D3 Preview: Dundee's Drive for 5 May Include Meeting of 2021 Champs

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

February 24, 2022

It’s not often we get to see two of last year’s Finals champions face off for this season’s title. But we could Saturday in the Division 3 Team Wrestling Final.

Dundee is seeking to win its fifth-straight Division 3 championship. Clinton won the last two in Division 4 before moving into Division 3 this winter. They are the top seeds in the bracket heading into this weekend. They also wrestle together in the Lenawee County Athletic Association; Dundee won the regular-season dual 40-26.

But there is plenty of wrestling ahead before we reach that potential rematch – and a repeat No. 3 seed in Alma, along with five more qualifiers, looking to reach that last match of the weekend as well. Friday’s Quarterfinals begin at 4:30 p.m. at Wings Event Center – see matchups below – with Semifinals at noon Saturday and the championship match later that day at 3:45 p.m.

#1 Dundee (14-4) vs. #8 Constantine (25-10)
#4 Imlay City (27-5) vs. #5 Hart (30-5)
#3 Alma (26-1) vs. #6 Montrose (18-5)
#2 Clinton (30-3) vs. #7 Gladstone (15-1)

Tickets for Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Finals will be sold by the Wings Event Center box office. All matches for all three rounds also will be viewable on MHSAA.tv with subscription.

Below is a look at all eight teams competing in Division 3, listed by seed. (Girls Finals qualifiers are noted with “G” with weight class, as those classes differ from the other Individual Finals brackets.)

#1 DUNDEE
Record/rank:
14-4, No. 1
League finish: First in Lenawee County Athletic Association
Coach: Tim Roberts, 23rd season (572-80-1)
Championship history: Thirteen MHSAA championships (most recent 2021), seven runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Ashton Viers (24-12) fr., 112 Kade Kluce (34-6) soph., 119 Braeden Davis (34-2) jr., 119 Kyle Smith (27-7) sr., 125 Cameron Chinavare (32-2) soph., 130 Kaden Chinavare (29-3) jr., 135 Logan Sander (29-6) sr., 135 Kole Katschor (28-11) fr., 140 Trey Parker (25-8) soph., 145 Austin Jaworski (17-10) sr., 145 Aiden Davis (36-0) jr., 152 Casey Swiderski (38-0) sr., 152 Jacob Fenbert (24-13) jr.
Outlook: Dundee has wrestled in the last 10 Division 3 championship matches and brings back eight starters from last season’s winning team. Swiderski will wrestle next weekend to join the elite group of four-time individual champions, and Braeden Davis is right behind wrestling for his third individual title in three seasons. Kluce, Kaden Chinavare and Aiden Davis also were Individual Finals champs in 2021, while Smith, Sander and Parker were placers. Also among Dundee’s wins this season was a victory over Division 1 top seed Davison.  

#2 CLINTON
Record/rank:
30-3, No. 2
League finish: Tied for second in LCAA
Co-coaches: Casey Randolph and Jeff Rolland, ninth seasons (247-52)
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Braylon Long (42-6) fr., 112 Connor Younts (39-6) soph., 119 Connor Busz (43-2) jr., 125 Zak Shadley (38-9) jr., 130 Chase Packard (34-9) sr., 135 Coy Perry (43-7) soph., 140 Maurice Ames (32-13) soph., 145 Joey Preston (29-7) soph., 160 Kent McCombs (28-2) sr., 189 Logan Badge (33-4) sr.; 130-G Faith Blackburn (20-1) soph.
Outlook: Eight starters return this weekend from last season’s Division 4 championship match win, and they provide major points potential even as the team graduated two individual champions. Badge also will be attempting to join the four-time individual champions group next weekend, again at 189, and Younts (103) and Perry (112) were Division 4 champs a year ago as well. Busz was the 112 runner-up to Perry in 2021, while Shadley (119), George Ames (140) and McCombs (145) also all finished runners-up at last year’s Individual Finals, McCombs for the second straight. Ames, a senior, is 21-2 at 152.

#3 ALMA
Record/rank:
26-1, No. 3
League finish: First in Tri-Valley Conference East
Coach: Randy Miniard, 11th season (260-100)
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 112 Isaiah Mullins (34-3) sr., 125 Fabian Facundo (33-2) fr., 130 Buddy Leonard (32-8) fr., 135 Gianni Tripp (28-7) jr., 160 Jaden Morrow (35-5) sr., 171 Cole O’Boyle (35-2) soph., 189 Jacob Munger (35-2) sr., 215 Adam Garcia (26-6) sr., 285 Caden Adams (17-11) sr.
Outlook: The Panthers have extended their Regional title streak to five seasons and are back in Kalamazoo as the No. 3 seed for the third straight after advancing again with a Regional Final win over No. 10 Portland. A lineup loaded with nine seniors has lost only to Division 1 No. 10 Brighton, in December. Munger placed fifth last season at 160, and O’Boyle and Tripp also will be making repeat trips to the Individual Finals.

#4 IMLAY CITY
Record/rank:
27-5, unranked
League finish: Fourth in Blue Water Area Conference
Coach: Tony D’Ambrosio, eighth season (118-76-1)
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Tanner Land (39-8) fr., 119 Dominic D’Ambrosio (41-2) soph., 125 Cristian Rojas (42-3) sr., 130 Julian Rojas (41-4) jr., 145 Anthony D’Ambrosio (40-6) jr., 215 Latham Perry (32-12) jr., 285 Chris Torres (38-9) sr.
Outlook: The Spartans are making their first trip to the Quarterfinals, and after an unforgettable Regional at which they defeated No. 4 Algonac 36-30 and No. 5 Richmond 37-31. Cristian Rojas finished fourth at 125 at last year’s Individual Finals; he’s part of a powerful group of five wrestlers with at least 33 wins apiece taking the mat between 119-145.

#5 HART
Record/rank:
30-5, unranked
League finish: Second in West Michigan Conference
Coach: Brad Altland, 11th season (277-95)
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 119 Trayce Tate (37-4) jr., 145 Mason Cantu (44-1) sr., 160 Zane Thomas (34-15) jr., 215 Leo Guadarrama (44-2) sr.
Outlook: Hart is making its third-straight trip to Finals weekend, this time the fifth seed after previously entering as a No. 7 last year and No. 4 in Division 4 in 2019. Tate and Cantu were Individual Finals placers last season, and Cantu and Guadarrama are two of only three senior starters for a lineup that should continue to surge next winter.

#6 MONTROSE
Record/rank:
18-5, No. 7
League finish: Second in Mid-Michigan Activities Conference
Coach: Jason Perrin, fifth season (80-41)
Championship history: Nine MHSAA championships (most recent 2005), five runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 125 Hunter Coxon (38-5) jr., 135 Aidan Bernard (41-1) sr., 140 Blake Greenman (11-7) sr., 189 Braxton Powell (33-12) sr., 285 Levi Harber (39-4) sr., 285 Aden Viar (8-6) sr.
Outlook: A senior-loaded lineup is bringing Montrose to Finals weekend for the fourth consecutive year, as eight seniors start and are joined by six underclassmen. The Rams defeated No. 6 Freeland 45-22 in a Regional Semifinal last week. Harber was the 285 runner-up last season, and Bernard also was an individual placer.

#7 GLADSTONE
Record/rank:
15-1, unranked
League finish: Second in Mid-Peninsula Conference
Coach: Jeff Brazeau, third season (44-11)
Championship history: Upper Peninsula Finals champion 1987, two UP runner-up finishes
Individual Finals qualifiers: 112 Eli Terrien (26-8) jr., 112 Drew Hansen (33-5) soph., 119 Michael Brazeau (38-7) sr., 125 Austin Solis (28-1) soph., 285 Brett Boudreau (41-4) sr.
Outlook: Gladstone finished second in its league only to Division 4 team qualifier Iron Mountain, and is making its first trip to Finals weekend since 2016. Gladstone defeated No. 8 Kingsley 46-34 in a Regional Final to advance. Hansen and Solis were individual placers last season.

#8 CONSTANTINE
Record/rank:
25-10 unranked
League finish: First in Southwestern Athletic Conference
Coach: Dale Davidhizar III, eighth season (137-69)
Championship history: 1993 Class C-D champion, 2002 Division 3 runner-up
Individual Finals qualifiers: 130 Eric Demas (30-10) sr., 152 Dathan Smith (17-20) soph., 171 Troy Demas (40-1) jr., 189 Bennett VandenBerg (44-7) soph., 215 Greg Reed (24-8) soph.; 170-G Bo Geibe (22-3) sr.
Outlook: Constantine won its third-straight District and second-straight Regional titles to earn this weekend’s trip to Wings. Eric Demas is the only senior starter, and the Falcons should continue to rise with nine underclassmen also in the lineup. Demas also is one of five wrestlers with at least 30 wins this winter.

PHOTO Braeden Davis will try to help Dundee to a fifth-straight Division 3 championship this weekend. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)

Roseville's Williams Earns Elusive Title with Explosive Finals Flourish

By Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com

March 1, 2025

DETROIT – Jay’Den Williams almost got too amped up Saturday.

The Roseville junior, who had much of Ford Field in awe with his big-move ability, nearly got put to his back in the 165-pound title match at the Division 1 Individual Wrestling Finals. 

But he shook it off on his way to a 23-8 technical fall victory against Temperance Bedford’s Zach Miracle to claim his first championship.

“You see, I got too excited,” Williams said with a laugh. “I was excited and tried to force things. But my energy went up after that.”

Williams finished off a perfect season (53-0) after placing second the past two Finals. He became Roseville’s first champion since Bobby Nash won in 2009.

“I’m building up a lot of awards, a lot of records, and I got a little brother (Kyrie), he’s going to be coming in,” Williams said. “I want him to be the one to beat it, so I’m going to set it high.”

Williams won all four of his matches on the weekend by technical fall, ending the first three in the first period, before going 1 minute, 22 seconds into the second against Miracle.

He came out aggressive in the Final, getting three takedowns in the opening 1:16 before hitting a seven-point throw late in the period and drawing a large reaction from the crowd.

Not long after that, Miracle (57-4) was able to score a takedown and nearly get nearfall points, but that was all the offense he’d be able to get as Williams closed the match out with a pair of takedowns in the second period.

“It feels amazing,” Williams said. “Coming out here, being able to win a state title in front of all these people, knowing that you just came off a runner-up, it feels amazing.”

106

Champion: Cyrus Woodberry, Detroit Cass Tech, Fr. (51-2)
Decision, 2-1 (OT), over Jameson Wood, Brighton, Soph. (45-3)

Woodbury became the first Finals champion in Cass Tech history with a dramatic overtime victory.

After riding Wood out in the first 30-second frame, he scored an escape 12 seconds into the second to claim the victory. All three points in the match were scored on escapes, as neither wrestler was able to break through the other’s defense.

“It’s indescribable – it’s great,” Woodbury said. “I always thought I’d be here. I didn’t know how much time was left on the clock, I just thought about all the years I prayed for this, and just had to become a dog.”

113

Champion: Layne Martin, Rockford, Soph. (48-3)
Major Decision, 16-4, over Brice Lafleur, Saline, Jr. (47-3)

Martin fell behind early in the first period before putting on a dominant performance on his way to a first Finals title.

He scored the final 15 points in the match, helping make up for what he felt was a disappointing freshman year, which ended with him outside the top eight.

“I was just like, ‘Stay calm,’” Martin said. “I knew I could get some of my offense, work him on top. (A second period nearfall) was really big, really good for my mind to know I could give up a few points if I needed to.”

120

Champion: Wyatt Lees, Detroit Catholic Central, Jr. (38-5)
Decision, 3-0, over Ryan Totten, Detroit Catholic Central, Soph. (47-11)

Lees got all he could handle from his teammate, clawing his way to a third-straight Finals title. He had won at 106 in 2023 and 113 in 2024.

“It kind of sucks having to wrestle your teammate,” Lees said. “I think both of us out there didn’t care who it was, we were going to wrestle the same. At the end of the day, we’re still brothers. We both know what the other person wants. It’s been the same match the last three weeks, kind of.”

The only points in the match were scored when Lees got a takedown midway through the first period. The two Shamrocks fought to a draw from there, but it was enough for title No. 3.

126

Champion: Archer Anderson, Clarkston, Sr. (46-2)
Decision, 14-9, over Deacon Morgan, Rochester Adams, Soph. (45-6)

A year after wrestling one of his Clarkston teammates to claim his first Finals title, Anderson had to square off with a club teammate Saturday.

As he did in 2024, the Clarkston senior came out on top in this one, winning the final two periods 10-3 to pull away for the victory.

“As a freshman, I didn’t really expect it to go like this,” said Anderson, who was runner-up at 113 as a sophomore. “Funny joke, I go to the same club as (Morgan), so he is a teammate. I can’t get away from teammates. I think I spent the night at his house like a week ago. We knew – I knew he was going to be at the Finals. He’s great; he’s probably going to be a champion next year.”

132

Champion: Bohdan Abbey, Hartland, Jr. (49-1)
Technical Fall, 18-3, over Dominic Perez, Davison, Sr. (27-12)

Abbey returned to the top of the podium with a dominant performance. The junior was a champion at 113 as a freshman before finishing second at 126 a year ago.

“It was a hurting feeling for a while, so it’s good to kind of get my get-back, but not really,” he said. “But it feels good. I made sure I took in the moment and didn’t take it for granted this year.”

Abbey finished with four technical falls in the tournament.

138

Champion: Jace Morgan, Rochester Adams, Sr. (47-0)
Major Decision, 10-0, over Preston Lefevre, Clarkston, Sr. (48-2)

Morgan closed out a perfect season with a dominant performance Saturday. A takedown 37 seconds into the match set the tone, and he kept pushing the rest of the way against LeFevre, who was also a runner-up a year ago.

“Throughout my whole career, they’ve been with me, my teammates, helping me and pushing me,” Morgan said. “They’ve been helping me get better, helping me get to this point and achieving what I have today.”

Morgan became the first Adams wrestler to win a title since 1999.

144

Champion: Grayson Fuchs, Detroit Catholic Central, Soph. (42-2)
Major Decision, 14-2, over Tanner McDunnah, Davison, Sr. (34-9)

In a matchup of finalists from a year ago, Fuchs put his foot on the pedal and didn’t let up.

The now two-time Finals champion scored a takedown 13 seconds into the match, and only allowed a pair of escapes against McDunnah, who was runner-up at this weight a year ago as well.

Saturday’s match was a far cry from a week ago, when Fuchs won a tight decision at the Division 1 Team Finals.

“I was pushing the pace more, getting to my ties,” Fuchs said. “Last week, I was more wrestling into his ties and he was holding onto me. This time, I was just moving my feet more, getting my ties, my shots, moving him. I was moving my hands and my feet more, that was pretty much it.”

Fuchs, who won at 126 a year ago, got to the Finals with a trio of technical falls in the opening three rounds.

150

Champion: Dallas Korponic, Hartland, Jr. (50-4)
Decision, 1-0, over Julius Pacheco, Davison, Soph. (34-9)

Korponic claimed his second-straight title with a second-period escape holding up as the match’s lone point.

“It feels pretty good getting a second one,” he said. “It means just as much as the last one. I’ve been working all year for it, so it felt good. I know my conditioning was going to work for me. I was looking for another opportunity to score, but also just keeping that win.”

Korponic, who won at 132 pounds as a sophomore, cruised to the Finals, winning by technical fall in each of his first three matches. 

157

Champion: Braylenn Aulbach, Rockford, Sr. (49-2)
Decision, 9-8, over Kyle Jelinek, Davison, Sr. (31-7)

Aulbach battled back in the third period, scoring seven points after falling behind 7-2. Jelinek suffered a leg injury late in the match, but continued on.

“He was dealing with something with his knee, which sucks,” Aulbach said. “It’s kind of mean, but you have to take advantage of that kind of thing. He’s long. I struggled to get to his legs, and he’s easily going to grab mine. I think it just comes down to pace.

“As a freshman, I never really thought I’d get to this point. This year, it was really like, ‘Wow, I can do it.’ To get it done and beat a good kid, it’s a dream come true.”

Saginaw United’s Michael Baldwin, top, takes Oxford’s Luke Johnson to the mat at 175 pounds.

175

Champion: Michael Baldwin, Saginaw United, Sr. (33-2)
Decision, 7-6 (UTB), over Luke Johnson, Oxford, Sr. (45-4)

After splitting their matches in the District and Regional Finals, Baldwin and Johnson put on a classic Saturday night.

Baldwin won on a technical point, as Johnson grabbed his singlet in a last-gasp move during the ultimate tiebreaker period. 

“It’s unreal,” Baldwin said. “My family’s here, it feels like half of my city is here. It’s like we did it, we finally did it. It’s the first year with the new school, I’m the first-ever state champ. I set the standard, doing the right things, leaving it all out on the mat. I want another kid to come through and do the same thing.”

Johnson had forced overtime with a third-period takedown, and held off a Baldwin attempt at the buzzer.

190

Champion: Lee Krueger, Detroit Catholic Central, Sr. (41-8)
Major Decision, 11-0, over Thomas Jaynes, Romeo, Jr. (53-7)

Krueger has watched as so many Catholic Central wrestlers have won Finals titles, so to join that group was a special moment.

“It’s surreal,” he said. “Four years I’ve been here and watched guys I’ve looked up to do it, and now it’s finally my time and I did it. It’s completely surreal. As a freshman I was like a JV, borderline varsity guy, but my coaches and my teammates pushed me all the way up to where I am now.”

Krueger broke open what was a tight match with a takedown and nearfall late in the second period to take an 8-0 lead into the third.

215

Champion: Connor Bercume, Detroit Catholic Central, Sr. (48-0)
Major Decision, 10-2, over Sean O’Keefe, Brighton, Sr. (38-2)

Bercume closed out his illustrious Catholic Central career with a third Finals title. He also helped the Shamrocks win the past three Division 1 team titles.

“It feels pretty awesome,” he said. “I can’t believe how blessed I am to be part of this team for four years and have all these great teammates. I just feel really honored to be part of such a great program with such a great legacy.”

The Harvard-bound senior scored three takedowns in the first period to blow the match open, and controlled O’Keefe over the final four minutes to win title No. 3.

285

Champion: Logan Tollison, Grand Ledge, Jr. (45-0)
Decision, 8-1, over Anton Barynas, Jenison, Sr. (35-5)

After finishing as runner-up at 215 a year ago, Tollison had offseason surgery on his shoulder.

Those setbacks set up an incredible comeback, and he finished off an unbeaten season Saturday with his first Finals title.

“I’ve worked hard this season, so I deserved it, I think,” he said. “I was really driven, especially since I had to take six months off after I had shoulder surgery, so I had to really get after it when I got back.”

Tollison led 2-0 heading into the third period against Barynas, who was the runner-up at 285 a year ago. But the Grand Ledge junior scored a pair of takedowns in the final two minutes to pull away for the victory.

Click for full results.

PHOTOS (Top) Roseville’s Jay’Den Williams, right, locks the legs of Temperance Bedford’s Zach Miracle during their championship match at 165 pounds Saturday. (Middle) Saginaw United’s Michael Baldwin, top, takes Oxford’s Luke Johnson to the mat at 175 pounds. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)