As Upsets Abound, Parker Repeats in D2
March 5, 2016
By Jeff Chaney
Special for Second Half
AUBURN HILLS – St. Johns senior Ian Parker could not help but notice what was going on around him Saturday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
The MHSAA Individual Wrestling Finals had turned into a tournament of upsets, as many returning champions, and a few multiple champions like Grand Rapids Catholic Central's Devin Schroder, Gaylord's Dom LaJoie and Lowell's Lucas Hall, all went down to defeat.
For Schroder, he lost a chance at making history, failing to win his fourth straight title and becoming just the 22nd wrestler to accomplish that feat.
So Parker, also a returning champion, walked onto the mat for his 140-pond championship match with Ortonville-Brandon's Bryan LaVearn a little nervous. And why not? LaVearn pinned former champ Zeth Dean of Lowell on Friday night in their Semifinal.
But Parker buckled down, wrestled his match, and beat the game LaVearn 6-2 to win his second title.
"I was a lot more nervous going into this match, because it was my final match, and there had been a lot of upsets in this tournament," Parker said. "It kind of gets in your head a little bit, but I felt like I calmed it down and did what I had to do to get it done."
103
Champion: Corey Gamet, Parma Western, Fr. (15-1)
Decision, 3-2, over Chaise Mayer, Warren Woods Tower, Fr. (50-7)
Gamet had a difficult first year of high school wrestling, dealing with an injured knee that limited his season to just 16 matches.
But the final four of those matches were great, as he won an MHSAA title at 103 with a 3-2 win over fellow freshman Mayer.
"I had to keep my confidence because I missed a lot of practices," Gamet said. "I knew I just had to win the match."
112
Champion: Elijuh Weaver, Warren Woods Tower, Jr. (58-1)
Decision, 5-4, over Branson Proudlock, Gibraltar Carlson, Soph. (51-2)
There would be no second place for Weaver again.
A runner-up last year, Weaver won his title this year with a hard-fought 5-4 win over talented sophomore Proudlock.
"I was thinking I can't lose again, I can't repeat what happened last year," Weaver said. "My friends motivated me by telling me I can't be a runner-up again."
119
Champion: Julian Saldana, Melvindale, Sr. (58-1)
Decision, 4-3, over Dom LaJoie, Gaylord, Jr. (61-1)
Saldana may have been as shocked as everyone else in The Palace on Saturday. After all, he had just upset a two-time reigning champion.
The win caused the large crowd at The Palace to gasp, as LaJoie went down to defeat for the first time at the MHSAA Finals.
"I had to do something; I'm not really sure what exactly I did," Saldana said. "All I know is it worked, and I beat a two-time state champion."
125
Champion: Drew Marten, Tecumseh, Jr. (53-1)
Decision, 10-4, over Lucas Hall, Lowell, Sr. (31-1)
Just as the crowd was settling down at the Division 2 end of The Palace, Marten put fans back on their feet as he beat two-time champion Hall, 10-4.
It was a tough win for Marten, as he explained that he and Hall are close friends. But was glad to do it for his school and wrestling program.
"He is my best friend, so that was tough," Marten said. "But I hope this will motivate our program and create a chain reaction for Tecumseh."
130
Champion: Mike Bergmooser, Carleton Airport, Sr. (50-3)
Fall, 3:58, over Jon Marten, Gaylord, Sr., (58-4)
Better late than never for Bergmooser.
He had struggled at the Finals before, but this past weekend won four matches to win his first title.
"I never won a match down here before. I was 0-6," Bergmooser said. "But it felt so good to finally get a win and go out with a bang."
135
Champion: Nathan Ellis, Goodrich, Sr. (52-3)
Decision, 5-2, over Trent Lashuay, St. Johns, Jr. (44-11)
When two wrestlers are evenly matched, it's usually the one who pushes himself to the limit who picks up the victory.
Ellis wrestled a full six minutes and came away with a tight 5-2 win.
"Going into the third period, I knew I just had to push the pace," Ellis said. "If I did that, I knew that it would be in my favor, and I would come out on top."
145
Champion: Austin Melton, DeWitt, Sr. (55-1)
Major decision, 14-6, over Dustin Gross, Dearborn Heights Annapolis, Soph. (55-4)
Sometimes a heart-breaking loss in a championship match can be just the motivation to help achieve a title the next year.
That's what happened Melton, as he lost a tough match in the Finals to Marysville's Austin Thompson a year ago, only to come back and win this year by major decision.
"It felt great to go out on top," Melton said. "I have been working hard all year long. It feels awesome because last year it slipped away, but now that I finally got it … it feels awesome."
152
Champion: Ameer Munassar, Melvindale, Sr. (52-1)
Decision, 7-5 OT, over Brandon Garcia, Riverview, Sr. (54-1)
Losing in Regional competition can be tough. It affects your seed and placement when it comes to the Finals.
But coming back and avenging that loss in the Finals can be even sweeter, as Munassar felt Saturday night avenging his only defeat by beating Garcia.
“I lost to him in overtime at Regionals, and it motivated me so much more coming into the State Finals," Munassar said. "To win here is so great."
160
Champion: Deirrien Perkins, Warren Lincoln, Sr. (41-1)
Decision, 3-1, over Connor Charping, Trenton, Jr. (55-2)
Wrestling coaches always preach wrestle to the final whistle. They always say you never know what can happen, and that a match is never done until that final whistle.
Perkins did just that, and scored a takedown with 10 seconds to go in the 160-pound championship match to beat Charping 3-1.
“He wasn't ready for it (the takedown). I knew I had to go, and I just went for it," Perkins said. "I capitalized on that moment, got (the takedown) and held on for dear life."
171
Champion: Jelani Embree, Warren Lincoln, Jr. (47-0)
Decision, 4-1, over Danny Kruse, Lowell, Sr. (36-3)
An injured Embree is no easy opponent to wrestle. A healthy one can be downright impossible to face.
The Warren Lincoln junior proved that this year, completing an undefeated season with a hard-fought 4-1 win over Kruse.
"This year it was a little bit different, because both my knees were actually healthy," Embree said. "I was able to train a lot harder, and it helped me finally come out on top."
189
Champion: Max Dean, Lowell, Sr. (37-0)
Decision, 9-2, over Brad Wilton, Mason, Jr. (45-3)
Dean won an MHSAA championship as a sophomore, but was unable to defend that title last year thanks to an injured wrist suffered during his junior football season.
So it was that much sweeter for him to come back as a senior and finish the task, winning his second championship with a workmanlike 9-2 decision.
"To me, this means a lot," said Dean, who will be wrestling at Cornell next year. "I was heart-broken last year not being able to compete, having that privilege to walk on to the mat and go to war. I really missed that, and it was definitely tough. But it is really satisfying to come back and win this year."
215
Champion: Landon Pelham, Tecumseh, Sr. (53-0)
Decision, 9-2, over Eli Boulton, Lowell, Jr. (29-14)
There is an MHSAA championship in the Pelham household now.
Two years after watching his older brother Preston Pelham lose in the heavyweight Finals, Landon Pelham won the family's first title.
"I got some redemption for my bother. It has all been our goal to be state champs," Landon Pelham said. "He wanted more for me than I could have ever wanted it for myself."
285
Champion: Isaiah Espinoza, Adrian, Sr. (47-1)
Decision, 1-0, over Sam Benson, Mason, Sr. (36-6)
Espinoza takes nothing for granted in wrestling. He knows how brutal the sport can be, both physically and mentally.
The grind of a season can take it out of your body. And a loss in a championship match can wear on the mind for a long time.
That happened last year when Espinoza fell in the Finals at heavyweight and had to wait a full year for redemption, which he got Saturday night.
"I knew I had to make it back, and my coaches gave me a process to get better" Espinoza said. "They expected me to push myself harder and harder. It was a grind, I loved it and it paid off."
The MHSAA Wrestling Finals are presented by the Michigan Army National Guard.
PHOTO: St. Johns’ Ian Parker wins his Semifinal match Friday to earn a berth in Saturday’s Final, which he also won to repeat as a Division 2 champ. (Photo by Michelle Campbell.)
Performance: Eaton Rapids' Austin O'Hearon
February 16, 2018
Austin O’Hearon
Eaton Rapids senior – Wrestling
O’Hearon, the reigning Division 2 individual champion at 145 pounds, led Eaton Rapids to a Team District championship on Feb. 7 as the Greyhounds won their matches by a combined score of 147-3. He then went on to win his Individual District title at 160 pounds Saturday to earn the Michigan Army National Guard “Performance of the Week.”
The Greyhounds standout claimed the Individual District title with a 6-4 championship match victory over DeWitt’s Sam York – O’Hearon is ranked No. 2 and York No. 3 at their weight in Division 2 by Michigan Grappler. O’Hearon also won their rematch this past Wednesday as No. 5 Eaton Rapids upset No. 2 DeWitt 31-26 to win a Team Regional title and advance to next weekend’s Quarterfinals for the first time since 2015. The Greyhounds are coached by Joe Ray Barry, a three-time MHSAA champion at Mason from 1997-99.
O’Hearon will bring a 176-17 career record into this weekend’s Individual Regional at Vicksburg, and he ranks third in Eaton Rapids’ illustrious history in both career victories and career takedowns with 369. He finished seventh in Division 2 at 112 pounds as a freshman and then seventh at 125 as a sophomore before claiming the title last winter at 145. He’s 41-1 this season with his only loss to Portland’s Owen Guilford after bumping up to 171 pounds; O’Hearon then handed Guilford his only loss this season in a rematch earlier this month. O’Hearon has opportunities to continue wrestling at the college level, but has planned on enlisting in the U.S. Navy – following his grandfather (Army) and father (Marines), who both also served – and would like to train to become part of the SEALs special operations force.
Coach Joe Ray Barry said: “His work ethic over the four years is what separates him from his competition – early morning workouts and late night runs. He’s in the corner for his team day in and day out, constantly pushing them to work harder than they do. He’s leading by example and stays focused.”
Performance Point: “(The season) has come along how I wanted it to,” O’Hearon said. “Everything’s falling into place. … It’s just because I work hard. There’s no substitute for hard work. I’ve just always believed that the harder I work, then success has to come with it. If you work hard at something for long enough, you’re bound to reach your goals. For me, one of the spots I lacked was strength. So my (physical education teacher) was talking to me one day, said I could come up (before school) Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and lift with him. So I was like, ‘Yeah sure, I’ll try it.’ I just liked it. It was nice. It woke me up in the morning. I noticed wrestling I was just getting a lot stronger, and so it just all fell into play how I wanted it to.”
Back to the Finals: “We knew going in (to Wednesday’s Regional) that we could win it. We were crunching the numbers, and everywhere that we crunched it looked good. We had some things that happened … but probably the biggest thing of the night was our heavyweight getting a pin against the kid he had lost to at Districts. After he got that pin, I knew that we were going to go to team states. … Everything as a team has fallen together. At the beginning of the season we were kinda distant; now it’s more team-based. We’re all trying to be better for the team. We’ve grown as a team. We’re real close right now. It’s just making everything go smooth and easy.”
We are E.R.: “My freshman year, I knew all the seniors, I knew all the juniors. I pretty much knew everybody. There were kids I’d wrestled with in the youth (programs), so we were already like family. And that’s what I think makes Eaton Rapids better than most teams, because we’re all real close and homegrown and we’re all pretty much family. We all wrestled together in the youth programs, and now we’re wrestling high school together.”
Thanks Coach Barry: “He’s just always pushed me to be the best that I can be. He helps me with technique. He still rolls around with me up at practice every once in a while. He’s getting old now and it’s hard, because he doesn’t like the beatings … (but) yeah, I love wrestling with him. He’s still quick. He’s still strong. I can’t say enough good things about him.”
My time to lead: Just the younger kids, I try to keep them motivated, show them it is possible to win a state title and to have your team be successful. You just have to stay positive. I just try to motivate the younger guys to stick with the program, because this is what a program is built on: our seniors helping out our younger guys. I remember when I was a freshman, the seniors would always help me out … so that’s just how I try to be this year.”
- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2017-18 school year, Second Half and the Michigan Army National Guard will recognize a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom or protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Previous 2017-18 honorees:
February 9: Sophia Wiard, Muskegon Oakridge basketball - Read
February 2: Brenden Tulpa, Hartland hockey - Read
January 25: Brandon Whitman, Dundee wrestling - Read
January 18: Derek Maas, Holland West Ottawa swimming - Read
January 11: Lexi Niepoth, Bellaire basketball - Read
November 30: La'Darius Jefferson, Muskegon football - Read
November 23: Ashley Turak, Farmington Hills Harrison swimming - Read
November 16: Bryce Veasley, West Bloomfield football - Read
November 9: Jose Penaloza, Holland soccer - Read
November 2: Karenna Duffey, Macomb L'Anse Creuse North cross country - Read
October 26: Anika Dy, Traverse City Central golf - Read
October 19: Andrew Zhang, Bloomfield Hills tennis - Read
October 12: Nolan Fugate, Grand Rapids Catholic Central football - Read
October 5: Marissa Ackerman, Munising tennis - Read
September 28: Minh Le, Portage Central soccer - Read
September 21: Olivia Theis, Lansing Catholic cross country - Read
September 14: Maddy Chinn, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep volleyball - Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Eaton Rapids' Austin O’Hearon (left) works for a takedown this season. (Middle) O’Hearon’s arm is raised after he earns last season’s Division 2 title at 145 pounds. (Top photo and head shot courtesy of Eaton Rapids’ wrestling program; middle photo by HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)