Davison's McRill Packs Plenty of Thrills
August 30, 2016
By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half
DAVISON — The sense of excitement is palpable when Brenden McRill recalls one of the biggest adrenaline rushes he's had on a football field.
He's in his third year as Davison's starting quarterback, but it's the one time he got to play on the other side of the ball that makes McRill really light up.
Although he's put up impressive numbers at the game's most glamorous position, the opportunity to make eight tackles as a safety in a first-round playoff loss to Lapeer last season was about as fun as it gets for McRill.
"Oh, it felt great," he said. "I was so excited for that, because I hadn't played defense since my freshman year. I was ready to go out there and hit somebody."
Spoken like a true ... wrestler.
The willingness to absorb punishment is considered a barometer of toughness for a quarterback, and McRill is certainly willing to do that for the good of the team. Most quarterbacks, however, don't get as hyped as McRill to deliver a blow.
But he isn't wired like most quarterbacks, which is why Davison coach Kyle Zimmerman could confidently add the following hash tag to a Twitter post about McRill: #MyQBIsTougherThanYours.
The groundwork for McRill's unique makeup was forged on the wrestling mats of the Davison youth program and fine-tuned at the high school level under the guidance of Roy Hall, who has coached the Cardinals to six MHSAA team championships and four runner-up finishes since 2000.
McRill was the MHSAA Division 1 champion at 189 pounds as a junior.
"It definitely makes me different, because I love to hit," McRill said of his wrestling background. "If I'm near the sideline and see a guy, I'm going for the hit; I'm not sliding. That aggressiveness and toughness has definitely helped me."
While McRill is as tough as they come, Zimmerman is reluctant to have his quarterback playing both ways on a regular basis.
"To be honest, he probably should play defense," Zimmerman said. "He's one of our best defenders. At the first day of practice, everybody does drills to simulate stuff. He's lights-out. Anything he does on a football field, he's going to excel at. He's played end for us, he's played linebacker, he's played safety, he's played quarterback.
"We've got other guys we know can play. You know it's a huge drop-off if you put yourself in a position where you could lose someone. If you see the quarterback out there, people are going to be attacking him, trying to tire him. We want him to play at a high level on offense."
And that he does.
McRill received honorable mention on The Associated Press' Division 1-2 all-state team last season as a dual-threat quarterback. As a passer, he was 68-for-136 for 1,306 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also ran 161 times for 642 yards and 11 touchdowns.
In the 2016 opener against Saginaw Arthur Hill, McRill was 3-for-5 for 52 yards and two touchdowns passing to go with five carries for 27 yards and a touchdown in the first half of a 62-12 rout of the Lumberjacks.
The mission for McRill and his teammates is to get Davison back on the state high school football map. The Cardinals made the MHSAA playoffs seven straight years from 2002-08, reaching the Semifinals three times and going 65-19 during that span. In the seven years that followed, Davison went 33-33 and made the playoffs three times.
"We had three starting sophomores that first game my sophomore year," McRill said. "There was me, offensive tackle Zach Slezak, who at the time played defense, and Corran Thornton, who started at defensive end. We started it together. Our senior year, we want to make it our best and have one of the best years Davison's ever had."
On the wrestling mat, McRill knows what it's like to compete at a high level.
McRill added his name to the list of individual MHSAA champions coached by Hall when he won the Division 1 title at 189 pounds with an overtime decision over previously unbeaten Nicholas May of Kalamazoo Loy Norrix. McRill was fifth at 152 as a freshman and third at 160 as a sophomore.
"Going into high school, I planned to win it right away my freshman year," said McRill, whose only blemishes on a 38-2 junior record were against MHSAA champions. "Just with that legacy and Coach Hall's style, you're expected to win. You're working as hard as you can. ... It felt real good to get that out of the way."
He helped Davison reach the MHSAA Division 1 Team Finals in 2014 and 2016, with a semifinal appearance in between in 2015. Each of the last four years, however, Davison has lost to the eventual champion.
"It's kind of upsetting, but it will make us hold each other more accountable that we need to finish this year," McRill said. "We need to win. We've got a lot of guys back and some incoming freshmen who are ranked guys and very good. So I'm very excited for this team coming up."
McRill does what he can to maintain his sharpness as a wrestler, but he devotes most of his attention to football over the summer.
"I try to get a couple of drills in right now when the season's going," he said. "When we get to the playoffs, I try to stay off it, focus on football and stay healthy for that. Right after football, I try to get a couple days off and get ready for wrestling. I try to train hard, because I know I have a lot of catching up to do."
McRill doesn't compete in the national wrestling tournaments that many of his competitors do over the summer, but that hasn't hurt his exposure to college scouts. He is weighing offers from Central Michigan, University of Michigan and West Virginia.
Once football and wrestling seasons conclude, McRill said he may return for one final season on the baseball diamond. He grew up playing baseball, but cut back on it once he realized his college future was likely to be in football or wrestling.
He didn't play baseball as a freshman, because he was working to win the starting quarterback job the following fall. McRill was called up to the varsity baseball team as a sophomore after throwing a no-hitter on the junior varsity team.
"I think I'm going to come out my senior year," he said. "We've got a great group of guys in baseball, too. That's one that people kind of sleep on, but we could come up with something in baseball."
In the meantime, the arm that threw a no-hitter for the JV baseball team will be firing touchdown passes for a football team that could have a special season.
"The first day I saw Brenden, I knew who my quarterback was from how he competed and how he threw," said Zimmerman, whose first year at Davison was McRill's sophomore season.
"We were probably going to take our lumps early, but it's going to pay off in the long run. He was steady his sophomore year, he was good last year and he's going to explode this year."
Bill Khan served as a sportswriter at The Flint Journal from 1981-2011 and currently contributes to the State Champs! Sports Network. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Davison quarterback Brenden McRill lines up over center during his team's game last season against Saginaw. (Middle) McRill holds up his weight's bracket sheet after winning the Division 1 title at 189 pounds last winter. (Below) McRill looks to lock up during his championship match. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Preview: Individual Finals Headlined by Fantastic 5 Seeking to Win No. 4
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 5, 2026
For nearly 50 years, winning four championships at the MHSAA Individual Wrestling Finals has stood as an unbeatable standard of excellence, and an aspiration only 40 of Michigan’s best have accomplished during that time.
This weekend’s Finals at Ford Field could see the largest group inducted into the elite club.
As more than 1,100 competitors take to the mat Friday and Saturday, that historic accomplishment will be in the sights of five contenders – Westland John Glenn’s Nakayla Dawson, Grand Rapids Catholic Central’s Dale Gant, Detroit Catholic Central’s Wyatt Lees, Plainwell’s Madison Neiuwenhuis and Hudson’s Nicholas Sorrow.
The Grand March begins at 10 a.m. Friday, with wrestling through semifinals that evening. Wrestling begins again at 9 a.m. Saturday, with championship matches at 3:30 p.m.
Tickets may be purchased from Ford Field. All matches will be broadcast live on the NFHS Network, and we’ll talk to all 14 champions in each division for our coverage published later that evening and overnight. See the Wrestling page for more information and to follow results this weekend.
Following are glances at just some of the many contenders who will compete:
Division 1
113 Cyrus Woodberry, Detroit Cass Tech sophomore (37-4) – After winning Cass Tech’s first individual championship last season, at 106, he returns as the top seed at this weight.
120 Layne Martin, Rockford junior (43-0) – The reigning champion at 113 pounds is top-seeded at this weight as he seeks a second-straight title.
132 Wyatt Lees, Detroit Catholic Central senior (37-3) – As noted above, he’s wrestling for his fourth individual title and seeded first in this bracket after previously clinching at 106, 113 and 120.
138 Bohdan Abbey, Hartland senior (43-1) – Another top seed in his bracket, he’s looking to finish his career as a three-time champ after winning last year at 132, as a freshman at 113 and finishing runner-up at 126 as a sophomore.
144 Liam Fitzpatrick, Rockford (44-0) – He’s the top seed at his weight after finishing seventh at 130 last year and fourth at 132 as a sophomore.
150 Grayson Fuchs, Detroit Catholic Central junior (22-1) – He’s also top-seeded and seeking a third individual title to go with wins at 144 last year and 126 as a freshman.
157 Dallas Korponic, Hartland senior (45-2) – He’s a returning top seed and also a three-time hopeful after winning 150 last season and 132 as a sophomore.
165 Jay’Den Williams, Roseville senior (37-1) – The reigning champion at 165 and top seed in this bracket again has advanced to championship matches every year of high school having also finished Finals runner-up as a freshman and sophomore.
215 Eamon Murray, Midland senior (55-1) – The top seed at this weight is making his first trip to the Finals, but as a favorite with his only loss coming at the beginning of December.
285 Logan Tollison, Grand Ledge senior (51-0) – The reigning champion at this weight, and 215 runner-up in 2024, has won 96 straight matches and is the top seed in his bracket.
Other 2025 runners-up: 120 Brice LaFleur, Saline senior (43-2, 113 last year); 126 Ryan Totten, Detroit Catholic Central junior (38-9, 120 last year); 144 Deacon Morgan, Rochester Adams junior (24-2, 126 last year); 157 Julius Pacheco, Davison junior (31-3, 150 last year); 175 Zach Miracle, Temperance Bedford senior (44-2, 165 last year); 190 Thomas Jaynes, Romeo senior (49-1, 190 last year).
Additional No. 1 seeds: 106 Brody Compau, Rockford freshman (43-0); 126 Gavin Lewis, Oxford senior (47-4); Logan Hammingh, Rockford senior (42-1); 190 Caden Krueger, Detroit Catholic Central junior (36-4).
Also undefeated: 113 Landon Learn, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer freshman (48-0); 120 Matthew Quigley, Traverse City West junior (48-0).
Division 2
120 Jarrett Smith, Lowell senior (42-2) – A top seed at the Finals for the third time, he’s looking to add a third title to those won last year at 113 and as a sophomore at 106.
120 Pilot Swab, Stevensville Lakeshore junior (12-2) – He’s a two-time Finals placer and the reigning champion at 106, and wrestling on the opposite side of the bracket from Smith.
126 Christian Haslem, St. Clair senior (49-1) – He’s reached championship matches all of his first three seasons and is top-seeded at this weight after winning 120 as a junior and finishing runner-up previously at 106 and 113.
132 Devan Garcia, Battle Creek Harper Creek junior (46-2) – He’s the favorite at this weight after winning 113 as a freshman and finishing runner-up at 120 a year ago.
138 Quinten Cassiday, Cedar Springs junior (52-0) – He finished runner-up at 126 last season but hasn’t lost since and is the top seed in his bracket.
144 Luke Egan, Cedar Springs senior (42-0) – His story is similar to his teammate’s above, as Egan was the runner-up at 138 last year and is an undefeated top seed this weekend.
150 Bryce Morrison, Hamilton senior (49-0) – He finished fifth at 132 as a sophomore and third at 144 a year ago, and enters this weekend as favored to win his first title.
157 Johnathan Ford, Bay City John Glenn junior (33-0) – He’s top-seeded and seeking a second-straight title after winning last year at 157.
165 Zane Willobee, Gaylord senior (40-1) – He emerged from outside the top four seeds to win 157 as a sophomore and finished runner-up at this weight a year ago.
190 Martin Knight, North Branch senior (43-0) – Last season’s runner-up at this weight is returning as the top seed.
Other 2025 runners-up: 113 Tyler Cooper, Plainwell sophomore (30-8, 106 last season); 120 Branlun Simon, Portland junior (48-0, 106 in Division 3 last year); 126 Carson Blum, Lowell sophomore (41-9, 113 last year); 132 Rasler Warner, Richland Gull Lake senior (15-0, 132 last year); 165 Julian Walker, Algonac senior (48-2, 165 in Division 3 last year); 215 Holden Otter, Carleton Airport junior (34-1, 215 last year).
Additional No. 1 seeds: 106 Thomas Leahy, St. Clair Shores Lakeshore junior (50-1); 113 Dylan Nieuwenhuis, Plainwell sophomore (37-1); 175 Louis Smith, Three Rivers senior (53-0); 215 Jonathan Golec, Goodrich senior (40-1); 285 Layne O’Neil, Fowlerville senior (46-2).
Also undefeated: 144 Jeffrey Miller, Jackson Northwest senior (47-0); 190 Brad Meyers, Portland senior (48-0); 190 Don Spillers, Detroit Martin Luther King junior (44-0); 285 Ryder Balkema, Otsego junior (35-0).
Division 3
120 Mason Haines, Dundee senior (33-7) – The reigning champion at 120 is the top seed in that bracket and also finished second at 106 as a freshman and third at 113 as a sophomore.
120 Danny Vaneeckhoutte, Erie Mason junior (39-8) – He’s seeking to add a second-straight championship after winning 106 last year.
132 Mason Katschor, Dundee junior (35-7) – The top seed at this weight won 113 a year ago and 106 as a freshman.
138 Dale Gant, Grand Rapids Catholic Central senior (36-1) – A top seed again, he’s looking to add to championships at 113, 120 and 126 over his first three seasons, respectively.
144 Braden Broderick, Dundee senior (38-7) – He’s the top seed in his bracket, the reigning champion at 132, and also finished runner-up at 120 as a sophomore.
150 Stone Redmon, Dundee sophomore (16-4) – He debuted last season with a runner-up finish at 144 and returns as a top seed in this bracket.
157 Blake Cosby, Dundee senior (37-2) – He’s a top seed one more time and wrestling for championship number three after winning at 150 last year, 144 as a sophomore and finishing runner-up at 144 as a freshman.
165 Donny Beaufait, Dundee senior (33-1) – He’s seeded first in this bracket as he seeks to repeat as champion at this weight and also finished runner-up at 150 as a sophomore.
175 Fred Hammond, Otisville-LakeVille Memorial senior (51-0) – He won 165 in Division 4 last season and is seeded first at this weight in his return to Division 3, where he finished sixth at 150 as a freshman and third at 165 as a sophomore.
215 Rocco Redmon, Dundee senior (28-11) – He’s top-seeded this weekend after finishing runner-up at 190 a year ago; he also finished fifth at 130 as a freshman.
Other 2025 runners-up: 126 Mackey McClelland, Yale sophomore (52-6, 113 last year); 157 Bryson Boucher, Lake Odessa Lakewood junior (40-3, 150 last year).
Additional No. 1 seeds: 106 Dylan Phillips, Laingsburg freshman (48-1); 113 Braxton Shaffer, Ida sophomore (48-4); 126 Bryan Sterling, Dundee senior (33-6); 190 Logan Knisely, Bronson senior (51-3); 285 Sam Tappenden, Bronson senior (48-8).
Also undefeated: 138 Aiden Durham, Grass Lake sophomore (43-0).
Division 4
113 Jordan Zambon, Riverview Gabriel Richard junior (42-8) – He won 106 last year and finished runner-up at that weight as a freshman.
126 Owen Fogel, St. Louis senior (48-3) – He’s a repeat top seed and hoping to become a repeat champion after winning 113 in 2025; he also finished sixth at 106 as a freshman and third at that weight as a sophomore.
126 Sammy Stewart, Manchester senior (42-3) – The reigning champion at 120 is the third seed in this bracket as he hopes to finish with a third title to go with his 113 championship as a freshman and runner-up finish at 126 as a sophomore.
132 Nicholas Sorrow, Hudson senior (47-2) – He’s top-seeded in his pursuit to add to championships at 106, 120 and 126 over her first three seasons, respectively.
144 Wyatt Burns, Springport junior (39-1) – After winning 138 in Division 3 last year at Dundee and finishing fourth at 126 as a freshman, he’s top-seeded at this weight as he pursues a second-straight title.
150 Beckett Campbell, Hudson sophomore (49-0) – He debuted by winning the 144 title a year ago and returns as a top seed with a combined record of 103-3 over his first two seasons.
150 Blake Sloan, Manchester senior (51-2) – The reigning champ at this weight has reached title matches every year of high school having also finished runner-up at 138 as a freshman and 144 as a sophomore.
157 Jeremy Amrhein, Manchester senior (49-0) – A top seed and returning champ, he won the Division 3 title at 157 last year for Dundee and finished third at 138 as a sophomore.
157 Eli Roe, Beaverton senior (45-1) – He’s the reigning champion at this weight and seeded second this time, and also finished sixth at 150 as a freshman.
190 Bryce Randolph, Clinton senior (46-2) – He’s the reigning champ at this weight and top seed this weekend and also finished Division 3 runner-up at 175 as a sophomore and fifth at 165 as a freshman.
2025 runners-up: 106 Jaxton Kimling, Hudson junior (38-10, 106 last year); 120 Kolton Burns, Decatur junior (47-3, 113 last year); 120 Alex Rodriguez, St. Louis senior (41-0, 120 last year); 138 Colt Perry, Hudson senior (43-7, 132 last year); 138 Luke Harrington, Riverview Gabriel Richard senior (43-6, 138 last year); 165 Haylen Buell, Martin senior (50-0, 144 last year); 190 Drew Challender, St. Louis senior (46-6, 165 last year); 190 Rowan Bradford, Decatur senior (38-1, 190 last year); 215 Isaac Westfall, Reading junior (45-1, 215 last year).
Additional No. 1 seeds: 106 Jaxton Kimling, Hudson junior (38-10); 113 Royce Beal, Hudson freshman (43-5); 120 Alex Rodriguez, St. Louis senior (41-0); 138 Luke Harrington, Riverview Gabriel Richard senior (43-6); 157 Wyatt Kimble, Hudson freshman (45-4); 165 Haylen Buell, Martin senior (50-0); 215 Isaac Westfall, Reading junior (45-1); 285 Noah Walker, Hesperia senior (45-3).
Also undefeated: 165 Cael Tyler, Roscommon freshman (53-0).
Girls Division
105 Madison Nieuwenhuis, Plainwell senior (24-0) – She’s the top seed and hoping to win this bracket for the first time after claiming her first three titles at 100.
110 Tatianna Castillo, Lowell sophomore (30-1) – She debuted by going undefeated and winning 105 last season, and is the top seed this time at 110.
115 Nakayla Dawson, Westland John Glenn senior (11-0) – She’s top-seeded in this bracket as she looks to add to titles won at 110 the last two seasons and 105 as a freshman.
120 Cheyenne Frank, Oxford senior (35-0) – She’s top-seeded as well as she seeks to repeat at this weight and finish a second-straight undefeated season.
130 Cecilia Williams, Mason senior (18-0) – She’ll attempt to finish her career with three Finals titles and is top-seeded after winning 125 last year and 120 in 2023.
135 – Angellaya Burden, Mio junior (24-0) – The reigning champion at 130 is seeded third at this weight and also finished fourth at 125 as a freshman.
145 Nanda Kibi, Plymouth senior (24-3) – She’s seeking to finish her career as a repeat champ after winning 140 last year and finishing eighth at 135 as a freshman.
155 Belicia Manuel, Romeo senior (46-0) – After finishing runner-up at 145 last year to four-time champ Margaret Buurma of Fowlerville, Manuel is top-seeded in this bracket and aiming to add to her title at 140 won as a sophomore.
170 Kaili Manuel, Romeo junior (44-1) – She’s seeking a third-straight championship after winning 155 a year ago and 145 as a freshman.
190 Kanata Richardson, Bloomfield Hills senior (27-2) – The reigning champion in this bracket is seeded first as she seeks to finish with a repeat.
Other 2025 runners-up: 100 Lillee Denson, St. Clair Shores Lakeview senior (18-1, 105 last year); 100 Veronica Tapia, Lowell senior (26-3, 100 last year); 130 Kassie Sapp, Whitehall sophomore (35-1, 115 last year); 145 MacKenna Webster, Three Rivers senior (38-1, 140 last year); 235 AnnMarie Green, Clare senior (24-1, 235 last year); 235 Halle Spears, Midland senior (29-0, 190 last year).
Additional No. 1 seeds: 100 Lillee Denson, St. Clair Shores Lakeview senior (18-1); 125 Adriana Murray, Yale sophomore (35-3), 135 Paisley DeNault, Clarkston senior (19-0), 140 Alexis Lazar, Brighton senior (23-0), 170 Adelaide Holderman, Middleville Thornapple Kellogg junior (22-2), 235 Halle Spears, Midland senior (29-0).
Also undefeated: 115 Emma Baker, Stevensville Lakeshore sophomore (28-0); 130 Elyse Morales, Decatur senior (24-0); 140 Kaycie Moldenhauer, Atlanta sophomore (22-0); 235 Sydney Smith, Portage Central senior (19-0).
Team Final: The second team championship in MHSAA girls wrestling history will be awarded based on points accrued by individual qualifiers. Grand Haven won the inaugural team title a year ago.
PHOTOS (Top) Grand Rapids Catholic Central's Dale Gant, left, wrestles Comstock Park's Logan Whidden last season at Ford Field on the way to winning his third Individual Finals championship. (2) Detroit Catholic Central's Wyatt Lees, left, wrestles teammate Ryan Totten for the title at 120 pounds. (3) Westland John Glenn's Nakayla Dawson, right, locks up with Shepherd's Shai Curtiss during a 2025 Finals bout. (4) Hudson's Nicholas Sorrow, right, works toward a pin at 126 pounds against Lawton's Austin Garcia. (5) Plainwell's Madison Nieuwenhuis, left, puts a hold on Lowell's Veronica Tapia during their championship match. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)