Hudson Finishes Drive for 5 in D4
February 23, 2013
By Jeremy Martin
Special to Second Half
BATTLE CREEK – Since 2009, Battle Creek has been like a second home to Hudson High School wrestling coach Scott Marry.
His Tigers know the city well, as Hudson had bused back north holding the MHSAA Division 4 championship trophy every season over the last four. But on Saturday, they did one better and made some additional history in the process.
Top-seeded Hudson defeated second-seeded Hesperia 32-24 at Kellogg Arena to claim a fifth-straight team title, tying Davison (2002-06) for the longest streak since the Team Finals began in 1988.
And it didn’t take long for Hudson to consider what it might take to become the first to make it six in a row.
“We’re not guaranteeing state title after state title; we know that that’s unheard of. But were coming back next year, and we’re going to be battling again next year,” Marry said. “We’ve got a young group, and I think we have a shot at coming back here and again being in the top four.”
Early on Saturday, it appeared Hudson (30-6) might make quick work of the Panthers, who were the last Division 4 champion in 2008 before the Tigers began this run.
Hudson jumped out to a fast 9-0 lead following two quick wins. But Hesperia was not to be run over, as the Panthers right away fired back and took their first lead following a 26-11 victory by senior Cash Bolles.
“It felt good to be back and to be rolling. It felt good because I’m a senior and I’m trying to lead the team and do as much as possible," Bolles said. "I just wanted to play my part."
From there, the Panthers (35-3) were able to jump to a 21-12 lead following a 54-second pin by freshman Scott Rosencrans at 189 pounds.
“I was just trying to get a win for my team, and I guess that drove me,” Rosencrans said. “We were just trying to keep the ball rolling, trying to win.”
His was the fifth victory in six matches for Hesperia. But instead of signaling the beginning of a Panthers victory march, it fired up a Tigers squad hungry for another title.
“You go back to the 171 (freshman Clayton Brockway 8-6 victory) and that 215 (junior Jake Morgan 11-9 victory), we’re sitting in the corner doing our numbers, and we had to win one of those to even stay in it,” Marry said. “And when you win both and in the fashion that we did, I think it was an incredible accomplishment for a freshman and a junior to do that on this stage.”
By the time 103 pound sophomore Roddy Hamdan took to the mat, the Tigers were poised to retake the lead. And they did, thanks to his 11-5 victory that earned the team a 25-21 advantage with three matches to wrestle.
“It feels like we’re done; we did what we came to do,” Hudson junior Cole Weaver said. “I didn’t expect anything less than this. We were in a slump for a minute there, but I knew once we got out of it we’d be fine.”
Though Weaver and the rest of his Tigers teammates exuded an air of confidence, even while trailing, the Panthers had no intention of going down without a fight and certainly felt they could be the ones to end Hudson’s championship streak.
“It would have meant a lot to us, to our school, to our community. It would have been very important to all of us,” Rosencrans said.
Despite the exhausting loss and a long weekend of wrestling, Hesperia coach Doug Baird too has high hopes for his squad heading into next season.
“Hats off to Hudson; they’re well coached and they have great wrestlers, and had a great match today. But it doesn't take anything away from our kids,” Baird said. “Our kids wrestled their butts off this weekend, and I’m really proud of them. We only wrestled two seniors on the weekend, so we’re going to bring a lot of experience back into the Finals (next year).”
Clinton Finishes Chase for 1st Title
February 29, 2020
By Jeff Chaney
Special for Second Half
KALAMAZOO – Last year when Clinton wrestling co-coach Jeff Rolland walked off the mat after the Division 4 Team Final, he said, “Until someone beats them, they are the one everyone in chasing.”
“They” are the Hudson Tigers, who had just beaten Rolland's up-and-coming Clinton team to win their third-straight Division 4 title.
So Rolland and his Redskins went back to work during the offseason, recalling how they felt wrestling for a championship only to come up short against a program that is comfortable on that stage.
Spin it forward one year, and Clinton found itself back on the big stage against the Tigers, and that hard work and self-confidence paid off. This time, Clinton beat Hudson 36-27 on Saturday at Wings Event Center, clinching the first team wrestling championship in Redskins history.
"This took us believing in each other as a family," Rolland said. "We believe this program is a family, (kindergarten through 12th grade), to the parents and the community, and this took us digging down and focusing on who we are – focusing on us."
That focus was tested even before this weekend began, as top-ranked Clinton entered Friday’s Quarterfinals as the third seed in Division 4.
The Redskins then had to go through a very tough New Lothrop team in the Semifinals to get to Hudson.
"We felt we had enough. We just had to come and compete and prove it," Rolland said. "We took on the mantra that it was us against everybody. Until we prove, we are going to get the three seed, we are going to get the hardest matches. And we said good."
But it wasn't all good for the Redskins, especially early.
Starting at the 119-pound weight class, Hudson jumped out to an 18-0 lead through the first four matches, thanks to a pair of pins from Caden Natale at 130 and CJ Berro at 135 and a pair of decisions from Tyler Bolenbaugh and Jackson Miller at 119 and 125, respectively.
But then came the strength of Clinton's lineup, and the Redskins went on to win eight of the next nine weight classes to earn their first team title.
During that stretch, the Redskins got technical fall victories from AJ Baxter, Kent McCombs and Brayden Randolph and a pair of pins from Logan Badge and Jack Voll.
Badge said his team was not too worked up by being down so much early.
"We were still confident in ourselves," said Badge, a returning Individual Finals champion. "We knew our capabilities, knowing we were able to score and get bonus points when we needed."
Hudson coach Scott Marry was proud of his team, even though it fell short of the goal it sets for itself every season.
"They are very tough," Marry said of Clinton. "I thought everything went well. We wrestled a very good dual. We had our opportunities, and that is all you can ask for. You have to give them credit. I'm not going to say anything bad that we did. I'm just going to say they did better."
PHOTOS: (Top) A Clinton wrestler works for control on top while his Hudson opponent goes for a foot during Saturday’s Division 4 Final. (Middle) Clinton and Hudson wrestlers work to gain control. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)