Lowell's Boone Ends as 2nd 8-Time Champion
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
March 7, 2020
DETROIT – Brent Metcalf. Austin Boone.
That’s it. That’s the list.
Boone, a senior at Lowell, became the second wrestler in MHSAA history Saturday to win four individual titles while being part of four team titles, as he defeated Gaylord’s Chase LaJoie 4-3 at 145 pounds during the Division 2 Individual Finals at Ford Field.
Metcalf, who eventually became an NCAA champion and competed on the international stage, was the first to accomplish the feat, achieving his at Davison from 2002-05.
“It’s cool,” Boone said. “Like I’ve been telling everybody else, I’m not really thinking about it too much. It’s kind of cool, but I don’t pay attention to stuff like that.”
He and Mendon’s Skyler Crespo became the 27th and 28th four-time individual champions in MHSAA history, nearly simultaneously.
Boone (41-0), who had defeated LaJoie by major decision a week earlier in the Team Finals, had to stave off a late reversal attempt Saturday.
It was a matchup of multiple-time champions, as LaJoie (38-2) had won as a freshman and sophomore. It was also a matchup of Division I talents, as Boone has signed with Penn State, and LaJoie will continue his career at Cornell.
“It’s a great match; it’s my closest finals match I’ve had,” Boone said. “He’s a great wrestler. He’s going to do great things in college. Today I got him.”
103
Champion: Nolan Wertanen, St. Joseph, Soph. (46-2)
Decision, 4-3, over Grant Stahl, Mount Pleasant, Fr. (39-3)
Wertanen couldn’t compete a year ago in the Finals, as he fractured his wrist shortly before the postseason started. He made up for lost time Saturday.
“I’ve been waiting my entire life to do something like this, ever since I started wrestling when I was 4,” Wertanen said. “To go out there and do something my dad could never do – I've just always wanted to win a state championship, and last year it sucked because I couldn’t, because I was hurt. Coming out here and winning it like this, especially after having a few losses that I shouldn’t have earlier in the year, it just feels great.”
112
Champion: Jacob Brya, St. Johns, Soph. (41-0)
Major decision, 19-7, over Jack Parker, Spring Lake, Jr. (44-3)
For the second straight year, Brya put on a dominant display at the Individual Finals. After winning the title at 103 a year ago, Brya had a pair of first-period falls and a technical fall on his way to Saturday’s final, which he dominated from the beginning.
“I wasn’t as nervous this year,” Brya said. “It wasn’t that much different, but I still wasn’t as nervous this year.”
Brya is already thinking of the possibility of joining the growing list of four-time champs.
“I want to be a four-timer,” he said. “That’s why I train two-a-days four days a week.”
119
Champion: Joe Haynes, Warren Woods Tower, Jr. (49-3)
Major decision, 11-2, over Trevor Marsman, Cedar Springs, Jr. (52-2)
Haynes came up one match short of a Finals title a year ago, but he wasn’t about to be denied again.
He wasn’t scored on in his first three matches of the tournament, and dominated the final, allowing only two escapes.
“I just needed to stay in good position and score when the opportunities came,” Haynes said. “I felt like I didn’t want to repeat last year, that was more of the pressure. I didn’t feel like I was the No. 1 kid – rankings don’t matter. I just go in every match thinking everyone’s the same.”
125
Champion: Andrew Hughes, Charlotte, Sr. (50-1)
Decision, 9-5, over John Henry Sosa, Gaylord, Sr. (41-3)
Hughes became Charlotte’s first Finals champion since 1997, knocking off the weight’s top-ranked wrestler.
He was dominant on his feet, setting the tone with a first-period takedown, and adding three more throughout the match.
“I’ve worked my whole season, my whole life for this,” Hughes said. “It just feels huge. I tried to get as early of a lead as I could and keep building on it, really break him. … I feel like I did it for my city, so this is big.”
130
Champion: Micah Hanau, Stevensville Lakeshore, Soph. (41-4)
Decision, 4-1 (OT), over Zeth Strejc, Lowell, Jr. (27-14)
Hanau was very nearly rolled early in overtime, but he was able to not only counter the move and stay alive but fight for the winning takedown.
“I just couldn’t control his hand-fighting – it was hard to keep him off my legs,” Hanau said. “I was able to keep him down and score. It’s fun. There's a lot of pressure, but it’s great to win.”
135
Champion: Shane Williams, Stevensville Lakeshore, Sr. (44-2)
Decision, 6-3, over Nick Matusko, Chelsea, Sr. (48-1)
Two weeks ago, Matusko knocked off Williams in the Regional final.
This time, the Lakeshore senior had a plan to turn things around.
“I think I needed to escape on bottom, because he rode me out for two periods,” said Williams, who picked up his 150th career win. “He would just stop my leg when I stood up, so I worked on that the past two weeks. It helped me out a bit that I got out right away.”
140
Champion: Nate Young, Holly, Sr. (49-1)
Decision, 4-2, over Chris Haynes, Eaton Rapids, Sr. (45-2)
After coming up one match shy of winning a Finals title a year ago, Young was thrilled to get to the top of the podium this year.
Even if the match didn’t feature the amount of points he is accustomed to racking up.
“Last year I came up a little bit short, and it always hurt knowing I was right there but didn’t quite get it done,” Young said. “So, it feels great to come back and finish what I started. I come into every match thinking that I just want to have fun and score points. Obviously, I didn’t score many points, but I still had fun.”
152
Champion: Jacob Gonzales, Holly, Soph. (55-0)
Fall, 5:52, over James Fotis, Lowell, Sr. (29-6)
Gonzales’ unbeaten season and Finals championship dreams were on the ropes in the third period, but the Holly sophomore came up big when it counted most.
Trailing 6-2 late in the match, Gonzales took Fotis to his back and was able to get the pin to claim his title.
“It was pretty amazing,” Gonzales said. “Throughout the whole match, I was thinking about how I was going to score points. I knew I needed a big move, so I went for it. I saw his legs were too close together and he wasn’t moving as he should have, and I capitalized.”
160
Champion: Caleb Fish, Eaton Rapids, Sr. (46-0)
Decision, 2-1 (UTB), over Colton Blaha, Owosso, Sr. (54-2)
After cruising through his first three matches with pins, Fish found himself in a battle against Blaha.
Fish exploded for an escape from the bottom position in the first period of ultimate tie-breaker, and held on in the second to claim his second straight title.
“In my head I was thinking, ‘I ain’t letting him up,’” Fish said. “Holding him down was my train of thought. I knew he wasn’t going to be ready for me to blow off the bottom as fast as I did. It just comes from the heart. Eaton Rapids has only had a few two-timers, so that was my dream.”
171
Champion: Omari Embree, Warren Woods-Tower, Soph. (29-2)
Decision, 3-2, over Cody Brenner, New Boston Huron, Jr. (48-3)
Embree didn’t think he wrestled his best in the Regional final when he lost to Brenner.
He made sure that wouldn’t be the case Saturday as he claimed his second Finals title in as many tries.
“I knew he wasn’t a better athlete than me – a better wrestler than me,” Embree said. “I didn’t wrestle my match when I wrestled him in Regionals. I wrestled my match, now I’m the champ when it mattered. I wanted to just stay low and focus on me.”
189
Champion: Tristan Vance, Clio, Sr. (19-3)
Decision, 8-6, over John Shelton, East Grand Rapids, Sr. (50-1)
Vance held off a late headlock attempt from Shelton, but it was close.
The Clio senior, who missed most of the season with a back injury, was able to stay off his back and not give up a takedown as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
“I gotta get my hips down; I gotta stay flat,” Vance said of what was going through his head. “I wasn’t giving up any back points, no way. I knew I had to get to my offense and not play his game. Do what I do best, and that’s how it goes.”
215
Champion: Hunter McCall, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer, Sr. (47-1)
Major decision, 9-1, over Keegan Nugent, Lowell, Jr. (35-8)
McCall put an exclamation point on a year-long quest to getting to the top of the podium with a dominant Finals performance.
He was third a year ago, which motivated him to take the next step this season.
“This is something I’ve been working for ever since I started,” McCall said. “I always wanted to be the best, always wanted to be on top. I fell short – I fell real short the last few years. I had five coaches telling me, ‘Hunter, you can be the best. You can go out there and win it.’ I just bought into what they said day in and day out. I haven’t stopped wrestling. I’ve been wrestling for 365 days straight since I lost last year.”
285
Champion: Jack Gilchrist, Mason, Sr. (45-2)
Decision, 8-2, over Joe Harper, Imlay City, Sr. (46-2)
Gilchrist said the beatings he took early in his career in the Mason wrestling room paved the way for Saturday’s triumph.
He spent time in practices with 2018 Finals champion Riley Smith, who helped shape his career.
“It’s amazing to follow my best friend Riley who was a state champ two years ago,” Gilchrist said. “He worked with me every day. He was way better than me, he would pin me in 30 seconds, but he would work with me every day. I get to work with all these guys, I’m just fortunate. (Harper) is a Greco guy, so he was trying to throw me or toss me, but it did not work.”
PHOTO: Austin Boone’s arm is raised Saturday after he became the second wrestler in MHSAA history to win four individual and four team Finals championships. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Trombley Aims to Make More Mat History
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
February 28, 2018
Typically, distractions in sports are seen as a bad thing.
For Lake Fenton senior wrestler Jarrett Trombley, however, setting the goal of breaking the state’s single-season takedown record was the perfect distraction to keep his mind off chasing a fourth straight MHSAA individual title.
“It’s something else to think about other than state,” he said. “It was just a goal I had, and I just went out there and wrestled every single match the best I could, tried to get as many takedowns as I could, and tried to be as dominant as I can be. I was just taking it match by match, and that has taken a little bit away from the whole four-time state title thing.”
The “four-time state title thing” is now next on Trombley’s to-do list, as the MHSAA Individual Wrestling Finals begin Friday at Ford Field in Detroit. Trombley, who wrestles at 130 pounds, will look to become the 23rd wrestler in state history to accomplish the feat. He and Dundee’s Brandon Whitman, also in Division 3, both will attempt to finish the achievement.
“The message this week, and we’re going over it now, is to work hard and do your job,” Lake Fenton coach Vance Corcoran said. “Everyone has trained their whole lives for this. It’s been a long season, and you’ve done your job in this room; now it’s time to do your job on the mat. Dominate and attack, and do what he’s done all season.”
Trombley has certainly been dominant while attacking all season, averaging more than 10 takedowns per match on his way to a 55-0 record through the Regional tournament. His 565 takedowns is well beyond the previous MHSAA record of 526 set by Jake Bohn of East Kentwood in 2007-08, which has stood as the National Federation record as well. He has also surpassed the 559 set by Karson Hill of Trenton High School in Missouri in 2007-08, the previous high according to another national record book maintained by wrestlingusa.com.
It may have served as a distraction, but it’s also helped make Trombley a better wrestler and a better conditioned athlete, as it’s forced him to work on things within a match and stay on the mat longer than he would with a quick pin. He does, he said, work for the pin eventually to get as many team points as possible.
“All of the takedowns helped me get in better shape and have better conditioning,” said Trombley, who is ranked 10th in the country at 132 pounds by FloWrestling. “It’s helped me in my matches.”
Now, though, Corcoran said it’s time to focus solely on winning, and doing so as soon as the opportunity presents itself.
“Coming up to the state meet, if he gets the chance to put a guy on his back, he isn’t going to let him up,” Corcoran said.
Trombley – who has won Division 3 titles at 112, 119 and 130 pounds – doesn’t need reminders that even three-time champions can be vulnerable when going for their fourth. To win his second title in 2016, Trombley defeated Grand Rapids Catholic Central’s Devin Schroder – denying the three-time champ Schroder a fourth title.
“It keeps my mind in focus every day in the practice room,” Trombley said. “It can just as easily happen to me. There’s a state champ on my bracket this year, and a few others that are really good.”
The win against Schroder, who is now wrestling at Purdue University, was big for Trombley beyond simply winning his second MHSAA Finals title.
“Before that I hadn’t really wrestled any stellar competition in high school, per se,” Trombley said. “He was the talk of the state for two or three years, so I had to be confident going into that match, and I was confident. After I did win, it kind of changed things. I didn’t know he was nationally ranked until I had beat him. I was nationally ranked after that, so I just kind of worked even harder. I kind of proved to myself that I can beat anyone if I work hard.”
As colleges began courting Trombley, one started to stick out -- North Carolina State. He signed with the Wolfpack this past November.
“The coaching staff just made me feel welcome, and I felt like I could live there,” said Trombley, who has an older brother who lives in North Carolina. “They were just a really friendly coaching staff and they have some really nice credentials. It’s a program on the up rise, and I felt like I could succeed there.”
Trombley believes his wrestling style will translate well to the college level. For now, though, he’s focused on finishing up his high school career the right way, and so is everyone around him.
“Jarrett is just one of those kids that he never quits,” Corcoran said. “His work ethic is through the roof; he’s focused and he’s determined. He’s from a great wrestling family, he’s super grounded, and if you hear anyone say anything about Jarrett as a four-timer, his mom is right there to say, ‘You have to win one more.’
“He understands that nothing is given to you, that you have to earn it.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS: Lake Fenton's Jarrett Trombley works toward his third MHSAA championship during last season's title match at 130 pounds. (Middle) Trombley's arm is raised after his second Finals title, in 2016. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)