D2 Preview: Eager to Finish Business
March 1, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Many of Division 2’s contenders this weekend hope it’s an MHSAA Finals filled with second chances.
Six of 10 favorites highlighted below were runners-up a year ago, two losing by a mere point in their championship matches.
Follow all 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.
The MHSAA Wrestling Finals are presented by the Michigan Army National Guard. College choices below are based on reporting by Michigan Grappler.
112: Corey Gamet, Parma Western sophomore (46-0) – Gamet defeated another then-freshman, Chaise Mayer of Warren Woods Tower, 3-2 to win last year's title at 103 and is now 61-1 over two high school seasons after losing most of last winter to a knee injury.
119: Branson Proudlock, Gibraltar Carlson junior (49-0) – After falling by just a point in last season’s 112 championship match, Proudlock enters as the top seed at 119 and a combined 100-2 over the last two seasons.
119: Elijuh Weaver, Warren Woods Tower senior (51-4) – Coming off last season’s championship at 112, he’s not seeded at this weight despite beating top seed Proudlock in last year’s Final; he also finished as an individual runner-up as a sophomore.
125: Dominic LaJoie, Gaylord junior (48-0) – An individual champion as both a freshman and sophomore, he missed a third title last year by just a point losing a 4-3 decision in the 119 Final; he’s seeded first this winter and will continue next season at Cornell University.
130: Drew Marten, Tecumseh senior (51-1) – The champion a year ago at 125 pulled off one of the day’s most unexpected triumphs, downing two-time champion Lucas Hall; it shouldn’t have been a huge surprise though since Marten entered that match 52-1, and now he’s a top seed with a two-year record of 104-2 and a future set at Central Michigan.
140: Trent Lashuay, St. Johns senior (29-6) – Last season’s runner-up at 135 enters this weekend as the top seed at this weight; he fell only 5-2 in last year’s Final and made that run despite entering the weekend with 10 losses.
152: Dustin Gross, Dearborn Heights Annapolis junior (51-0) – He’s seeded second behind also-undefeated Bret Fedewa of St. Johns, but Gross finished runner-up last season at 145 and handed reigning Division 1 145 champion Nathan Atienza of Livonia Franklin his only loss this winter.
171: Connor Charping, Trenton senior (54-1) – After just missing last year’s championship at 160 losing a 3-1 decision on a takedown with 10 seconds remaining, Charping is the top seed at 171 and looking to go out on top.
189: Jelani Embree, Warren Lincoln senior (32-0) – The champion at 171 last season hasn’t lost over the last two, moving to a combined 79-0 as an upperclassmen; he’ll continue his career after this at Michigan.
215: Eli Boulton, Lowell senior (37-3) – He lost by a 9-2 decision in the championship match at this weight last season, but enters his last Finals as the top seed and fresh off a team title last weekend.
Other 2016 runners-up: Warren Woods Tower sophomore Chaise Mayer (112, 48-1, 103 in 2016), Mason senior Brad Wilton (189, 38-3).
Also undefeated: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s freshman Joshua Edmond (135, 49-0), Sparta sophomore Alec Reese (145, 45-0), St. Johns senior Bret Fedewa (152, 49-0), Dexter senior Will Feldkamp (189, 48-0), Cedar Springs senior Patrick DePiazza (285, 44-0).
No. 1 seeds: Gaylord freshman Chayse LaJoie (103, 48-3), Parma Western’s Gamet (112), Gibraltar Carlson’s Proudlock (119), Gaylord’s Dominic LaJoie (125), Tecumseh’s Marten (130), Lowell freshman Austin Boone (135, 36-3), St. Johns’ Lashuay (140), Sparta’s Rees (145), St. Johns’ Fedewa (152), DeWitt senior Lucas McFarland (160, 50-2), Trenton’s Carping (171), Warren Lincoln’s Embree (189), Lowell’s Boulton (215), Cedar Springs' DePiazza (285).
PHOTO: Warren Woods Tower’s Elijuh Weaver (top) works toward a win during the Division 2 championship match against Lowell on Saturday. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Hudson Starts Saturday Celebrating Record-Setting Coach, Ends with Testament to His Work
By
Jeff Chaney
Special for MHSAA.com
February 28, 2026
KALAMAZOO – Scott Marry always likes to spread the praise.
The longtime Hudson wrestling coach always points to his wrestlers, school administration and Hudson community when talking about the successes of his program.
But he has been the constant in the dynasty.
This weekend at the MHSAA Team Wrestling Finals at Wings Event Center, Marry's Tigers won their fifth-straight Division 4 championship with a 50-15 victory over rival Clinton in Saturday afternoon’s championship match.
That made 13 Division 4 championships and 17 appearances in championship matches for Hudson during Marry's 38 years leading the program.
And to boot, with his team's 65-9 win over Decatur in the Semifinals, Marry became the all-time winningest coach in MHSAA wrestling history with a 983-216 record.
"I came back (to Hudson) from Michigan State in 1986 – I wrestled for (former Michigan State wrestling coach) Grady Penninger," said Marry, a 1983 Hudson graduate. "I spent three years up there, and I came back on unwanted terms. I did not want to be home, but I had to be home because I wasn't focused. I was wasting my time and my money and when I got home, basically my dad is an old-school conservative and he said get your butt to work – you are not going to school, so you are going to get a job."
So Marry leaned back on his love of wrestling.
"I started working construction and helping out with the wrestling room," Marry said. "Low and behold, the next year the wrestling coach resigned and they gave it to me. I wasn't even ready. I just started teaching like Grady taught us in the room at Michigan State, and now 38 years later here we are."
Here we are, all the titles and wins, let alone mentoring hundreds of boys and girls to push themselves through a difficult sport to become men and women.
"I owe a lot to Grady Penninger, and I owe a lot to my parents and I owe a lot to this community," Marry said. "Honestly, putting up with me. This is a longevity award, and there are a lot of places that wouldn't have put up with me and Hudson still loves me even after all the mistakes I've made."
You don't have to look far to see that love.
Senior 132-pounder Nick Sorrow, who will be looking to win his fourth individual championship next weekend at Ford Field to go with his now four team titles, points that out.
"He gives 100 percent every day," Sorrow said. "He focuses on bringing the energy up, and when energy is up good things happen. He is a positive light in our lives. It just goes to show how much he loves and cares for this team. He is with us every day, extra hours, early mornings. He is there for us and cares so much about Hudson, I just wish everyone knew just how much."
The Tigers won 11 of 14 matches Saturday against Clinton, which wrestles in the Lenawee County Athletic Association with Hudson and also Division 3 champion Dundee. Four wins came by pin, three by technical fall and four by decision.
Total, the Tigers gave up only 24 match points all weekend. That dominance in Division 4 has been the theme for the past decade, as Hudson has won eight of the past 10 titles.
The Tigers also won five in a row from 2009-2013.
"We are trying to make a new mark next year," Marry said. "We are looking for six in a row; we have never won six in a row.
“This team is very special. These seniors have led this team in a really spectacular way throughout the season. Off the mat, in the classroom, every which way. These leaders have really shown their leadership skills, and I am so proud of them."
PHOTOS (Top) Hudson’s Colt Perry works toward a decision at 150 pounds under the watchful eye of coach Scott Marry, far left. (Middle) Marry monitors the action Saturday afternoon after becoming the state’s all-time winningest wrestling coach during the Semifinals earlier that day. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)