New Lothrop Ends Championship Wait
February 22, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
BATTLE CREEK – Taylor Krupp wasn’t worried as he watched New Lothrop teammates fall by two, three and five-point decisions during Saturday’s MHSAA Division 4 Team Wrestling Final at Kellogg Arena.
He was just waiting for his turn to shine.
Similarly, his team had been waiting for Saturday's opportunity. The Hornets watched Hudson build on an MHSAA-record five-season championship streak over the last three years, but never got to take on the Tigers in a Final, having fallen in three straight Semifinals that all came down to their final matches.
Finally Saturday, the Hornets and Krupp advanced to a championship face-off with the Tigers. And Krupp’s pin at 160 pounds keyed a comeback 33-22 win that gave New Lothrop is first MHSAA title since 2004.
“We always wanted to wrestle Hudson. The last five years they’ve been on top of the mountain, and it’s always been a goal,” Krupp said. “We wrestled Hesperia, wrestled Carson City … but we always wanted to wrestle Hudson. We finally got to wrestle, and we’re glad with how it turned out.”
Hudson last season tied Davison’s record of five straight MHSAA team titles won from 2002-06 and entered Saturday afternoon with a third straight senior class that had never finished lower than first in Finals competition.
New Lothrop, meanwhile, carried a banner during Saturday’s pre-Finals “Grand March” that displayed the years of all 12 Hornets team titles – 11 on the left side and only 2004 on the right, looking almost like it was added there in anticipation of more soon to come.
That date finally will have company.
Hudson built a 22-10 lead with only five matches left, but it was not enough to carry the Tigers through the Hornets' strongest weights. Senior Josh Wendling at 152 pounds started a run of five straight New Lothrop wins to finish the match.
New Lothrop’s closing run was not without some well-calculated strategy on the part of coach Jeff Campbell. He could’ve left undefeated Krupp wrestling at 171 like he had in the Semifinal and will next weekend at the Individual Finals, and gotten some sure wins – but didn’t feel that lineup would add up to enough points to overtake the Tigers.
Instead, he wrestled Krupp at 160, followed with sophomore Caleb Symons at 171 and then continued with 189-pounder Cody Symons. Krupp got the pin, Caleb Symons – with only about 25 matches to his credit this season – got a major decision to put the Hornets ahead, and Cody Symons followed with another pin to guarantee the championship.
“The job Caleb Symons has been doing in practice, we decided this was the way we wanted to go a couple weeks ago. He’s really earned the chance to go and gave us the confidence to do that,” Campbell said. “He’s kinda been our secret weapon.”
Total, New Lothrop won at eight weights. Freshman Connor Krupp (103), junior Dalton Birchmeier (125), sophomore Steven Garza II (135) and senior Owen Wilson (215) also added points into the Hornets’ team total.
But some losses also were wins. New Lothrop freshman Erik Birchmeier did fall to reigning MHSAA Individual Finals champion JD Waters by major decision – but avoided a pin. Senior Aaron Bauman fell to Hudson two-time individual champion Cole Weaver, but only 4-1. Sophomore Cole Hersch fell to 2013 individual runner-up Isaac Dusseau, but only 3-1.
“Hudson obviously is a great team, but if you wrestle your game, anything can happen. And that was a perfect example,” Krupp said. “Me, Cody, (we) didn’t win us the match. What won us the match were the guys who stayed off their backs and didn’t give up bonus points.”
Nine of the Division 4 Final’s matches pitted Individual Finals qualifiers. Three matches remained scoreless after the first round.
Seniors Weaver, Waters and Dusseau all wrestled in their fourth team championship matches for Hudson, all also part of the lineup during their freshman season of 2011.
“I’m always proud of them, win, lose or draw. These boys have tasted victory; now they’ve tasted defeat,” Hudson coach Scott Marry said. “That builds character for later on. They’re going to have to pick themselves up and they’re going to have to act like classy young men now.
“You can’t always win. Now it’s the other side of the fence. It’s OK.”
Hudson, top-ranked entering the postseason and top seeded going into this weekend, finished 35-5 and will have 14 participants at next weekend’s Individual Finals at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
New Lothrop, ranked No. 2 and the second seed, finished 31-1 with its only loss by five to Lowell – which beat St. Johns to win Division 2 on Saturday.
The Hornets have 13 Individual Finals qualifiers and have made the MHSAA Team Quarterfinals all 13 seasons under Campbell.
“Jeff Campbell is the classiest guy I’ve ever met,” Marry said. “If there’s anybody in the state who I would want to have the state title if it wasn’t my kids, I’d want it to be Jeff Campbell. I’m so happy for him and his program.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Taylor Krupp has his hand raised in victory after a pin in his 160-pound match during Saturday’s Division 4 Final. (Middle) Hudson coach Scott Marry (left) and New Lothrop coach Jeff Campbell shake hands after the Hornets' victory. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
D2 Preview: Boone Pursues Title Sweep
March 5, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The name Brent Metcalf is as revered as any in the history of Michigan high school wrestling.
By Saturday night, Lowell’s Austin Boone may join the Davison legend in a pair of historic achievements.
Boone, with two others this weekend, will attempt to become the 27th wrestler to win four MHSAA Individual Finals championships. He’ll also attempt to join Metcalf as the only wrestlers in state history to win four individually and be part of four Team Finals titles. Metcalf won his from 2002-05 before going on to star at University of Iowa and internationally.
Below, we look at Boone and nine more contenders to watch in Division 2, plus list all of the top seeds heading into this weekend. Surely we missed a few who will end up among the biggest headliners Saturday – but come back to Second Half early Sunday as we’ll interview and report on all 56 champions.
The “Grand March” on Friday begins at 11 a.m., with five rounds wrestled throughout the day including the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Wrestling picks back up with consolation rounds at 9 a.m. Saturday, and concludes with the championship matches that afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
Follow all matches on a subscription basis live on MHSAA.tv, and click here for results at MHSAA.com.
112 Jacob Brya, St. Johns sophomore (37-0) – The latest Redwings standout is off to a championship start after winning the title at 103 a year ago, and he’s the top seed at his weight this weekend. He has won 27 times by pin this winter and three more by technical fall as he’s pushed his career record to 79-2.
130 Christopher Lilly, Croswell-Lexington senior (50-1) – After qualifying for the Finals but missing out on placing his first two seasons, Lilly broke out in a big way with the championship at 135 in 2019. His only loss this winter came Friday during the Team Quarterfinals; he’s 102-8 over the last two seasons.
135 Nick Matsuko, Chelsea senior (45-0) – The top seed in his bracket this weekend, Matsuko hasn’t lost since suffering his only defeat of last season in the 140 final. He’s won 35 matches this winter by pin and built a combined 90-1 record over the last two seasons.
140 Nate Young, Holly senior (45-1) – After finishing runner-up at 130 a year ago, Young has been nearly unstoppable this winter with his only loss to Detroit Catholic Central two-time champ Joshua Edmond. Young is the top seed at this weight, and 37 of his wins have come with bonus points. He took sixth at 103 as a freshman.
145 Austin Boone, Lowell senior (37-0) – Boone’s first three championships have come at 135, 145 and 152, and another title run also will give him his first undefeated season at the high school level. He’s the top seed at this weight and will continue his career wrestling at Penn State.
145 Chayse LaJoie, Gaylord senior (35-1) – The champion at 103 and 112 his first two seasons, respectively, finished runner-up by 3-2 decision in the final at 125 a year ago. He could end up in the premier match of the weekend if he faces Boone in the final at this weight; LaJoie’s only loss this winter came to Boone at last week’s Team Final. LaJoie will continue his career at Cornell.
160 Caleb Fish, Eaton Rapids senior (42-0) – The Greyhounds standout will look to finish his high school career with a second-straight championship after winning at 145 last season. He also was runner-up at 135 in 2018 and fifth at that weight as a freshman, and has just one loss over the last two seasons. He’s the top seed at his weight and will continue at Michigan State.
171 Cody Brenner, New Boston Huron junior (45-2) – The top seed at this weight earned it in part with a Regional win over reigning 160 champ Omari Embree of Warren Woods Tower (see below). Brenner’s most recent loss came to an out-of-state opponent, and his only instate defeat was at the first event of the season to a Division 1 contender. Brenner was eighth at 160 as a freshman and third at 171 last season.
171 Omari Embree, Warren Woods Tower sophomore (25-2) – He also debuted in the best possible way last season, with the championship at 160. He’s not the top seed at this weight as one of his two losses came two weeks ago to Brenner by an 8-6 decision. But Embree’s only other loss came to an out-of-state opponent.
189 John Shelton, East Grand Rapids senior (47-0) – The future Central Michigan wrestler is the top seed at this weight after finishing runner-up a year ago losing a 3-2 decision in the final to Cedar Springs’ Sage Serbenta, the only wrestler to defeat Shelton (twice total) during 2018-19. Shelton also took sixth at this weight as a freshman and fifth as a sophomore.
Other 2019 runners-up: 112 Jamison Zimmerman, Niles senior (28-5, 103 in 2019); 119 Joe Haynes, Warren Woods Tower junior (45-3, 119 in 2019); 160 Nelson Poet, New Boston Huron senior (38-4, 160 in 2019); 189 Kayleb Venema, Whitehall senior (35-5, 189 in Division 3 in 2019).
Additional No. 1 seeds: 103 Nolan Wertanen, St. Joseph sophomore (42-2); 119 Joe Haynes, Warren Woods Tower junior (45-3); 125 John Sosa, Gaylord senior (38-2); 130 Rico Brown, Gaylord senior (31-2); 152 Jacob Gonzales, Holly sophomore (45-0); 215 Zolen Marron, Lake Fenton senior (50-0); 285 Joe Harper, Imlay City senior (43-1).
Also undefeated: 140 Shenard Foster, Harper Woods freshman (16-0).
PHOTO: Lowell’s Austin Boone (top) works toward a major decision at the end of last Friday’s Quarterfinal win over Muskegon Reeths-Puffer. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)