D1 Preview: Power-Packed Brackets
February 22, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
This weekend’s Division 1 team wrestling field at Kalamazoo’s Wings Event Center is power-packed again, and that might be an understatement.
Detroit Catholic Central is wrestling for its third straight Division 1 title, but four other teams that have won at least one championship over the last 13 seasons also will compete. The eight teams at Friday’s Quarterfinals have a combined 80 Individual Finals qualifiers who will go on to Ford Field next weekend as well.
Below is a look at all eight teams competing in Division 1, listed by seed. Quarterfinal matches begin at 2:15 p.m. Friday, with Semifinals at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and the championship match that afternoon at 3:45 p.m. All matches this weekend will be viewable live on a subscription basis on MHSAA.tv. For Friday’s schedule and results throughout, check the MHSAA Wrestling page.
#1 Detroit Catholic Central
Record/rank: 23-1, No. 1
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League
Coach: Mitch Hancock, 12th season (270-45)
Championship history: Thirteen MHSAA championships (most recent 2018), two runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Anthony Walker (26-9) fr., 112 Caleb White (19-7) jr., 130 Camden Trupp (35-6) soph., 135 Joshua Edmond (33-2) jr., 140 Marc Shaeffer (18-4) jr., 140 Derek Gilcher (28-2) jr., 145 Logan Sanom (33-3) jr., 145 Kevon Davenport (31-1) sr., 152 Cameron Amine (33-0) sr., 152 Joseph Urso (36-7) sr., 160 Manuel Rojas (24-7) fr., 189 Easton Turner (34-3) sr., 215 Brendin Yatooma (35-3) jr., 285 Steven Kolcheff (32-3) jr.
Outlook: The Shamrocks are seeking their third straight Division 1 title and sixth in eight seasons, and haven’t lost to an in-state opponent in three seasons. DCC hasn’t given up a team point during this MHSAA Tournament, shutting out all four opponents through the District and Regional. Edmond, Gilcher, Davenport and Turner were Individual Finals champions last year with Amine and Kolcheff runners-up and Yatooma, Sanom and Shaeffer placers. Davenport will be seeking his fourth title and Amine his third next weekend at Ford Field.
#2 Brighton
Record/rank: 31-0, No. 2
League finish: First in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West and overall
Coach: Tony Greathouse, sixth season (151-27)
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2015, runner-up 2018.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Aiden Smith (33-15) fr., 119 Sam Freeman (43-4) jr., 119 Mason Shrader (29-5) soph., 125 Eddie Homrock (49-2) jr., 135 Zach Johnson (39-6) soph., 140 Rhett Newton (14-2) sr., 152 Victor Grabowski (40-10) sr., 152 Harley Berne (28-8) jr., 160 Dane Donabedian (44-9) jr., 171 River Shettler (46-2) sr., 189 Greyson Stevens (46-4) jr., 215 Luke Stanton (25-1) jr., 285 Colby Ford (40-14) sr.
Outlook: The Bulldogs enter seeded second for the second straight season. Brighton shut out two postseason opponents and defeated No. 10 Holt in the Regional Final to get back to Kalamazoo, after finishing first in a league that included two more top-five teams in Division 1. Stanton, Shrader, Homrock, Johnson, Donabedian, Grabowski and Shettler all were Finals placers a year ago, Shettler a runner-up. Brighton defeated possible Semifinal opponent Davison by 11 in its season opener.
#3 Davison
Record/rank: 15-2, No. 3
League finish: First in Saginaw Valley League
Coach: Roy Hall, 21st season (538-97-1)
Championship history: Eight MHSAA championships (most recent 2006), five runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: Aden Williams (21-4) fr., 112 Owen Payne (25-10) fr., 119 Steven Garty (31-6) sr., 119 Andrew Chambal (34-3) jr., 125 Jaron Wilson (8-1) jr., 140 James Johnston (30-5) soph., 145 Landon Kish (20-16) soph., 152 Brian Case (18-7) sr., 160 Alex Facundo (33-2) soph., 171 Jay Nivison (23-9) jr., 189 Cal Stefanko (28-2) sr., 189 Trevor McGowan (20-8) sr., 215 Jimmy Colley (11-3) fr.
Outlook: Davison has reached the Semifinals six straight seasons and will wrestle Friday in its eighth straight Quarterfinal. Chambal and Facundo are reigning Finals champions and Stefanko was a runner-up last season, and Garty, Case and Nivison also were placers. Nine upperclassmen bolster a lineup that fell to Detroit Catholic Central by only six points Dec. 21.
#4 Westland John Glenn
Record/rank: 29-5, No. 4
League finish: First in KLAA East
Coach: Bill Polk, 21st season (423-124)
Championship history: Has not appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Josh Mars (40-13) fr., 112 Ty Cowen (45-12) soph., 125 Caleb Meekins (49-4) sr., 135 Kyle Borthwell (44-4) sr., 145 Brenten Polk (49-5) sr., 160 Graden Bowen (37-16) sr.
Outlook: John Glenn will wrestle in its third straight Quarterfinal and has missed making its first Semifinal the last two seasons by a combined six points. The Rockets edged No. 8 Temperance Bedford by two points in last week’s Regional Final. Meekins and Brenten Polk were Individual Finals placers last season and help lead a lineup with 13 upperclassmen – including eight seniors – expected to start.
#5 Hartland
Record/rank: 29-3, No. 5
League finish: Second in KLAA West
Coach: Todd Cheney, 27th season (761-109-2)
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2016, five runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Patrick Wlodyga (43-9) fr., 119 Wyatt Nault (27-4) jr., 119 Ethan Kinch (31-10) fr., 130 Kyle Kantola (45-0) sr., 135 Corey Cavanaugh (38-4) sr., 135 Bryce Cheney (39-10) soph., 145 Devon Pietila (32-20) sr., 152 Avery Dickerson (41-7) fr., 160 Tanner Culver (37-5) sr., 160 Reece Potter (21-2) sr., 215 Jon Hartman (31-20) sr.
Outlook: Hartland has moved up two seeds from last season as it prepares for its 18th straight Quarterfinal appearance. After navigating the KLAA, the Eagles didn’t give up more than 16 points in any of four District or Regional matches. Kantola was an Individual Finals runner-up last season, and Nault, Cavanaugh, Culver and Potter all were placers as well.
#6 Rockford
Record/rank: 30-2, unranked
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Red
Coach: Brian Richardson, 10th season (210-109)
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 2009), three runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 130 Trenton Wachter (47-1) soph., 135 Evan Kaser (38-11) jr., 140 Connor White (41-5) sr., 145 Jack Richardson (40-4) sr., 160 Noah Anderson (12-1) sr., 171 Cole Gleason (33-9) soph., 189 Tyler Waterstrat (35-5) sr.
Outlook: Rockford is coming off its third straight District title and returning to the Quarterfinals for the first time since finishing Division 1 runner-up in 2010. White and Richardson were both Individual Finals placers a year ago and two of eight senior starters expected to take the mat.
#7 Macomb Dakota
Record/rank: 27-5, No. 6
League finish: First in Macomb Area Conference Red
Coach: Ed Skowneski, seventh season (207-45)
Championship history: Has not appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 112 Brendan Ferretti (49-0) soph., 119 Nick Alayan (45-3) sr., 125 Justin Tiburcio (37-3) sr., 125 Bradley Weiand (34-15) jr., 130 Andrew Barrett (37-12) sr., 140 Brandon Alkazir (38-14) sr., 145 David McFadden (25-21) soph., 160 Eli Andary (42-12) sr., 171 Dustin Solomon (49-3) sr.
Outlook: This will be Dakota’s fourth straight Quarterfinal and sixth in seven seasons under Skowneski. Ten upperclassmen including seven seniors bolster the lineup after the team made the Semifinals a year ago for the second straight season. Alayan will be seeking his first individual championship next weekend after finishing runner-up the last two seasons, and Ferretti, Tiburcio and Solomon also were placers in 2018.
#8 Clarkston
Record/rank: 26-5, No. 7
League finish: First in Oakland Activities Association Red
Coach: Joe Wood, second season (44-15)
Championship history: Class A champion 1991, runner-up 1995.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 125 Cole Wiegers (40-8) sr., 130 Mackenzie Hanselman (36-11) sr., 135 Conor Donahue (38-6) sr., 135 Grady Castle (35-9) soph., 140 Ethan Polick (35-10) sr., 145 Jacob Billette (37-7) sr., 160 Devin Trevino (42-4) sr.
Outlook: Clarkston is competing at the Quarterfinals for the first time since 2007, with a two-point Regional Semifinal win over No. 9 Oxford the key victory of this run. Billette was a Finals placer last season and this winter is one of six seniors holding down the middle weights.
PHOTO: Josh Edmond, here at last season’s Individual Finals, is one of four returning champions leading DCC on its quest for another team title. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Bensinger Adds to Gaylord's Title Count with First of Stradling Coaching Era
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
March 7, 2025
New coach. Same great results.
Gaylord – officially under new leadership for the first time since 1995 – sent four wrestlers this year to the Division 2 Individual Finals at Ford Field in Detroit and came away with yet another champion.
The newest champion is junior Jaron Bensinger, who came out on top in the 144-pound weight class. His brother, Ty, was one of Gaylord’s three individual champs last year.
“It’s pretty cool that both (of us) could experience something like that and both be forever state champions here in Gaylord,” Jaron said. “I couldn’t do this without God. I know He has a plan for me next year, and I have to keep following Him.”
For now, Bensinger will move on to some summer wrestling before getting back on the football field for the Blue Devils.
“I’ll be back at it and hopefully just go out there and have fun,” said Bensinger, who posted a 47-0 record this season after finishing as a Finals runner-up as a sophomore. “I will just take one match at a time next year and whatever happens, happens.”
Casey Stradling officially became the head coach of the Blue Devils this year after serving three as the team’s assistant coach under Jerry LaJoie, who headed up Blue Devils program for 30 years and unofficially turned over the program to Stradling last year. This winter’s team season ended in the Regional Final with a loss to Freeland.
While Stradling, the captain of Petoskey’s 1996 Division 2 champion wrestling team, hopes to see Bensinger involved in summer wrestling, he is looking forward to football for Gaylord’s newest champion as well.
“Jaron does have a passion for football, and there’s where I want him to be,” Stradling said. “I want his weight to be up and for him to be healthy for football because if they worry about their weight, that’s where injuries happen and that’s not where we want him.”
Bensinger has 140 career wins and just 13 losses. He credits his team, faith, coaches and family for his success. He singles out one teammate in particular — training partner Kieran Beach, who also qualified for this year’s Finals.
“I was with that team every day of the week and we all make each other better people on and off the mat, and our coaches go a great job of making sure we’re having fun and still getting after what we need to get after.” Bensinger said. “I wrestled with Kieran every day. He came up short this year, but I think next year has a pretty good chance of doing something special.”
Current assistant coaches Dan Cornish, Dave Beyers and Cole Guilck also played big roles in Bensinger achieving an undefeated championship season.
“Coach Guilck has helped me with all his wrestling knowledge throughout to make sure I enjoy the opportunity to compete,” Bensinger pointed out. “Coach Beyers’ strength program has helped me so much, and Coach Cornish hops in and actually wrestles with us.”
Bensinger comes from an athletic family. There’s a slew of relatives who wrestled competitively on his mother’s said. His dad, reputed to previously favor basketball and baseball, is now one of the biggest fans of wrestling.
Ty and Jaron were first introduced to the sport at a young age by LaJoie.
“I couldn’t have done anything without my family and my teammates,” Jaron Bensinger said. “This sport has meant a lot to my family. My dad loves wrestling now, that’s for sure.”
Junior Zane Willobee followed up his individual championship with a runner-up finish at 165 points last weekend, and senior Caden Sides finished runner-up at 285.
Losing three starters and facing a host of illnesses and injuries were among obstacles Stradling is proud the Blue Devils were able to overcome this season. They also overcame an early-season loss to Cadillac to win their 16th-straight Big North Conference championship.
“The kids were resilient, and we have a great coaching staff,” Stradling said. “We got these guys focused and back in shape and peaking at the right time. I am really happy with the way this team bounded back – coaches and wrestlers.”
Not a whole lot has changed since LaJoie turned things over to Stradling, except a greater focus on pins.
“We’re more of a quick-striking, countering offense – not so much a sprawling defense,” Stradling said, while noting LaJoie coached similarly. “I really think pinning and getting turns is a big part of wrestling, and pins are the ultimate goal.”
Bensinger said LaJoie, who now heads of the Blue Devils middle school program that boasted 20 eighth-graders this season, made him the wrestler he is today.
“New coaches bring in new pieces to the puzzle, and for sure I fit both of them,” Bensinger said. “They both bring great things to the Gaylord program. Coach Stradling has already started off a pretty successful coaching career with a really bright future.”
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Gaylord’s Jaron Bensinger, left, has his arm raised in victory during Saturday’s Individual Wrestling Finals at Ford Field. (Middle) Bensinger listens in to Blue Devils head coach Casey Stradling, center, and assistant Dan Cornish during a break in his championship match. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)