Greer, Tri-County Aim for Big 2016 Finish
January 1, 2016
By Dean Holzwarth
Special for Second Half
HOWARD CITY – Tri-County High School sophomore Dakota Greer remembers being soundly beaten by teammate Nick McGhan throughout their childhood.
The two began wrestling together before they could barely write their own names. McGhan always would have the upper hand on the mat over his younger friend.
“He was way better than me when we were little,” Greer said, “but him beating up on me made me better.”
As the years passed, they continued to grapple on a daily basis. Greer quickly improved. The matches became more even.
“It got to the point where we were wrestling nose-to-nose,” Greer said. “We made each other better.”
Greer and McGhan became high school teammates for the first time last season, and both made their marks on the biggest stage at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Greer became the first freshman in school history to win an MHSAA Individual Final when he defeated Corunna’s Emilio Campos 9-6 in the Division 3 championship match at 103 pounds.
Meanwhile, McGhan, a junior last season, lost in the semifinals at 112 pounds before recovering to take third place.
“It felt really good to be the first freshmen in school history to do that,” said Greer, who started wrestling when he was 4 and was inspired by his talented older twin cousins, former Carson City-Crystal standouts Darren and Dillen Decker.
“I always had big goals, and at the beginning I knew I had a little bit of a chance. But it wasn’t till later on when I realized I could do it.”
Greer finished the season with a 42-1 record, although he never really lost a match.
Midway through the season, Greer had appendix surgery and was forced to miss a few matches. During one dual meet, his coaches put him in the lineup thinking the other team would void at that weight.
Instead, the opposing coach opted to place a wrestler in the match. Greer lost on an injury default since he was unable to wrestle.
“Coach still called me undefeated,” Greer said.
Tri-County wrestling coach Corey Renner, in his 10th season, said he wasn’t surprised by Greer’s rare feat. He had been standing by patiently for the time when Greer could showcase his abilities at the high school level.
“I’ve known him since fifth or sixth grade, and we’ve just been waiting for him to get to high school,” Renner said. “He beat a kid from Shelby early in the year, who at the time was the favorite to win it. He beat him pretty handily, and at that point I knew he could probably win it.
“You never know, though. Kids can get hurt or sick, and strange things can happen, but I felt like if everything went the way it should then he could win it. He’s dedicated, and he just does everything you ask and more.”
Greer and McGhan have returned for one more season together and are currently leading the 9th-ranked team in Division 3.
The Vikings entered this week’s Grandville Invitational with a perfect 9-0 mark, which included a win at Tri-County’s team invitational.
They also placed third at the Chippewa Hills individual tourney.
Greer has picked up where he left off. He currently owns an unblemished 11-0 record while moving up to 119 pounds.
“I still have a lot of goals I want to reach,” Greer said.
Tri-County hasn’t reached the MHSAA Team Quarterfinals since 2003, but this year’s team has the potential to break the dry spell with the return of several starters.
“This is the best team we’ve had in a long time,” Renner said. “We still have some holes to fill, but when we get everyone healthy and ready to go then we will be really tough.
“Whitehall is in our Regional, and they’re really good every year, but I think we can compete with them if we can get everybody where they need to be. We can give them a run for their money, that’s for sure.”
Greer also likes this year’s group, and has high hopes for the rest of the season.
“We lost a couple good kids, but we still have a lot of good juniors and seniors and a couple freshmen and sophomores who are doing really good,” Greer said. “We have good kids all the way through so we should be strong for a while.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Howard City Tri-County's Dakota Greer prepares to take a shot during last season's Division 3 championship match at 103 pounds. (Middle) Tri-County coach Corey Renner is in his 10th season leading the program. (Click for more photos from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Lowell's Boone Adds To Successful Run
March 3, 2018
By Jeff Chaney
Special for Second Half
DETROIT – Austin Boone doesn't know too much about losing during the winter sports season.
Wrestling for Lowell, it's easy to understand why.
A week after being part of the Red Arrows’ fifth straight Division 2 team championship, Boone, a sophomore, won his second straight individual championship with a 6-4 win over Killion Southworth of DeWitt in their 145-pound title match Saturday at the MHSAA Individual Finals at Ford Field.
"Our goal coming in here was to do the best we can and get as many names on the wall," Boone said. "For me, this is part of the plan. Two more to go."
The Red Arrows put 11 more names on the wall in their practice room, as 11 Lowell wrestlers came home with all-state medals, led by Boone, the lone champion.
"That breaks our record of nine, and I think it ties a Division 2 record," said Boone, who ended his season with a 44-1 record. Southworth was 53-4.
103
Champion: Riley Bettich, Stevensville Lakeshore, Soph. (43-2)
Technical Fall, 15-0, over Nick Korhorn, Lowell, Soph. (33-10)
Sometimes heartbreak can be the best motivator.
That's what happened to Bettich, who suffered a gut-wrenching one-point loss in overtime to Gaylord's Chayse LaJoie in the 103-pound Final last year.
This year there would be no overtime, as he won by technical fall.
"I have worked so hard for this," Bettich said. "Last year I fell short in the Finals, so it feels great this year to win it.
"(Korhorn) is a very good scrambler, and I had to make sure my legs didn't get caught up in his."
112
Champion: Chayse LaJoie, Gaylord, Soph. (49-4)
Decision, 4-1, over Vincent Perez, Tecumseh, Jr. (53-1)
Last week at the MHSAA Team Finals, LaJoie helped his to the title match, where it lost to Lowell.
LaJoie got a little redemption Saturday at Ford Field when he won his second straight individual title.
"This feels really rewarding for all the work I put in during the offseason and on-season," LaJoie said. "And to come back and with this week after last week, I hope it helps with some of the morale on our team, because we all work hard."
119
Champion: Austin Franco, Niles, Sr. (44-0)
Decision, 10-8, over Caleb Teague, Goodrich, Jr. (42-5)
Wrestling takes a lot of work. And most of that work is geared to win a high school state title.
Franco has been working toward that goal since his youth wrestling days.
After a successful youth career, he placed at the Finals all four years of high school – with two MHSAA runner-up finishes heading into this weekend.
That made finally achieving his goal that much more meaningful.
"This is pretty much all I have ever worked for," Franco said. "Coming up short twice, and finally getting it done my senior year, that is the biggest accomplishment of my life."
125
Champion: Derek Giallombardo, Gaylord, Sr. (55-3)
Decision, 10-8, over, Brendan Zelenka, St. Johns, Sr. (28-8)
The big stage didn't bother Giallombardo. He's been here before.
The four-time Finals qualifier, and two-time placer taking fourth the past two seasons, Giallombardo finally made his way to the top of the podium with a close decision over Zelenka.
"I have been working for this since my freshman year," Giallombardo said. "Freshman year I only qualified, and my sophomore and junior years I took fourth, so this year coming into this, I knew this was my last chance. I knew I had to make it happen, and I did that."
130
Champion: Branson Proudlock, Gibraltar Carlson, Sr. (46-1)
Decision, 8-2, over Matt Tomsett, Madison Heights Lamphere, Jr. (49-4)
Proudlock wasn't about to rest on his laurels. And he sure wasn't going to run away from the pressure of being a returning champion.
He knew that everyone who wrestled him this year would be gunning for him. That was his motivation.
"I knew the pressure was definitely on me this year," Proudlock said. "But that gave me more motivation, to do it a second time.
"My gameplan this year was to get up early and try and score on top. I knew he was pretty tough, so I just tried to score as many points as possible."
135
Champion: Corbyn Munson, Chelsea, Sr. (54-0)
Decision, 11-6, over Avry Mutschler, Lowell, Jr. (40-6)
Most wrestlers who are successful at the state tournament will tell you that what makes them successful is to wrestle their match at their pace and not let their opponent dictate tempo.
That's exactly what Munson did all weekend, and especially in the Final.
"I wanted to get to my stuff and do the things that I like to do," Munson said. "Try not to get into positions he likes. But if I did, just try and out-work him. I pretty much did that."
140
Champion: James Whitaker, St. Johns, Jr. (39-1)
Decision, 6-4, over Caleb Fish, Eaton Rapids, Soph. (48-3)
Wrestling with a bum knee, Whitaker knew the importance of a good start.
And that's exactly what he made happen in winning the 140-pound title.
"I had a really good first period," Whitaker said. "I got that takedown, and then I rode him hard and put him on his back. That really opened it up for me."
And that was a good thing as his cranky knee acted up again during the match, but his lead was enough to carry him through the final whistle.
152
Champion: Alec Rees, Sparta, Jr. (48-0)
Fall, 3:52, over Doug Ferrier, Marysville, Sr. (54-2)
It didn't matter to Rees that the MHSAA Finals moved from The Palace of Auburn Hills to Ford Field this year.
To him it's just wrestling on a mat.
What was more important to him is that he wasn't going to lose in overtime like he did last year, no matter where the venue.
"I did have some butterflies," Rees admitted. "It was a new place this year, but the same feeling as last year. I just wanted it more this year. I lost in the Finals last year, and now this (title) is mine forever."
160
Champion: Austin O'Hearon, Eaton Rapids, Sr. (47-1)
Decision, 3-1, over Dustin Gross, Dearborn Heights Annapolis, Sr. (58-1)
Some wrestlers never waiver from their preparations and rituals – no matter if they are at the Finals at Ford Field.
So after O'Hearon won his second title with a 3-1 win over Gross, he took off sprinting on the Ford Field turf.
"That is a ritual I do after every match, no matter where I am," O'Hearon said. "I just can't stop putting in the hard work."
And hard work is what it took to give Gross his first loss of the season.
"I went in to try and wear him out and beat him in the end," O'Hearon said. "Now this feels great."
171
Champion: Ryan Ringler, Cedar Springs, Jr. (53-1)
Decision, 9-4, over Cade Dallwitz, Holly, Jr. (54-4)
Wrestling can be a serious sport. The work, the blood and the pain can become stressful.
But Ringler loves the sport too much to stress out about it. And he wrestled that way this past weekend.
"There is nothing like it," Ringler said. "I was out there having fun. I love wrestling. This is what I have done my whole life. I just love doing it, and I love competing."
189
Champion: Drake Pauwels, New Boston Huron, Sr. (50-0)
Major Decision, 10-0, over Dave Kruse, Lowell, Sr. (39-4)
Sometimes you have to admit to yourself that you are not living up to your own expectations.
That's what Pauwels did this year, and it helped him become an MHSAA champion.
"My mindset had not been the best the last couple of years," Pauwels said. "This year something just clicked for me. I think wrestling is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical, and I think you need to train your mind just as much as your body."
That philosophy worked, as Pauwels ended his senior year 50-0.
215
Champion: Hunter Krueger, Adrian, Sr. (45-1)
Decision, 2-1 OT, over Joel Radvansky, Warren Woods Tower, Jr. (43-5)
Krueger admitted he has been training for this moment ever since he was able to walk.
So when the time came to finally achieve his longtime goal, he had a detailed plan coming in and worked it to perfection.
"I wanted a lot more offense, but knew I needed to keep my elbows in and have good shot defense," Krueger said. "I wanted to ride tough on top, which I did. I just wanted to beat him in every aspect of the match, and I think I did that."
285
Champion: Riley Smith, Mason, Sr., (48-1)
Fall, 4:35, over Tyler Hill, Stevensville Lakeshore, Sr. (38-3)
An emotional heavyweight, Smith stood in tears after winning his first title with a pin.
"I feel really relieved for this," Smith said. "It's been two years of me chasing this, and now that I am here, I can't believe it. I did it."
PHOTO: Lowell’s Austin Boone has his arm raised after winning his second Division 2 title Saturday. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)