenn athletic department.)