This Time, DCC Leaves CMU as D1 Champ
February 25, 2017
By Jeff Chaney
Special for Second Half
MOUNT PLEASANT – Last year, the Michigan High School Athletic Association held its Team Wrestling Finals at Central Michigan University's McGuirk Arena for the first time.
The Detroit Catholic Central wrestling team did not have a good first trip to CMU, losing in the Division 1 Semifinals with a team that ended up with five individual champions a week later at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
So the Shamrocks went to work in the offseason with a chip on their shoulders, and came back this year motivated.
That motivation took them all the way through the two-day tournament and winning the school's 12th team title, as the Shamrocks beat Davison, the team that knocked them out in the Semifinals last year, 35-22.
"We were frustrated last year," Detroit Catholic Central coach Mitch Hancock said. "There was a ton of motivation. We weren't happy last year. We entered as the three seed and thought we earned the one seed by beating Hartland (the eventual champions) by 16 points. But we didn't wrestle to the best of our ability against Davison, and fell short."
That wasn't the case Saturday at McGuirk, as the Shamrocks flexed their muscles against Davison throughout their lineup, including getting wins from all five of their returning individual champions.
Nicholas Jenkins scored a decision at 285 pounds, Ben Kamali won 13-7 at 112, Kevon Davenport pinned at 130 pounds, Cam Amine won by technical fall at 140 and Tyler Morland ended the dual at 171 with a pin in 30 seconds.
"Anytime you lose in the Quarterfinals or Semifinals, that leaves a bitter taste in your mouth for sure," said Morland, a senior. "We have a lot of leaders on this team, more than our seniors, and we were motivated for this year."
Davison coach Roy Hall saw that motivation up close.
His team, which lost to Detroit Catholic Central earlier this winter 32-22, was hoping to find those 10 elusive points Saturday. But the strength of the Shamrocks’ lineup was too much.
"They are so well coached," said Hall, whose team ended its year with a 26-4 record. "But I am very proud of our guys; they wrestled hard. We didn't wrestle bad, that's just a very talented team."
The Cardinals took the early lead when their returning individual champion, senior 189-pounder Brenden McRill, won by technical fall.
Davison also got big wins from Andrew Chambal at 103 and 2015 individual champ (and 2016 runner-up) A.J. Facundo at 125, but in the end, Detroit Catholic Central won eight of the 14 matches wrestled and scored more bonus points throughout the dual.
"This is absolutely remarkable," said Hancock, whose team ended its season with a 31-1 record. "We went undefeated in the state of Michigan. Our only loss was to (Lakewood) St. Ed's out of Ohio. Everybody did their job today, and we represent DCC with pride."
The Shamrocks earned their way to the championship match by knocking off last year's champion, Hartland, in their Semifinal match. Davison beat a game Macomb Dakota team in their Semifinal, 37-21.
The MHSAA Wrestling Finals are presented by the Michigan Army National Guard.
PHOTOS: (Top) Detroit Catholic Central wrestlers cheer on a teammate during Saturday’s Division 1 Final. (Middle) DCC and Davison competitors lock up during the Shamrocks’ win. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
D2 Preview: St. Joe's Wertanen, Holly's Gonzales Seek to Climb for 3rd Time
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 3, 2022
Only five returning Individual Finals champs are part of this weekend’s Division 2 brackets at Ford Field, and two of them won in a different division a year ago.
But two more of that few are wrestling for an especially elite honor.
St. Joseph senior Nolan Wertanen and Holly senior Jacob Gonzales both will wrestle for their third Finals championships and are among contenders we’ve highlighted below.
The Grand March on Friday begins at 10 a.m., with wrestling through semifinals that evening. Wrestling begins again at 9 a.m. Saturday with championship matches at 3:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at Ford Field. All matches will be broadcast live on MHSAA.tv, and we’ll talk to all 14 champions in each division for our Second Half coverage published later that evening and overnight. See the MHSAA Wrestling Finals page for more information and to follow results this weekend.
112 Adam Polk, Pontiac sophomore (34-2) – Last season’s champion at 103 could run into the top seed in this bracket in his second match but has lost only twice this winter, both times by decision.
119 Nolan Wertanen, St. Joseph senior (47-0) – The top seed at this weight hasn’t lost since his sophomore season and can add a third championship after winning 103 in 2020 and 112 in 2021. He has a 149-3 career record despite missing the second half of his freshman season with an injury.
125 Tayden Miller, Mason junior (33-0) – Last year’s runner-up at 119 is the top seed at this weight this weekend and also finished third at 103 as a freshman.
130 Louden Stradling, Gaylord junior (20-1) – He’s pursuing his first championship and top-seeded after finishing Division 1 runner-up at 103 as a freshman and 119 as a sophomore wrestling for Battle Creek Lakeview.
135 Aaron Lucio, Stevensville Lakeshore junior (50-0) – He’s up two weights after finishing runner-up last season at 125 and suffering his only loss of the winter in the championship match. He was third at 119 as a freshman.
145 Max Brown, Whitehall senior (37-6) – The top seed at this weight was last season’s Division 3 champion at 140, and he’s also placed third at 130 and fourth at 125 as his team has moved back and forth between the two divisions.
152 Micah Hanau, Stevensville Lakeshore senior (48-2) – He’s the top seed at his weight after finishing third at 140 last season and winning 130 as a sophomore. He also finished fifth at 125 as a freshman and has a 152-13 career record.
160 Jacob Gonzales, Holly senior (45-0) – The champion at 152 the last two years is top-seeded at this weight and hasn’t lost since he was a freshman; his career record is 171-3.
189 Kael Wisler, New Boston Huron senior (51-1) – He’s the top seed and seeking his first championship after finishing runner-up at 171 last season and eighth at that weight as a sophomore.
285 Ira Jenkins, Whitehall senior (47-0) – He also was a Division 3 champion last winter and hasn’t lost in two years, carrying a 172-11 career record into this weekend. He was fifth at 171 in Division 2 as a sophomore and third at 152 in Division 3 as a freshman.
Other 2021 runners-up: 135 Gage Race, Jackson Northwest junior (35-5, 130 last year); 152 Jack Conley, Lake Fenton junior (45-5, 145 last year); 171 Jacob Halsey, St. Joseph senior (47-1, 152 last year); 171 Nicholas Blanchard, Whitehall senior (45-2, 152 in Division 3 last year); 189 Carson Crace, Lowell junior (23-9, 160 last year).
Additional No. 1 seeds: 103 Ja'Marcus Smith, Detroit Mumford senior (16-1); 112 Jackson Blum, Lowell freshman (33-3); 140 Jacob Brya, St. Johns senior (38-0); 171 Cameron Macklem, Goodrich senior (42-3); 189 Adam Haselius, Jackson Northwest junior (41-1); 215 Carter Blough, Lowell senior (33-2).
Also undefeated: 112 Connor Greer, Bay City John Glenn freshman (37-0); 171 Mikus Bishop, Harper Woods sophomore (17-0); 215 James Campbell, Mattawan senior (33-0); 285 Joshua Cook, Ferndale senior (49-0).
PHOTO St. Joseph's Nolan Wertanen, top, works toward a pin during Friday's Division 2 Team Quarterfinals. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com).