Team Wrestling Finals Take Flight at Wings
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
February 22, 2019
KALAMAZOO — Thirty-two teams, more than 9,000 spectators and 60 to 75 volunteers will converge at Wings Event Center this weekend for the MHSAA Team Wrestling Finals.
Volunteers gathered at the venue Thursday, setting up two of the three arenas and making sure everything was in working order in preparation for Friday’s Quarterfinals and Saturday’s Semifinals and Finals.
And tournament director Mike Garvey – who before retiring last year served as an athletic director for more than two decades at four area high schools, plus led Lawton to the Class D wrestling title in 1990 – can rattle off the details like a tour guide.
“There are 10 warm-up mats in ‘The Valley,’” Garvey pointed out Thursday. “That’s where the teams also weigh in.
“We have four registered MHSAA referees who are going to inspect the kids for skin diseases, which they always do for wrestlers, and weigh them in.
“There’s a doctor who has volunteered because if a referee says no … we say ‘Go see the doc,’ which is nice.”
And that's just the start of the setup that comes with hosting one of the MHSAA’s most popular championship showcases.
The tournament is a collaboration of the MHSAA, Wings Event Center and Discover Kalamazoo, and the event is in its second year of a four-year contract with the facility. Saturday's 3:45 p.m. championship matches will close a three-week team tournament with champions celebrated in four divisions.
Last year’s Finals drew a championship-record attendance of 9,469.
"There’s no way you can miss Wings Event Center right off I-94,” said Dan Hutcheson, assistant director of the MHSAA. “Parking, the facilities. In general, this is a great place for us. Probably the most important thing for us is the people who work here. They’ve been so good to us, especially Rob (Underwood, Wings Event Center general manager) and Melissa (Janecke, special events coordinator).”
Garvey started planning this year’s event the day after last year’s championships finished. He started getting commitments from volunteers in the fall.
Providing memorable experiences for wrestlers, officials and fans are main priorities, and that means covering every detail from weigh-ins to concessions to where teams will stay and parents will park.
Garvey has volunteers who act as liaisons for each team, greeting them, distributing their packets and familiarizing them with the venue.
How does he get so many volunteers?
“I beg,” he said, laughing. “I say that in jest because people are thrilled to be part of this. I emailed all the ADs and wrestling coaches in the area, and they’ve just jumped in.
“Also the Kalamazoo wrestling officials association has jumped in as well, not as referees (but) as volunteers. Chris Furlong, the wrestling coach at Portage Northern, has been invaluable.”
The main action will take place in the stadium, where four mats are showcased on risers.
“It’s like the movie ‘Hoosiers’ when the guy opened the door at Butler and the kids walked in and were awestruck,” Garvey said. “That’s how these kids look, especially for the first time.”
There is more to the tournament than the wrestlers.
Portage Northern softball players are selling programs, and the concession stands in the arena are open.
“Teams can bring in their own food, and we have a place for them to eat (in the area above the third rink),” Garvey said.
Referees have their own space in the ECHL Kalamazoo Wings locker room, and “Portage Northern wrestling moms are setting up something for the refs in the locker room so they can just go back there for their food,” Garvey said.
Taco John’s will cater lunches for the volunteers, which Garvey calls “Garv’s Guys.”
Garvey also selects singers of the national anthem before each round.
South Haven’s Jim McCloughan, who received the Medal of Honor in 2017 for his service in Vietnam, will sing before the Division 2 and 3 Quarterfinals.
Martin junior Aleyca Morey and Loy Norrix sophomore Sierra Ward will perform before the other two divisions on Friday. Saturday’s anthem singers will be Portage Central junior Ciara Williams, Mattawan junior Thomas Lamb and St. Augustine fifth grader Marissa Toweson.
Discover Kalamazoo, a tourist information center, also is involved in the tournament playing a key role in many behind-the-scenes necessities.
“Our office is very engaged with helping place the participating teams and coaches into hotels,” said Greg Ayers, president/CEO of Discover Kalamazoo. “Of the 32 teams, most all of them will have at least one night (and some two nights) in our local hotels.
“While we don't have any specific number(s) regarding the economic impact of the event, we know 32 teams, their fans and others will have impact on area hotels, restaurants, retail, gas stations, etc.”
Ayers anticipates another large crowd this weekend.
“(With) three teams (Schoolcraft, Dowagiac and Niles) in our backyard, we anticipate big crowds to be in attendance supporting their teams,” he said.
Hutcheson, who wrestled at Ferris State University and spent three years at the Olympic training center, can look at the tournament from several vantage points
“When I look at an event like this, I look at it as a past wrestler, as a past coach, as an AD, and as a spectator,” he said.
“I try to think of all the different lenses you have to look through at an event, then we try to do the best we can.”
Wings Event Center has become a “Home of Wrestling,” Underwood said. “They like it, and we like it.
“The convenience off I-94, the great hotels we have around here with more opening, the seats in this venue, the concessions and bathrooms have made it a great location.”
Wings Event Center hosts five MYWAY youth wrestling events a year, and it was through Dave Dean, that organization’s president, that the MHSAA Finals began looking to Kalamazoo.
“My relationship with Dave Dean in MYWAY led me to Dan Hutcheson, and we started our conversations a couple years ago and here we are,” Underwood said. “It’s a great event, and we love having it here.”
Underwood has become a fan and spectator of the event.
“Once you start watching, it’s hard to walk away from it,” he said. “The team event is really neat because of the camaraderie with the wrestlers and the coaches and their following. When you look in the stands and just see color blocking for that team and the support, that’s cool to see.”
“(The MHSAA) does one (tournament) here and (individual championships) at Ford Field, so I guess we’re in good company.”
Garvey said he always wanted to run an MHSAA Finals tournament and jumped at the job when it went to Kalamazoo.
This year is especially special for Garvey.
“One of the neat things for me this year is that Schoolcraft has qualified,” he said “Their coach, Rob Ling, was a Lawton wrestler (with Garvey as coach), and he’s one of my boys.
“It makes me feel very proud. That’s a bonus for me.”
Ayers said more than half the teams are returning to Kalamazoo this year and “those teams and their fans are gaining familiarity with our community (hotels, restaurants, etc.)
“Having high school-aged students in our community provides excellent opportunities to introduce Kalamazoo. It can lead to prospective students for WMU, Kalamazoo College and Kalamazoo Valley Community College.”
Garvey said his team is always trying to improve.
“Last year everybody who came to this tournament as participants said it was the best Team Finals ever,” he said. “Being competitors, we want it to be better every year.”
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) By Thursday evening, Wings Event Center awaited this weekend's MHSAA Team Wrestling Finals. (Middle) Clockwise from left: Lowell's Curt Cummings sets up the clocks. Portage Northern junior Shane Lisk, left, and senior Cameron Migliaccio clean the mats. Wings Event Center special events coordinator Melissa Janecke tapes the mats. Portage Northern senior wrestler Quinten Baughman continues the process of mat cleaning. (Below) Mike Garvey, left, and Rob Underwood. (Photos by Pam Shebest.)
Division 1 Makes History Adding 3 to 4-Time Champions Honor Roll
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
March 4, 2023
DETROIT – Never in the history of the MHSAA Individual Wrestling Finals had more than two wrestlers won their fourth title in the same year.
On Saturday, three accomplished the feat in Division 1 alone, including, for the first time ever, a pair of teammates.
Detroit Catholic Central’s Dylan Gilcher and Davison’s Josh Barr and Caden Horwath each won their fourth titles at Ford Field, joining an elite group that now numbers 35.
“I’m honored to be a part of that group,” Barr said after his 17-5 major decision victory against Hartland’s Brayden Bobo at 175 pounds. “It means that everything I did paid off, and I’m not done yet, I’m just getting started. Me and Braeden (Davis of Dundee, who won his fourth title in Division 3) are going to Penn State together. Caden and Dylan are going to Michigan together. I grew up with Dylan and Caden in the Team Donahoe wrestling room, I’ve been wrestling with Dylan and Caden for a long, long time. Caden is one of my best friends. And Braeden, we probably met when I was 8 or 9. We all push each other, for sure.”
Barr and Horwath were the fourth and fifth Davison wrestlers to win four titles, joining Brent Metcalf (2002-05), Lincoln Olson (2012-15) and Alex Facundo (2018-21).
“It’s pretty incredible just to be a part of something like that,” said Davison coach Zac Hall, who won four titles at St. Johns from 2011-14. “It’s crazy man, absolutely crazy. A couple years ago these kids were 2 feet smaller than me, and we’re playing dodgeball and kind of carefree. To see the level it’s gotten to, and these guys are obviously both in a situation to go on and do great things at the next level. It’s hard to even encapsulate in words. I’m just super proud of those two guys.”
Horwath claimed his fourth title with a 12-2 major decision against Grosse Pointe South’s Wyatt Hepner (39-7) at 126 pounds. His previous titles came at 103, 119 and 125.
“Just coming off the mat now, it feels pretty surreal,” said Horwath, who finished the season 22-1. “There’s no real feeling, I’m just happy right now. Happy me and my teammate did it, and my future teammate Dylan Gilcher, so that’s cool, too.”
Barr won his about an hour and a half earlier to finish off a 33-0 season. His previous titles came at 152, 160 and 171.
“I expected it of myself, so it feels like the right thing,” Barr said. “It hasn’t really hit me yet, all these people here, it’s awesome.”
It was also a record-tying day for Catholic Central, which had seven individual champions. The Shamrocks had seven champions in 2019, as well, a Division 1 record. Dundee holds the state record with eight in 2021.
Gilcher started it all off with a 20-4 technical fall in the second period against Travis Richards of Brighton (29-7) at 150 pounds.
His previous titles came at 112, 135 and 140. He finished his senior season at 32-0, and became the second DCC wrestler to win a fourth title, joining Kevon Davenport (2016-19).
“It feels real great,” Gilcher said. “Kevon texted me today and said, ‘Make history.’ I said I didn’t want to be No. 2, but I’m glad I am. I’m really glad I was first (on the team to wrestle Saturday), because I was stressing out about my match. But now all the stress is gone and I can watch happy, just cheer on my team, don’t have to worry about getting tired yelling.”
106
Champion: Wyatt Lees, Detroit Catholic Central, Fr. (42-10)
Decision, 3-2, over Brice LaFleur, Saline, Fr. (43-4)
Lees earned his third victory over LaFleur in four weeks, as the two had met in the District and Regional, as well.
“I felt good, I felt confident throughout the match,” Lees said. “I knew I put in the work and was ready for whatever was thrown at me. It was fun and a great opportunity.”
LaFleur was in the down position late in the match, and nearly was able to score a reversal in the final seconds, but Lees fought it off.
“I had an idea (of how much time was left),” Lees said. “But I was just going to wrestle through no matter what.”
113
Champion: Bohdan Abbey, Hartland, Fr. (44-3)
Major Decision, 13-5, over Archer Anderson, Clarkston, Soph. (27-9)
Abbey came into the match already owning a victory against Anderson this season, but he knew a second wouldn’t come easy.
“I had him earlier in the year, so I had some confidence going in, but anybody can be beat,” Abbey said. “It worked out my way. I wrestled smart, wrestled hard. It was a good match. It’s great, cause I’m only a freshman. I’ve been on other stages like this, but nothing is like the state tournament.”
Abbey held a 4-0 lead heading into the third period, and managed nine more points to put his first title away. For Anderson, it was a second-straight year placing, as he was fifth at 103 in 2022.
120
Champion: Caleb Weiand, Macomb Dakota, Sr. (47-0)
Decision, 5-3 (OT), over Josh Vasquez, Grandville, Soph. (41-3)
Weiand finished off an unbeaten season with his second-straight Finals title. The Michigan State-bound senior won at 112 pounds as a junior. He was runner-up at 103 as a sophomore.
“Two years ago, when I was a sophomore, I let the nerves get to me,” Weiand said. “Last year, I kicked that out, tried to get all the nerves away. This year, there were no nerves. I think it helps me perform way better.”
Vasquez forced overtime in the match with a takedown in the final seconds. But Weiand hit a beautiful duck under seconds into the extra frame to claim the victory.
132
Champion: Drew Heethuis, Detroit Catholic Central, Sr. (53-1)
Decision, 4-3, over Elijah Bunn, Rockford, Jr. (52-3)
Heethuis finished his career with a third Finals championship, as he had won at 112 and 119 the past two years.
He had a 3-0 lead heading into the third period, but had to hold off Bunn, a runner-up at 130 in 2022, in the final seconds.
“It feels awesome,” Heethuis said. “It wasn’t as dominant as I would have liked. But it’s awesome to go out on a third champ. It feels nice.”
Heethuis will wrestle next year at Princeton.
138
Champion: Justin Gates, Davison, Jr. (34-2)
Decision, 2-1, over Mason Stewart, Detroit Catholic Central, Jr. (47-6)
Gates found himself back on top of the podium after finishing runner-up in 2022 to Heethuis. He had won a title in 2021, defeating Weiand at 103 pounds.
“It means a lot more to me,” Gates said. “I feel like I’ve grown a lot more as a wrestler. After taking second, I had a chip on my shoulder.”
He pulled out the victory by scoring a reversal early in the third period and riding Stewart out for the final 1:36.
“I thought I was going to score some more points, but I’ll give credit where credit’s due. DCC always has a good gameplan for us,” Gates said. “I had to overcome and adapt to that. If it’s a close match, you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do.”
144
Champion: Clayton Jones, Detroit Catholic Central, Sr. (49-3)
Technical Fall, 17-2, over Jay’Den Williams, Roseville, Fr. (47-2)
Jones won his second-straight Finals title, and did so in dominant fashion.
He led 7-1 after the first period, and 15-2 after the second. His takedown 28 seconds into the third ended the match.
“It felt great,” Jones said. “I just put in all the work that needed to be done. I was confident. I’ve been here before, and I was ready to go get my second one.”
Jones, a Michigan State commit, was DCC’s seventh champion on the night.
“This team was great,” he said. “We put in the work. (Coach Mitch) Hancock gave us a gameplan at the beginning of the season, and we stuck to that gameplan and got it done.”
157
Champion: Darius Marines, Detroit Catholic Central, Jr. (36-3)
Major Decision, 11-2, over Vinnie Abbey, Hartland, Jr. (46-3)
Marines set himself up to be the Shamrocks’ next four-time champion, claiming his third title in as many tries.
“It means a lot to me,” Marines said. “I want to make my family proud, make my teammates proud. That’s what I came to CC to do.”
Marines, who won at 145 and 152 the previous two years, scored a takedown nine seconds into the match and rolled from there.
“It’s just business,” Marines said. “Come here and get it done. I’m at the point where this is routine for me. I’m not being cocky, but that’s what we come here to do. It’s business. It’s just work.”
165
Champion: Cameron Adams, Detroit Catholic Central, Sr. (35-4)
Fall, 1:03, over Nick Rochowiak, Hartland, Sr. (39-4)
Adams had Rochowiak scouted, as they had run into each other several times over the years. So when he saw an opportunity, he was quick to take it.
“We used to wrestle all the time, so I know he’s got that headlock,” Adams said. “He got up to that pinch-like headlock position and I was like, ‘Oh shoot.’ I started backing away, backing away and I reached down for the leg, brought up the leg, grabbed the head when I had the single and put him away.”
Adams had finished seventh at 160 pounds in 2022.
“Honestly, it doesn’t feel real yet,” he said. “But it feels really good. It feels amazing.”
190
Champion: Brayden Mirjavadi, Romeo, Sr. (52-4)
Decision, 3-2, over Ryan Ahern, Rockford, Jr. (51-3)
Before Mirjavadi stepped onto the mat, his coaches told him to put everything he had into his match. He took that to heart, and after that match ended, struggled to get back to his feet, as exhaustion and emotion pinned his shoulders to the mat.
Eventually he made it to his feet, however, and the celebration could begin as he erased the regret of losing in the 2022 Final at 160 pounds.
“Coaches told me that, ‘At the end of the match, if you can get up to raise your hand, you did something wrong,’” Mirjavadi said. “I definitely did that last year at the state finals. But man, I did it this time.”
215
Champion: Connor Bercume, Detroit Catholic Central, Soph. (49-4)
Decision, 8-3 UTB, over Matthew Bollman, Lapeer, Sr. (40-4)
Bercume nearly won the match in regulation, but his takedown at the buzzer didn’t beat the clock.
He regrouped in the second overtime, however, scoring five points in the final 30-second period to win his first Finals title.
“I just had to keep wrestling,” Bercume said. “It was hard going to overtime. I thought I won. But I remember last year, I lost my blood round match in ultimate tiebreaker, and I remembered how that felt. And I just found a way to win.”
Bollman, who was Lapeer’s first finalist since 2015, forced overtime with a stalling call on Bercume seconds before the takedown that wasn’t.
285
Champion: Owen Hawley, Livonia Franklin, Sr. (55-0)
Decision, 4-2, over Judah Kinne, Lake Orion, Sr. (31-2)
Hawley won this match twice. Kind of.
He appeared to have claimed a 7-2 victory, but a clock malfunction forced officials to put 22 seconds back on the clock and reset the score to 4-2. Unfazed, Hawley was able to ride out Kinne and claim the victory for real.
“I wasted a little bit of energy on that celebration at first,” Hawley said with a laugh. “But looking at my crowd, my parents, my friends, my teammates, my coaches, their faces looked terrible. There was zero belief at that point. All I had to do was give them a thumb’s up, they started cheering, they got excited, and it made me excited.
“I love to wrestle – what’s 22 more seconds?”
PHOTOS (Top) Davison's Caden Horwath, top, works for control against Grosse Pointe South's Wyatt Hepner in their championship match Saturday at Ford Field. (Middle) Detroit Catholic Central's Dylan Gilcher and Brighton's Travis Richards wrestle at 150 pounds. (Below) Davison's Josh Barr readies for the next moment during his 175-pound title match. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)