Highlight Reel: Team Finals Video
March 1, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The MHSAA Team Wrestling Finals came to an end Saturday evening with familiar champions in Lowell, Richmond and New Lothrop and a first-time winner in Brighton.
See below for highlights from all four championship matches – including one from all eight teams that competed – plus links to watch the matches in full on-demand on MHSAA.tv.
Division 1
Laforge at the Fore: Hartland jumped out to a 22-12 lead after eight weight classes in the Division 1 Final against league rival Brighton. Hartland's Lucas Laforge wins his 160-pound bout with Tanner Maschke, 4-3, in the final period.
Title Takedown: It came down to the final match at 112 pounds to decide the Division 1 title, and Brighton's Lee Grabowski claimed a 4-2 win over Hartland's Garnet Potter. Here's the second period takedown that gave Grabowski a 3-0 lead. Brighton won the crown, 31-25.
Watch the entire match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 2
Dean Scores The Fall: Lowell scored the first 15 points of the Division 2 title tilt with Eaton Rapids and never looked back. Zeth Dean got a first-period pin against Eaton Rapids' Eric Anderson at 130 pounds in that streak.
Schultz In An OT Thriller: Tristen Schultz of Eaton Rapids and Logan Blough of Lowell took the 189-pound match in the Division 2 Final to its ultimate length, before Schultz prevailed, 9-8. It cut the Lowell lead to 24-16, but the Red Arrows pulled away for a 40-16 championship victory.
Watch the entire match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 3
Drew Starts It For Dundee: Dundee jumped out to a 16-6 lead on Richmond in the Division 3 title match, with Drew Scholl starting things off with a 7-4 win over Cody Keller at 119.
Richmond Wins! Richmond Wins!: Richmond got two straight pins to come from behind and defeat Dundee, 27-25, for the Division 3 title. Connor Behem gets the fall at 112 pounds over Harry Wallace.
Watch the entire match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 4
Copes Pins Welch: Trevor Copes of New Lothrop comes up with a key pin of Nick Welch of Hudson at 145 pounds in the Division 4 championship match.
Roberts Rules: Hudson gets off to a good start against New Lothrop in the Division 4 Final, as Tyler Roberts pinned Austin Birchmeier in 25 seconds. New Lothrop came back to win the title, 38-24.
Watch the entire match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
DCC Locks Up D1 Repeat In Rematch, Delivering Hartland's Lone Loss
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
February 24, 2024
KALAMAZOO – Darius Marines and his Detroit Catholic Central teammates don’t take winning MHSAA Team Wrestling Finals titles for granted.
But make no mistake about it, they do not hope to be hoisting the championship trophy when it’s all said and done. They expect it.
“It’s the standard,” Marines said with a laugh. “No, really, it’s the standard. Our coaches expect nothing less of us, and we expect nothing less of each other. We push each other every day in the room, and this is just what we do. It’s Catholic Central.”
Marines and the Shamrocks claimed their second straight Division 1 title Saturday, defeating Hartland 41-12 in a rematch of the 2023 Final at Wings Event Center. It was the 10th title for Catholic Central since 2010, and 17th in program history.
“I don’t count them, right. I don’t look at it that way,” said CC coach Mitch Hancock, who has been at the helm for each of those 10 titles since 2010. “You’re so in the trenches of daily work. When you get older and wiser you sit back and try to process it all, try to take it in those moments – my kids are all here. It’s nice. It doesn’t get old. But our athletes are the ones that make it happen. Our coaching staff is the ones that make it happen. Our coaching staff is the best in the state. They’re led by (assistant) Anthony Biondo, and he’s the best, bar none.”
Catholic Central finished the season 27-2, with both of its losses coming against nationally-ranked, out-of-state teams – St. Edward (Ohio) and Lake Highland Prep (Fla.).
Hancock prides himself on scheduling the toughest competition possible, which is why Catholic Central’s dominant lineup doesn’t come into the postseason with records that would typically match that dominance.
Marines, a three-time Individual Finals champion, is the only unbeaten regular for the Shamrocks.
“Look at a Lee Krueger, he’s got five losses,” Hancock said. “Look at a Conner Bercume, he’s got three losses. We test and try our kids. You can’t hide in the state of Michigan, wrestle no one and then expect to come in here and be ready to wrestle. There’s one standard here, and it’s Detroit Catholic Central.”
Saturday’s loss was the first of the season for Hartland (33-1), which did pick up dual wins against Division 2 champion Lowell and Division 4 champion Hudson during the season. But Eagles coach Kyle Summerfield knows the bar is currently higher in Division 1.
“We run a good program,” Summerfield said. “Just, there’s a juggernaut in front of us, and we have to keep chasing and doing the right things. They’re a great program. Mitch is a good coach, the rest of his staff is good. But, we’re a good program, and we’re going to continue to chase. We’re going to continue to try and close that gap because, yeah, there is one goal, and ultimately it is the big trophy.”
Summerfield said his team fully believed heading into the Final that it could come out victorious. Wrestlers wore shirts that said “The New Standard” on the back – and yes, CC’s wrestlers and fans noticed – and through eight matches, Hartland was nearly even with the reigning champ.
Catholic Central led 14-12 after Hartland’s James Butzier picked up an 8-4 decision at 175 pounds, but the Eagles would get no closer, as the Shamrocks claimed the final six matches, including a pair of pins and a technical fall.
“They have the strength of their lineup in the middle,” Hancock said. “We won 10 of 14 matches against a nationally-ranked Hartland team.”
Bercume (215) and Wyatt Lees (113) each had a pin for the Shamrocks, while Mack Mosovic (120) finished the dual with a tech fall. Mason Stewart (144), Marines (165) and Krueger (190) all won by major decision, while Simon Dominguez (126), Caden Krueger (157), Benny Eziuka (285) and Ryan Totten (106) won decisions.
Bohdan Abbey (133), Dallas Korponic (138) and Colin Jewell (150) joined Butzier in winning by decision for Hartland.
PHOTOS (Top) DCC’s Benny Eziuka, top, locks up with Hartland’s Jacob Pretzel at 285 pounds in Saturday’s Division 1 Final. (Middle) Hartland’s Dallas Korponic, top, wrestles DCC’s Michael Cannon at 138 pounds. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)