D1 Preview: Heavy-Duty Contenders
March 2, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Often, the most intriguing bouts heading into a weekend of wrestling at The Palace of Auburn Hills are scheduled somewhere in the middle weights.
But this weekend, arguably the best matchup could come in a rematch among the heaviest competitors in Division 1.
Keep an eye out for returning finalists Dan Perry of Lapeer and Ali Wahab of Dearborn Heights Crestwood locking up again at 285 pounds after Perry won 3-2 in last season's championship match to finish undefeated and hand Wahab his only loss of 2014-15.
They are two of 10 contenders we’ve broken out below among many to watch this weekend at the Division 1 Individual Finals. Follow all the matches beginning with Thursday's first round on a subscription basis live on MHSAA.TV, and click here for results at MHSAA.com. And come back to Second Half this weekend as we’ll interview all 14 title winners.
112: Max Johnson, Davison senior (27-0) – The champion at this weight in 2014 slid to fifth last season, but he’s coming off helping Davison to the team runner-up finish last weekend and is considered the favorite again.
112: Mike Mars, Westland John Glenn sophomore (48-2) – Last season’s champion at 103 pounds has lost to only Warren Woods Tower’s Elijuh Weaver, who Mars beat in last season’s Final, and another favorite at this weight in New Baltimore Anchor Bay’s Jack Medley.
119: AJ Facundo, Davison sophomore (28-9) – Last season’s champion at 112 might have a few more losses than other contenders, but he was one of the few to win all three of his matches at last weekend’s Team Final and beat an equally-impressive field to emerge a year ago.
135: Ben Freeman, Walled Lake Central junior (38-0) – Last season’s champion at 125 has only one high school loss, which came when he was a freshman and still went on to win the Division 1 title at 103.
140: Dylan Steward, Grand Ledge senior (45-1) – Steward won the Division 1 championship at this weight last season despite a loss at his Regional, and his loss this season came in December to another reigning champion, Dresden Simon of Dansville.
145: Nathan Atienza, Livonia Franklin junior (53-0) – Atienza may have surprised only a bit last season reaching the 140 Final with four losses, but he’s the top seed and favorite this time around.
160: Blake Montrie, Temperance Bedford senior (47-1) – After winning the championship at 152 last season, in overtime, Montrie has again lost only once, to Dundee’s Sean Sterling in December.
215: Luke Ready, Brighton senior (37-1) – The reigning champion at this weight is also, predictably, the top seed this time and is the only competitor at his weight with fewer than three losses.
285: Dan Perry, Lapeer senior (50-2) – As noted above, Perry won one of the most exciting matches of the 2015 Finals and can expect something similar in his final high school match before continuing at University of Michigan next season.
285 – Ali Wahab, Dearborn Heights Crestwood senior (57-0) – He fell to Perry in last season’s Final only 3-2, and it was his only loss of the season; Wahab can finish with a little revenge on his way to continuing his career at Old Dominion.
Other 2015 runners-up: Southgate Anderson junior Donte Rivera-Garcia (125, 51-2, 112 in 2015), Bay City Western junior Noah Schoenherr (130, 45-2, D2 119 in 2015), Dearborn Fordson senior Abe Ajami (140, 38-3, 130 in 2015), Kalamazoo Loy Norrix senior Nick May (189, 47-0, 189 in 2015).
Also undefeated: Ann Arbor Pioneer junior Rayvon Foley (103, 54-0), Bloomfield Hills senior Kajuan Caldwell (145, 23-0), Utica Eisenhower senior Owen Donovan (145, 45-0), Hartland senior Sage Castillo (152, 55-0).
More of note: Detroit Catholic Central freshman Kevon Davenport (119, 43-3), Monroe senior Carl Antrassian (119, 52-2), Davison senior Deven Perez (125, 35-6), Oxford senior Alex Hrisopoulos (140, 46-5), Holt junior Kolin Leyrer (152, 38-3), Lapeer senior Devon Pingel (171, 47-3), Davison junior Brenden McRill (189, 34-2).
The MHSAA Wrestling Finals are presented by the Michigan Army National Guard.
PHOTO: Lapeer’s Dan Perry and Crestwood’s Ali Wahab compete during last season’s Final at 285; they’re the favorites again this weekend. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
D1 Preview: Seasoned Contenders Return
February 27, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Six returning champions and 10 wrestlers who finished runners-up at the MHSAA Individual Finals in 2018 get this weekend’s Division 1 brackets at Ford Field off to an incredible start.
But they represent just one layer of elite contenders attempting to make history.
Detroit Catholic Central senior Kevon Davenport leads the headliners, hoping to become the 25th or 26th four-time champion in MHSAA history (Hudson’s Jordan Hamdan is wrestling for the same in Division 4).
Below, we look at 10 contenders to watch in Division 1, plus list everyone who finished at least as a runner-up in 2018 and all of the top seeds heading into this weekend. Surely we still missed a few who will end up rising to the top of the podium 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 p.m.
Follow all matches on a subscription basis live on MHSAA.tv, and click here for results at MHSAA.com.
119: Andrew Chambal, Davison junior (35-4) – The top seed at 119 pounds is seeking his second championship after winning 112 last year and finishing third at 103 as a freshman. He’s wrestled up most of the season but is 7-0 at 119.
125 Eddie Homrock, Brighton junior (52-2) – The top seed at 125 has lost only to two out-of-state opponents and dealt Chambal one of his defeats this past weekend. Homrock was fourth at this weight last season.
130 Kyle Kantola, Hartland senior (46-0) – After finishing runner-up at 125 a year ago, Kantola is the top seed at 130 and looking for his first title after also finishing seventh at 119 as a sophomore and fifth at 103 as a freshman.
135: Joshua Edmond, Detroit Catholic Central junior (36-2) – Last season’s champion at 130 and the 2017 Division 2 runner-up at 135 (for Orchard Lake St. Mary’s) is the top seed in Division 1 at 135. His two defeats came to out-of-state opponents, and he’s unbeaten in 2019 and undefeated against Michigan opponents the last two seasons.
140 Derek Gilcher, Detroit Catholic Central junior (31-2) – The top seed at 140 won the championship last season at 135 and finished fourth at 119 as a freshman. He too is undefeated against in-state opponents this season.
145 Kevon Davenport, Detroit Catholic Central senior (34-1) – As noted, he’s on the cusp of possible history after claiming titles at 145 last season, 130 in 2017 and 119 in 2016. His only defeat this winter came in overtime to an Ohio opponent while wrestling up, and he enters the weekend with a 167-10 career record.
152 Cameron Amine, Detroit Catholic Central senior (36-0) – Amine is the top seed at this weight after finishing runner-up a year ago, falling 4-2 to Davison’s Alex Facundo (see below) in the final. Amine won 125 as a freshman and 145 as a sophomore, and beat Facundo 2-1 in an ultimate tie-breaker at the beginning of January.
160 Alex Facundo, Davison sophomore (35-2) – After winning 152 last season, Facundo is the top seed at 160 and someone forecast to possibly join the four-championship club in 2021. His only defeats this winter – and for his high school career – were to Amine as noted above and by injury default at his league tournament.
189 Cal Stefanko, Davison senior (30-2) – Last season’s runner-up at 171 also took fifth at 160 as a sophomore. He enters this weekend as the top seed at 189 with a win over Turner (below) and losses only to out-of-state opponents.
189 Eaton Turner, Detroit Catholic Central senior (37-3) – Turner won 215 last season but lost to Davison’s Stefanko (above) during a December dual that likely cost him the top seed. Turner’s only other losses came to out-of-state opponents, and he could see Stefanko in the championship match this weekend.
Other 2018 runners-up: 119 Nick Alayan, Macomb Dakota senior (45-3, 112 in 2018); 125 Mark Brado, Waterford Kettering senior (39-2, 119 in 2018); 135 Jared Riggins, Jackson senior (35-2, 130 in 2018); 145 Vic Schoenherr, Bay City Western senior (46-0, 145 in 2018); 171 River Shettler, Brighton (48-3, 160 in 2018 wrestling for Hartland); 215 Blake Wingate, Temperance Bedford (38-3, 215 in 2018); 285 Steven Kolcheff, Detroit Catholic Central junior (35-3, 285 in 2018).
Additional No. 1 seeds: 103 Kavan Troy, Rochester sophomore (46-0); 112 Brendan Ferretti, Macomb Dakota sophomore (50-0); 171 River Shettler, Brighton senior (48-3); 215 Brendin Yatooma, Detroit Catholic Central junior (38-3); 285 Steven Kolcheff, Detroit Catholic Central junior (35-3).
Also undefeated: 130 TJ Daugherty, Waterford Kettering junior (37-0); 285 Brady Riggs, Grand Ledge senior (42-0).
PHOTO: Hartland’s Kyle Kantola works toward a pin during his team’s Division 1 Quarterfinal match against Westland John Glenn on Friday at Wings Event Center. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)