DCC Wins Power-Packed Rematch in D1
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
February 23, 2019
KALAMAZOO – Tony Greathouse has built one of the state’s elite wrestling programs at Brighton over the past six years.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the state’s most elite program currently resides in their division.
Detroit Catholic Central defeated Brighton 34-19 on Saturday at Wings Event Center to claim its third straight Division 1 team wrestling title.
“Especially this year, we took a big step up where we’re not just barely beating teams, we beat really good teams this year by 40 or 50,” Greathouse said. “Even this dual, even though we lost, the fact that we’re within 15 points of them – they might be the best team that’s ever come out of the state of Michigan. They’re pretty darn good.”
Catholic Central (26-1) finished the decade with seven titles and one runner-up finish. It’s a feat no Division 1 team has ever accomplished.
“You have to take your hats off to our guys; they work so hard,” said Shamrocks coach Mitch Hancock, who has led the program to each of those seven titles. “It’s not about me, it really isn’t. It’s about them and how hard they work. We have a standard at Catholic Central, and that standard is high. When you come to Catholic Central, you better be ready to work, you better be ready to perform in the classroom, pray to God and perform on the athletic field, and those guys live up to that standard every single day.”
The Shamrocks rolled through the postseason, not giving up a team point through the District or Regional, and rolling to 63-6 (Clarkston) and 56-9 (Westland John Glenn) wins in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals.
“We kind of look at it as, we don’t really have anything to prove,” Catholic Central senior Cameron Amine said. “We just have to keep getting better every day in the practice room and pushing each other in the practice room. And that nothing is ever given to us at all. You have to go out there and work for it and get it.”
The dual started in the heart of Catholic Central’s lineup at 140 pounds, and the Shamrocks jumped out to a 29-3 lead despite it being a strong stretch of the Bulldogs’ lineup as well.
Logan Sanom and returning Individual Finals champion Derek Gilcher each won major decisions at 140 and 145, respectively. Three-time individual champion Kevon Davenport won by decision for the Shamrocks at 152, followed by two-time champion Amine winning by major decision at 160.
Brighton got on the board at 171, as River Shettler won by decision, but the Shamrocks rattled off four straight, starting with a decision from returning champion Easton Turner at 189. Brendin Yatooma (215) and Steven Kolcheff (285) also won by major decision, while Anthony Walker (103) won a decision.
Brighton rattled off four straight wins from 112 through 130, getting a major decision from Mason Shrader, a pin from Sam Freeman and decisions from Ben Manly and Eddie Homrock.
The Shamrocks closed the dual with another returning champion, Josh Edmond, winning by technical fall at 135.
“We start at 140, good luck with that, right?” Hancock said. “You got Gilcher, Amine, Davenport, then you go up top to our big guys – we just put a lot of faith in our big guys up top. They’re just a really, really good team, and we were just a couple points better at every weight. To me, that’s just a level of toughness, a level of focus and just some conditioning.
“Hats off to Tony, he’s built a power over there at Brighton.”
The matchups were ones Greathouse knew posed problems for his team coming in.
“We knew coming in that we were going to have to win some matches that we probably weren’t supposed to win,” he said. “We were facing some pretty formidable opposition there. Overall, I thought we competed pretty hard, but they’re better than we are. We had to be better than them today, and we weren’t. We lost by 58 points to them last year in the state finals, today we lost by 15, so we made a 43-point improvement over the last 12 months, so I think that’s something to hang your hat on. We beat the Division 2 state champ (Lowell), we beat the Division 3 state champ (Dundee), so we had a pretty great season. I’m proud of them.”
Hancock wasn’t just impressed with his stars, however, as his younger wrestlers came through for the team as well.
“Anthony Walker I think was the key of the match, his big win down low,” Hancock said. “Logan Sanom, I’m not sure if people expected him to wrestle in that dual but he came out firing. Those two guys really stood out to me, and then up top Brendin Yatooma who beat (Luke) Stanton. Stanton is pretty dangerous on top, so for Yatooma to take him out the way he did was pretty cool.”
Brighton defeated Davison 31-24 in the Semifinals, while Catholic Central defeated Westland John Glenn 56-9.
Gilcher, Davenport, Amine, Turner, Yatooma, Kolcheff, Walker and Edmond each won three matches on the weekend for the Shamrocks, while Freeman and Homrock each won three matches for Brighton.
PHOTOS: (Top) Kevon Davenport was one of nine bout winners for DCC in the Division 1 Final on Saturday. (Middle) Brighton's Greyson Stevens, left, and DCC's Easton Turner wrestle at 189 pounds. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
D1 Preview: Titans Prepare to Clash
February 23, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
To call the Division 1 Quarterfinal field loaded would be an understatement.
The top seven ranked teams at the end of the regular season all have advanced to this weekend's final rounds at Central Michigan University's McGuirk Arena – paced by a top-seeded Detroit Catholic Central team on one of the most dominant runs in MHSAA history.
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 a.m. Saturday and the championship match at 3:30 p.m. All matches this weekend will be streamed live on a subscription basis on MHSAA.tv. For Friday’s schedule and results throughout, check the MHSAA Wrestling page.
The MHSAA Wrestling Finals are presented by the Michigan Army National Guard.
#1 Detroit Catholic Central
Record/rank: 28-1, No. 1
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League
Coach: Mitch Hancock, 10th season (215-43)
Championship history: Eleven MHSAA championships (most recent 2014), two runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Devon Johnsen (31-9) jr., 112 Benyamin Kamali (34-3) jr., 112, Rhett Newton (30-8) soph., 119 Derek Gilcher (27-8) fr., 125 Stone Moscovic (26-10) jr., 130 Kevon Davenport (36-3) soph., 140 Joseph Urso (33-12) soph., 145 Cameron Amine (38-3) soph., 152 Aidan Wagh (28-12) jr., 171 Tyler Morland (30-0) sr., 171 Easton Turner (23-9) soph., 189 Dane Flynn (29-9) sr., 215 Jackson Ross (21-9) sr., 285 Nicholas Jenkins (39-1) sr.
Outlook: Hancock has coached four Division 1 championship teams over his decade running the program, but this has been his most dominant so far. The Shamrocks’ only loss was to Ohio power Lakewood St. Edward, and they shut out all three of their postseason opponents so far. Davenport, Amine, Morland and Jenkins all were individual champions last season, while Kamali, Ross and Moscovic were Finals placers.
#2 Davison
Record/rank: 24-3, No. 2
League finish: First in Saginaw Valley League.
Coach: Roy Hall, 19th season (495-89-1)
Championship history: Eight MHSAA championships (most recent 2006), four runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Andrew Chambal (33-6) fr., 112 Steven Garty Jr. (30-5) soph., 119 Jaron Wilson (30-5) fr., 125 Marc Shaeffer (28-4) fr., 125 AJ Facundo (32-5) jr., 140 Ryan Schlak (32-7) sr., 140 Jay Nivison (24-6) fr., 145 Brian Case (27-6) soph., 160 Cal Stefanko (27-5) jr., 171 Trevor McGowan (28-7) soph., 189 Brenden McRill (34-2) sr., 285 Arron Gilmore (25-9) soph.
Outlook: Last season’s runner-up has eight starters back from the championship match loss to Hartland, despite eight underclassmen (and only three seniors) in this season’s top lineup. McRill won the 189 individual championship last winter, while Facundo was a runner-up (after winning at 112 in 2015) and Case also placed at the Individual Finals. Davison beat DCC in a Semifinal last season by four; in their meeting last month, DCC won 32-22.
#3 Macomb Dakota
Record/rank: 32-3, No. 3
League finish: Second in Macomb Area Conference Red
Coach: Ed Skowneski, fifth season (148-36)
Championship history: Has not appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Brock Prater (41-8) fr., 103 Nick Alayan (48-3) soph., 112 Andrew Barrett (29-9) soph., 112 Justin Tiburcio (45-8) soph., 125 Nick Barrett (45-7) sr., 130 Tyler Sanders (37-2) jr., 152 Christian Karges (41-13) jr., 152 Dustin Solomon (40-6) soph., 160 Layne Malczewski (50-3) jr., 171 Frank Alcini (37-15) sr., 285 Rhami Khalil (47-7) jr.
Outlook: Dakota has moved up to a third seed from sixth last season and with 11 Individual Finals qualifiers after coming to CMU with four a year ago. The Cougars got past No. 9 New Baltimore Anchor Bay to return to the Quarterfinals for the fourth time under Skowneski. Sanders was the individual runner-up last season, losing his championship match by just a point, and he’s one of 10 upperclassmen expected to start. Malczewski and Tiburcio also placed individually last winter.
#4 Oxford
Record/rank: 24-5, No. 4
League finish: First in Oakland Activities Association Red
Coach: Paul McDevitt, 23rd season (488-177-2)
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2011, two runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 119 Daltan Myers (16-12) jr., 130 Garrett Tyrrell (38-10) sr., 135 Sergio Borg (22-5) jr., 140 Ryan Miller (32-12) jr., 145 Caleb Tabert (39-12) soph., 152 Trent Myre (38-12) soph., 160 Devin Trevino (43-6) soph., 215 Byron Schlickenmeyer (33-4) sr.
Outlook: Oxford has won 10 straight league titles and 12 District championships over the last 13 seasons under McDevitt, who also has led nine of his last 10 teams to the Quarterfinals and reportedly will retire from coaching after this season. The next coach will inherit a strong group; McDevitt’s team will march into this weekend with only four senior starters but eight individual qualifiers. Borg was a placer last season.
#5 Hartland
Record/rank: 32-3, No. 5
League finish: First in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West
Coach: Todd Cheney, 25th season (699-100-2)
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2016, five MHSAA runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Wyatt Nault (47-8) fr., 112 Corey Cavanaugh (49-9) soph, 119 Kyle Kantola (47-9) soph., 130 Hayden Culver (41-14) sr., 140 Tanner Culver (30-6) soph., 145 Reece Hughes (37-1) sr., 152 River Shettler (48-6) soph., 160 Joey Livingston (43-5) jr., 189 Andrew Spisz (49-4) sr.
Outlook: After a number of just-misses, Hartland finally got its championship last season and returns five starters from that title match. Along the way this time, the Eagles avenged an earlier loss to No. 8 Walled Lake Central, in the Regional Semifinal, after clinching their 16th league title over the last 17 seasons. Hughes won the individual title at 140 last season and Spisz, Kantola and Cavanaugh also were placers.
#6 Westland John Glenn
Record/rank: 29-6, No. 6
League finish: First in KLAA South, Kensington and overall
Coach: Bill Polk, 19th season (369-115)
Championship history: Has not appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 112 Kyle Borthwell (23-5) soph.; 119 Mikey Mars (53-2) jr., 125 Isaac Lefler (48-7) jr., 135 Anthony Gibson (49-4) jr., 145 John Siemasz (47-6) jr., 189 Lional Cornish (28-19) fr., 215 JaWuan Peete (46-5) sr., 285 Brandon Carreathers (34-11) sr.
Outlook: John Glenn is back at the Quarterfinals for the first time since back-to-back trips in 2009 and 2010 and after upping its win total each of the last three seasons. The Rockets beat Novi and No. 8 Walled Lake Central to win the overall KLAA title, and earned an eight-point win over Temperance Bedford to get to CMU. Mars won the individual title at 112 last season, and Siemasz was runner-up at 135; Borthwell also placed.
#7 Grandville
Record/rank: 14-5, unranked
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Red
Coach: Bubba Gritter, seventh season (113-38)
Championship history: Two MHSAA championships (most recent 1993), three runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 125 Anthonie Taylor (30-9) fr., 130 Mason Priest (34-8) sr., 145 Allan Matthews (19-10) jr., 152 Kameron Bush (35-1) sr., 160 Jake Paganelli (28-15) soph., 171 Sam Greco (38-4) sr., 189 Ryan Vasbinder (18-1) sr., 215 Ian Hall (29-8) sr., 215 Bryce Henning (15-19) sr.
Outlook: An experienced lineup with six seniors and nine upperclassmen among the starting 14 will bring Grandville back to the Quarterfinals. The Bulldogs advanced with a 20-point win over league rival and No. 10-ranked Rockford in the Regional Final after losing to the Rams by nine in January. Bush is the reigning individual champion at 152 pounds
#8 Brighton
Record/rank: 16-8, No. 7
League finish: Second in the KLAA West
Coach: Tony Greathouse, fourth season (89-24)
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2015.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Logan Kehres (29-16) fr., 103 Ben Manly (37-8) soph., 119 Eddie Homrock (30-9) fr., 125 Seth Soto (27-18) sr., 135 Dane Donabedian (22-17) fr., 140 Lee Grabowski (40-6) sr., 145 Nick Bleise (215) jr.) 171 Jake Soop (31-12) sr.
Outlook: Brighton is another contender from the loaded KLAA and got to CMU in part by avenging last year’s Regional upset by Grand Ledge. The Bulldogs have five freshmen among eight underclassmen in the starting lineup, but three that have qualified for the Individual Finals – and this tournament experience no doubt will pay off for seasons to come. In the meantime, Brighton is the rare state-ranked eighth seed filling out a strong field.
PHOTO: Hartland's Reece Hughes (left) and Davison's Cal Stefanko, facing off at last season's Division 1 Final, have led their teams back to McGuirk Arena. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)