Highlight Reel: Friday's Quarterfinal Video
February 28, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The first day of MHSAA Team Finals weekend is one of the busiest days of each wrestling season, with 16 matches over four divisions deciding those that will move on to meet in Saturday’s Semifinals.
And we’ve got highlights for every team that competed Friday, split up by division below.
Click to keep up with the tournament on the MHSAA Wrestling page, and come back to Second Half tonight for more highlights and coverage from all four championship matches.
Division 1
DAVISON GOES ON TOP: Lincoln Olson of Davison pins Joe McGrath of Detroit Catholic Central in 130-pound action. The Cardinals prevailed in this one, 35-28. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
MORELAND PICKS UP SIX: Detroit Catholic Central tightened things up at the end against Davison. Tyler Morland records a pin in 36 seconds against Tanner Thomas. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
VANHOEF FINISHES WITH A GRAND HAVEN PIN: Chase Vanhoef of Grand Haven pinned Jacob Renard of Anchor Bay in the 285-pound weight class of their Division 1 Quarterfinal match. It was all Anchor Bay in this one, 49-12. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
MICELI PINS FOR ANCHOR BAY: Anchor Bay had five pins in its Quarterfinal win over Grand Haven. Here's a second-period pin by Vince Miceli over Cole Miles. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
POTTER PINS FINLEY: Garnet Potter of Hartland pinned Justn Finley of Monroe in 45 seconds. The Eagles went on to a 44-19 win. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
MATHEWS CLOSES IT WITH A WIN: Keith Mathews was one of the bright spots for Monroe against Hartland, ending the match with a pin late in the second period in the 285-pound weight class. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
BRIGHTON OPENS UP ITS LEAD: Brighton won the last seven weight classes against Oxford. Here's a pin by Nicholas Brish at 171 pounds over Campbell Coker. Brighton advanced to the Division 1 Semifinals, 39-19. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
EXCITING FINAL MINUTE: The finish of the 135-pound bout in the Division 1 Quarterfinal between Oxford's Vinny Vackaro and Brighton's Jose Ramos saw Vackaro come from behind for a 13-10 win. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 2
TECUMSEH COMES BACK FOR THE LEAD: The Tecumseh-Niles match in came down to the wire. Wyatt Cadmus gives Tecumseh the lead with one weight class to go with a third-period pin of Brandel Hall at 125 pounds. But Niles won the final weight class and the match, 29-26. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
MITCHELL'S MONSTER THIRD PERIOD: Mitchell Findeisen wins the last weight class and the match for Niles with a 20-4 techinal fall over Adam Shelby of Tecumseh. Findeisen nearly gets the pin in the third period. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
PRIDE OF THE PANTHERS: Tyler Brewer ties things up early for Comstock Park against Lowell with a third-period pin of Garret Taylor. Then the Red Arrows won 11 of the last 12 weight classes to cruise to a 63-12 Division 2 Quarterfinal victory. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
MCKECHNIE KEEPS THE PIN STRING GOING: There were pins in the last nine weight classes in the Lowell-Comstock Park Quarterfinal - eight by the Red Arrows. Here Austin McKechnie does his share with a second period pin over Tristan Gore. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
ABES GET A WIN IN OT: Warren Lincoln gets a 10-8 overtime win at 119 pounds by Desmond Prazuch over Isaac Coolidge. This Division 2 Quarterfinal, however, belonged to Eaton Rapids, which won, 42-18. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here
EATON RAPIDS' ELDRED EXECUTES: Eaton Rapids' Austin Eldred gets a first period pin for the Greyhounds against Tommy Hang. Final - Eaton Rapids 42, Warren Lincoln 18. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
DAVIS DOES IT: Malik Davis gives Flint Kearsley an 11-4 lead after three weight classes against Gaylord. Davis pinned Seth Gregory late in the first period. Gaylord would prevail, 36-32. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
FOSTER WITH THE QUICK PIN: An 11-second pin was recorded by Gaylord's Shane Foster over Marcus Moss of Flint Kearsley in the 215-pound bout of this Division 2 Quarterfinal. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 3
RAZOR SHARP: One of the quickest pins of the Division 3 Quarterfinals was this 28-second fall by Jaycob Sharp of Remus Chippewa Hills over Ben Diaz of Allegan to start the match. Chip Hills advanced with a 46-24 win. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
CUT TO THE CHASE: Chase Beard got a pin late in the second period for Allegan to win at 215 pounds over Billy Koepf. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
BACK-TO-BACK TENNIHILL PINS: Jared and Grant Tennihill scored back-to-back pins for Grand Rapids Catholic Central against Saginaw Swan Valley. Here's Grant's fall in13 seconds against Joshua Shaner. Swan Valley held on to advance, 38-35. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
SUITOR SECURES THE WIN: K.J. Suitor of Saginaw Swan Valley clinched the Division 2 Quarterfinal win over Grand Rapids Catholic Central with a first-period pin at 125 pounds against Emable Irankunda. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
MIGHTY QUINN: Matt Quinn gets on the highlight reel for Mason County Central with a quick third-period pin over Gabe Heiserman of Dundee. Dundee won this Division 3 Quarterfinal, 60-9. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
PIN IT IN A MINUTE: Brandon Whitman scores a quick pin for Dundee over Jarod Alvestteffer of Mason County Central. You can watch the whole game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
BIRCH RUN REVERSAL: Mason Breece of Birch Run scored a 4-0 win over Cody Keller of Richmond at 119 pounds in this Division 3 Quarterfinal. Here he picks up two points on a third-period reversal. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
SKATZKA STARTS A STREAK: Richmond broke away from Birch Run by winning three straight matches by pin. Here's one by Devin Skatzka against Justin Elliott at 160 pounds. Final: Richmond, 37, Birch Run 19. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 4
GARZA PINS FOR NEW LOTHROP: Steve Garza of New Lothrop scored a first-period pin against Eric Peters of Cass City in a 64-9 Division 4 Quarterfinal victory. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
ALL SMILES: Daymon Tabavo of Cass City is all smiles after his pin of Caleb Stankiewicz of New Lothrop in the 215-pound weight class. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
SIMMONS PINS FOR CLIMAX-SCOTTS/MARTIN: Ethan Simmons keeps Climax-Scotts/Martin in the match against Decatur with this second-period pin of Thomas Conklin. The Raiders, however, went on to win this Division 4 Quarterfinal, 47-22. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
REVERSAL OF FORTUNE FOR HELMUTH: In the opening match of the Decatur v. Climax-Scotts/Martin match, David Helmuth of Decatur turned a reversal into a pin with 35 seconds left in the first period against Tristan Smith. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
LO-PIN-SKI!!!!!!!!: Hudson started its match with Norway by scoring four straight pins. Mason Lopinski got the fourth in 23 seconds over Michael Tomczak. The Tigers won the meet, 59-15. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
TAYLOR MADE: Taylor Bonetti gets Norway on the board against Hudson with a 45-second pin of Jarrett Waters. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
BUCKS BATTLE BACK: Leroy Pine River posted five straight wins late against Manchester. Here's a quick pin by Andrew Park of the Bucks at 103 pounds over Reese Fry, which tied the score with two weights to go. The meet ended in a 33-33 tie, with Manchester advancing on criteria. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
LOTS OF TAKEDOWNS: Late in the final weight class, Manchester's Brendan Abrigo rips off a series of takedowns against Jordan Stone of Pine River. Abrigo's 11-4 win at 119 tied the team score at 33-33. You can watch the whole match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
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.)