Seniors Shoulder Decatur Title Hopes
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
December 20, 2016
DECATUR — When he was young, Coy Helmuth broke both sides of his collarbone and almost gave up wrestling.
Logan Kennedy is looking to add more MHSAA Finals honors to the family tree.
Fritz Williamson’s brothers told him he’d never make it as a wrestler.
That trio provides three key ingredients to Decatur’s hopes for securing an elusive MHSAA Division 4 team title.
Helmuth and Kennedy were Division 4 Individual Finals runners-up last year and hope to build on their successes this year as seniors.
In fact, Jack Richardson, who has coached the Raiders the last four years, has seniors slated for 10 of the 14 weight classes.
Decatur’s team was seeded second last year but lost to Leroy Pine River in the Quarterfinals in a 35-34 nail-biter.
“That’s still fresh in my mind, and I think it’s fresh in the kids’ minds, especially the seniors,” Richardson said. “They were all extremely disappointed, but Pine River wrestled extremely well. They came out and they wrestled to beat us.
“We will use that as a teaching tool. Yes, we were sour about it. We wanted to win. We had high aspirations. Now we have to use it not as something that will hold us back but something that will push us forward. OK, this happened and what can we do to fix it.”
Richardson has a bit more breathing room this year, choosing from among 21 wrestlers to compete.
Last year, he had just 15 on the team.
“We were relying on everybody,” he said.
One of those was Williamson, a senior this year, who surprised his coach with his versatility.
“He’d been a JV wrestler for two years, and I had him at 189,” Richardson said.
Although Williamson posted a 22-34 record, “He came within a match of being a state qualifier, and he hadn’t seen a varsity match in two years,” the coach said.
“He really, really came on at the end of the year and wrestled very well.”
Williamson said the fact his older brothers told him he’d never make it was the best motivation of all.
“I practiced really hard and worked really hard to get better,” he said. “Now I’m a pretty decent wrestler. People say I’m pretty good and they like to watch me wrestle.”
The senior, who was adopted from Haiti when he was 5 years old, has 10 brothers and sisters, all adopted, he said.
“I like the fact that I feel like I can accomplish things myself,” he said. “No one is really yelling much at you, telling you what to do. It’s a team sport, but it’s basically you. I like the fact that I can wrestle people and win. I like to win.”
Helmuth, who had a 50-7 record at 119 last year, followed his dad, David, who wrestled for Dowagiac, then helped coach the team for a few years. David started his son out wrestling at a young age.
After finishing runner-up to Erie-Mason’s Robert LeFevre last year, Helmuth said he knows better what to expect this year.
The MHSAA tournament “is a different environment,” Helmuth said. “You’ve got thousands of people looking down at you, watching your match, other than the 16 who are usually involved.
“You walk out and see the one person you’re wrestling. You guys came out of the same region, and it’s just a completely different environment (than the regular season).
“This year, I feel like I could get myself ready for that Finals match better. I’m not expecting anything less. That’s one of my goals. Second isn’t good enough this year.”
A four-year varsity wrestler, Helmuth “lost in the blood rounds freshman and sophomore years,” Richardson said. “He made a big jump going into his junior year, more mentally than anything.
“He’s very analytical. Ninety-five percent of the people I’ve seen him wrestle that he’s gotten beat by, he has the ability to come back and adjust how he wrestles to have success.”
Kennedy said he is inspired by father, Jim, who was an MHSAA champ at Decatur in 1986 and started his son in the sport when Logan was 5 years old.
Logan’s three older brothers, Mitch, Zach and Austin, all placed at the Individual Finals. That’s an even bigger motivator for the senior, who posted a 51-6 record at 285 last year, losing to Laingsburg’s Kory Koenig in the Final.
“After (my brothers) graduated, they all focused on building me up,” Kennedy said. “Mitch wrestled at 125, Zach and Austin were heavyweights.
“Every time I step on the mat, it’s like a natural high to me. I feel like I’m floating on air when I wrestle.”
Durability is one of Kennedy’s key assets.
“Most of my matches I end up winning in the third period,” he said. “This year I am working harder than anybody else is working.
“My biggest fear is that someone else is out there working harder than me. My goal is every day to work the hardest I can work, to push my body to the limit.”
Richardson said Kennedy, who wrestled varsity all four years, “is extremely athletic for a guy his size. For a guy his size, he’s got good feet.
“He actually tore his ACL the summer before his sophomore year, and we didn’t know if we were going to get him back. He came back and helped our team get to the Semifinals that year.”
Richardson said there are reasons Decatur has had strong wrestling programs through the years.
One is that younger wrestlers learn from accomplished older ones.
Most recently, Luke Bell was an MHSAA champ in 2010, 2011 and 1012.
His brother, Hunter won a Division 4 crown at 152 pounds in 2015.
“Hunter was a junior and senior when these seniors were freshmen, sophomores,” Richardson said. “You see the way he worked, which goes back to his brother Luke.
“I think with any successful program, those are the kinds of threads that bind. People who have success inspire the next generation through.”
Another reason is the makeup of the community.
“You have blue collar, hard-working people,” he said. “I think that’s what the sport’s built on.
“In a sense, when you have high expectations and that kind of background with kids, they’re not afraid to come in and work hard. If anything, with our sport, regardless of talent, regardless of ability, hard work is the foundation for success.”
Others on the team are Dylan Elmore (103), Ronnie Bell (103), Sterling Smith (112), Romeo Lopez (112/119), Emile Laporte (125), Owen Flowers (119), Kohl Matlock (135), Sebastion Rached (140), Alex Mendoza (140), Ethan May (145), AJ Gerhold (152), Everett Blonde (152), Jared Checkley (160), Michael Nuyen (160), Zack Checkley (171), Jack O’Brian (171), TJ Conklin (215) and Colby Olgrin (215).
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Logan Kennedy lines up against Leroy Pine River's Andrew Frisbie during last season's Division 4 Quarterfinals. (Middle) Clockwise, from top left: Decatur coach Jack Richardson, Coy Helmuth, Fritz Williamson, Kennedy. (Below) The Decatur bench cheers on a teammate while Richardson offers support. (Click to see more action photos from HighSchoolSportsScene.com; head shots by Pam Shebest.)
D4 Preview: Entering the Hornets' Nest
February 23, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
If seedings hold true, we will have a new Division 4 wrestling champion Saturday for the first time since 2014.
But that next champion wouldn't really be new; Hudson is the top seed entering Friday’s Quarterfinals and won every Division 4 title from 2009-2013 before finishing runner-up to New Lothrop the last three years. But if the Tigers trip up, the Hornets – and six more teams seeking first wrestling championships – will be ready to pounce.
Below is a look at all eight teams competing in Division 4, listed by seed. Quarterfinal matches begin at 12 p.m. Friday, with Semifinals at 9 a.m. Saturday and the championship match at 3:30 p.m. All matches this weekend will be streamed live on a subscription basis on MHSAA.tv. For Friday’s schedule and results throughout, check the MHSAA Wrestling page.
The MHSAA Wrestling Finals are presented by the Michigan Army National Guard.
#1 Hudson
Record/rank: 16-9, No. 1
League finish: Second in Lenawee Country Athletic Association
Coach: Scott Marry, 29th season (749-175)
Championship history: Five MHSAA championships (most recent 2013), three runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 112 Tucker Scholl (27-2) soph., 119 Jordan Hamdan (41-2) soph., 130 Scotty Torres (23-11) jr., 189 Tylor Grames (35-11) sr., 285 Zach Bailey (35-9) sr., 285 Isiah Krizeki (26-14) soph.
Outlook: After three straight runner-up finishes to New Lothrop – last year the closest falling in the Final by eight points after entering as the third seed – Hudson is on top again in this bracket. After finished second in the LCAA this season to Division 3 second seed Dundee, the Tigers have dominated the postseason and took down second-ranked Manchester 59-8 in their Regional Final. Scholl and Hamdan were individual champions last season at 103 and 112, respectively.
#2 Leroy Pine River
Record/rank: 30-4, No. 6
League finish: First in Mid-Michigan Wrestling Conference
Coach: Tim Jones, 18th season (501-116)
Championship history: Class C runner-up 1991.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Holly Bailor (27-13) sr., 112 Dylan Stephens (35-10) jr., 119 Tyler Signor (38-12) jr., 125 Jacob Roberts (39-7) jr., 130 Andy Park (51-1) jr, 135 Brocko Nelson (41-12) fr., 140 Justin Cole (35-7) sr., 145 Tucker Fansler (27-15) sr., 152 Malachi Holmes (38-20) soph., 160 Joe Rigling (44-7) sr., 171 Tim Rizor (25-11) fr., 189 Raden Holmes (45-6) sr., 215 Bryan McCurry (40-6) soph.
Outlook: Pine River bumped up to the second seed after making the Semifinals last season as a seventh (by upsetting No. 2 seed Decatur by a point in the Quarterfinal). The Bucks have won 17 league and District titles during Jones’ 18 seasons and Regional titles six times – but a win Friday would give the team its most victories in one season under its longtime leader. Stephens, McCurry and Park all were Individual Finals placers last season.
#3 Carson City-Crystal
Record/rank: 29-8, No. 7
League finish: First in Central Michigan Athletic Conference
Coach: Kacy Datema, seventh season (157-63)
Championship history: Division 4 runner-up 2000 and 2001.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Nolan Datema (44-8) soph.; 103 Jamison Ward (48-2) fr.; 119 Daryn Shepler (38-12) soph.; 140 Braxton Seida (45-4) soph.; 152 Spencer Shook (17-6) sr., 171 Daniel Smith (38-13) soph.; 189 Brian Yeakey (39-9) fr.
Outlook: The Eagles won their fifth straight league and District titles and are back at the Quarterfinals for the first time since 2014. They navigated one of the closest Regionals in any division, downing St. Louis and Hart by a combined seven points to advance. There are only two seniors and one expected to start; Carson City-Crystal could be building for a nice run with nine underclassmen among its top 14.
#4 Bronson
Record/rank: 30-8, No. 9
League finish: Second in Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference
Coach: Chad Butters, fourth season (105-15)
Championship history: Division 4 runner-up 2002 and 2003.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Ben Modert (42-5) fr., 160 Gavin Alger (34-15) sr., 171 David Erwin (48-2) sr., 189 Chase Gibson (48-5) jr.
Outlook: Bronson is back at the Quarterfinals for the first time since making the Semifinals in 2013 and after winning a fourth straight District title under Butters, formerly a longtime assistant in the program. The Vikings took down BCS champion White Pigeon and No. 8 Mendon in the District and then Reading and No. 4 Decatur at the Regional. Erwin and senior Nathan Caudill (29-4, 285) both were Individual Finals placers last season; along with those two, the four heaviest weights in the starting lineup are a combined 160-15 this winter.
#5 Springport
Record/rank: 17-3, No. 3
League finish: First in Big 8 Conference
Coach: Matt Darling, first season (17-3)
Championship history: Lower Peninsula Class D runner-up 1984.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 125 Tyler Teague (33-8) sr., 135 Noah Teague (31-7) jr., 140 Sean O’Hearon (37-0) sr., 160 Zach Betz (30-11) jr., 215 Nick Cooper (36-3) sr., 285 Luke Overweg (33-4) jr.
Outlook: New coach, same story for Springport, which repeated as league and District champion with Darling now leading the way and enters as the fifth seed for the second straight season – the Spartans advanced to the Semifinals and fell to eventual champion New Lothrop by only eight points. Cooper was the Division 4 individual champion at 189 last season and Noah Teague and O’Hearon both were Finals placers.
#6 New Lothrop
Record/rank: 14-8, unranked
League finish: Second in Genesee Area Conference
Coach: Jeff Campbell, 16th season (406-78)
Championship history: 15 MHSAA championships (most recent 2016), four runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Logan Wolford (25-14) fr., 112 Logan Zell (26-17) soph., 119 Tommy Malloy (30-10) jr., 135 Austin Wolford (35-7) soph., 140 Justin Carnahan (18-13) fr., 145 Cole Wendling (29-12) jr., 152 Zackery Riley (26-15) soph., 160 Austin Wendling (27-19) soph., 189 Erik Birchmeier (26-1) sr.
Outlook: Coming off three straight Division 4 team championships, New Lothrop has to be arguably the scariest sixth seed in MHSAA Finals history. The Hornets graduated three individual champions after last season, but Birchmeier is back after winning the title at 171, and Malloy and Austin Wolford also were Finals placers. Birchmeier also is the only senior starter and joined by nine underclassmen who should speed up New Lothrop’s rebuilding effort.
#7 Clinton
Record/rank: 28-7, No. 5
League finish: First in Tri-County Conference
Coach: Jeff Rolland, fourth season (101-33)
Championship history: Has not appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 112 Christian Minard (31-11) soph., 112 Noah Comar (46-0) soph., 130 Anthony Stockdale (29-17) jr., 135 Fletcher Mellinger (27-16) sr., 145 Jacob Phillips (38-11) sr., 189 Trent Sexton (37-13) jr., 215 Austin Popp (33-7) sr., 285 Josh Brown (36-7) sr.
Outlook: Clinton is back at the Quarterfinals for the second time in four seasons under Rolland. The Redskins have given up a total of 24 points over four postseason matches. Comar was the individual runner-up at 112 last season and Popp also was a Finals placer; despite graduating three other placers, Clinton boasts eight upperclassmen among its starters.
#8 Munising
Record/rank: 22-3, unranked
League finish: Does not wrestle in a league.
Coach: Bob Miles, 12th season (192-127)
Championship history: Upper Peninsula runner-up 1968.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 119 Zach McGowan (26-5) sr., 125 Nick Miles (31-12) jr.
Outlook: The Mustangs are making their second straight appearance at the Quarterfinals after winning their third straight District title. Nick Miles also was an Individual Finals qualifier last season, and McGowan is one of five seniors on the team – a solid number of veterans for a roster of only 13 that voids two weights because it is unable to fill them.
PHOTO: A New Lothrop wrestler (right) competes during his school's Hall of Fame Tournament on Jan. 7. (Click to see more by Varsity Monthly.)