Grand Rapids Catholic Central's Gant Adds Name to 4-Time Champions List

By Drew Ellis
Special for MHSAA.com

March 8, 2026

Grand Rapids Catholic Central senior Dale Gant became the latest member of the exclusive Individual Wrestling Finals four-time champion club Saturday.

Gant took home the 138-pound title in Division 3 at Ford Field with a 10-4 win over Constantine senior Bear Geibe.

Following the victory, Gant displayed a picturesque backflip in celebration.

“I can tell you that I’ve felt every emotion leading up to this point,” Gant said of the pressure of going for a fourth-straight title. “I was happy, sad, scared, nervous, angry – I was everything. Just to be able to get that over, it is like a weight I just lifted off my shoulders, and it’s just a great, great feeling.”

Gant (40-1) won titles at 113 pounds, 120 pounds, and 126 pounds before completing his run Saturday at 138. In the final he scored a takedown in the second period to get a 3-1 lead, then added two more in the third to hold off his opponent.

“I was just sticking to myself and remembering all the training that I’ve done and knowing that I’ve worked for this,” Gant said. “It was just about staying composed and just wrestling.”

106

Champion: Dylan Phillips, Laingsburg, Fr. (52-1)
Decision, 9-2, over Dom Sindone, Dundee, Fr. (34-9)

The Laingsburg freshman was in control throughout his 106-pound final, using a six-point second period to keep Sindone at bay and win his first championship.

“I’ve put in a lot of work for this and have trained hard every day with a lot of great partners,” Phillips said.

The freshman suffered just one loss on the year and finished with 52 wins to establish himself as a strong threat in the future.

“I just stayed focused and didn’t put any of my opponents on a pedestal,” Phillips said. “I was confident that I was the better wrestler and relied on my training.”

113

Champion: Braxton Shaffer, Ida, Soph. (53-4)
Fall (4:00), over Jude Rosas, Blissfield, Sr. (42-13)

Shaffer made the most of his opportunity, as a reversal in the second period led to him scoring a pinfall right as the frame concluded.

The two were tied 0-0 after one period and neither was gaining an advantage until Shaffer turned up the effort when he saw an opening, securing his first Finals title.

“I saw there were only 10 seconds left and I was getting my (chicken) wing early in the match, and I didn’t want it to get to a third period,” Shaffer said. “I wasn’t even sure the mat slap was for me when it happened. I looked around to make sure it wasn’t another mat. I was just really excited when I realized it was for me.”

120

Champion: Mason Haines, Dundee, Sr. (40-7)
Decision, 1-0, over Danny Vaneeckhoutte, Erie Mason, Jr. (42-9)

In a battle of 2025 champions, Haines repeated at this weight with a hard-fought win over the 2025 106-pound champion.

Haines would be the first of eight champions on the night for Dundee, matching an MHSAA record the program also set in 2021 and 2025.

“I knew it was going to be a tough match and I just knew I had to play it smart and not be too aggressive and put myself in a bad position,” Haines said. “It was about winning and making sure I did what I had to do.”

Haines got the lone point in the third period on an escape after he rode Vaneeckhoutte for the entire second period.

126

Champion: Bryan Sterling, Dundee, Sr. (40-6)
Technical Fall (2:30), 18-3, over Mackey McClelland, Yale, Soph. (55-7)

Sterling closed out his Dundee career with his first individual title, doing so in convincing fashion.

He scored five takedowns in the match to earn a technical fall early in the second period.

“I knew with this being my last year, I wanted to get it done, and that has been my mindset all season and all weekend,” Sterling said. “Last year I let myself get lazy and I knew that I could win (a state title), so I stayed focused and didn’t let myself slip up.”

132

Champion: Mason Katschor, Dundee, Jr. (42-7)
Decision, 4-2, over Logan Rhodes, Yale, Jr. (50-8)

Katschor earned his third championship, this time doing it at 132 pounds after winning at 113 pounds in 2025 and 106 in 2024.

The match was tied 1-1 in the third period before Katschor scored the lone takedown and then kept Rhodes from matching him the rest of the way.

“The first two titles were great, so every time I get another one, it feels even better,” Katschor said. “I knew this one was going to be a grind and I needed to do a better job of moving my feet, but it’s a tough environment to compete in.”

144

Champion: Braden Broderick, Dundee, Sr. (45-7)
Decision, 1-0, over Ryan Woods, Belding, Sr. (57-2)

Broderick won his second consecutive title Saturday after winning at 132 pounds a year ago. 

He scored the lone point with an escape in the second period, then rode Woods for the entire third to hang on for the win.

“We do a lot of extra work at the end of practice so you can dig deep in those close moments,” Broderick said. “I told myself it was going to take a little something extra in that third and I dug deep, and it paid off. It feels great to be able to go out with another state title.” 

Delton Kellogg’s Mitchell Swift, top, works toward his first championship against Columbia Central’s Dylan Boone.

150

Champion: Stone Redmon, Dundee, Soph. (23-4)
Decision, 18-6, over Van Wirtz, Olivet, Jr. (48-5)

After dealing with a hip injury during parts of the season, Redmon overcame adversity to earn his first Finals title after finishing runner-up at 144 pounds in 2025.

“It’s a true blessing, and I’m grateful to be in this position,” Redmon said. “I worked hard to come back strong after the hip injury, and it feels great to be able to keep adding to the success of the Dundee program.”

Redmon had four takedowns in the first period and controlled his match throughout. 

157

Champion: Blake Cosby, Dundee, Sr. (44-2)
Technical Fall (5:46), 21-5, over Grason Weber, Leslie, Sr. (57-7)

Cosby closed his prep career with a third individual championship after winning at 144 pounds in 2024 and 150 pounds in 2025.

He had three takedowns in the first period to set the pace of the match and continued to add to his lead throughout until scoring the tech fall late.

“I’ve been here and I’ve done this, so I didn’t have many nerves for this one,” Cosby said. “I just went out and wrestled. It means a lot to be able to go out on a high note.”

165

Champion: Donny Beaufait, Dundee, Sr. (38-1)
Technical Fall (2:34), 16-1, over Carson Warner, Napoleon, Jr. (42-4)

Beaufait secured his second-consecutive title, repeating as the 165-pound champion.

He was relentless from the start, scoring 10 points in the first period and quickly wrapping up the match in the second.

“I knew what it takes to get to this point, and it was just about putting in the work all season,” Beaufait said. “There’s a standard that is set at Dundee, and it’s been fun to be part of that and have the success we’ve had.”

175

Champion: Fred Hammond, Otisville-LakeVille Memorial, Sr. (55-0)
Decision, 2-1 (2 OT), over Max Sundquist, Kingsford, Jr. (25-2)

After winning the 165-pound title in Division 4 last year, Hammond moved to Division 3 and still came home with a championship thanks to an escape during the second overtime.

“I wasn’t worried about moving up a division, I was focused on getting in the gym and getting better each day,” Hammond said. “I knew if I put in the work, things would work out like they did.”

The two were tied 1-1 after three periods with each earning an escape. The first overtime didn’t result in any points and then Hammond got the escape in the first of the two 30-second sessions of the second overtime. Hammond closed out the match by riding Sundquist for the final 30-second period.

“(Sundquist) is a great wrestler and very strong, so I was trying to keep the pace going in those gut-wrenching overtime periods,” Hammond said. “I just wanted to use my endurance.” 

190

Champion: Layne Knisley, Bronson, Sr. (55-3)
Decision, 11-5, over Alex Schram, Saginaw Swan Valley, Sr. (51-3)

Knisley used a 7-0 start in the first period to ride his way to a championship.

“My mindset was to go out and do what I do best and get the job done,” Knisley said. “I was really excited early and made a few mistakes, but once I settled in, I felt confident in myself and it feels awesome to be a state champion.”

Schram managed to cut the lead to 7-5 entering the third period, but Knisley got near-fall points in the third to put some cushion on his lead.

215

Champion: Rocco Redmon, Dundee, Sr. (35-11)
Decision, 2-1, over Brady Warner, Napoleon, Sr. (37-5)

Redmon closed out the eight-championship night for Dundee by earning his first title after finishing runner-up at 190 pounds in 2025.

Redmon got a reversal in the second period while on bottom to take a 2-0 lead on Warner. The Napolean senior would get an escape in the third, but couldn’t answer with a takedown.

“(Warner) is a bigger guy, so I knew I had to move my feet and be quick,” Redmon said. “I knew this one would be a grinder, but we put in the work at Dundee, so we get what we deserve.”

285

Champion: Mitchell Swift, Delton Kellogg, Sr. (53-3)
Decision, 5-4, over Dylan Boone, Brooklyn Columbia Central, Sr. (46-6)

After finishing fourth at last week’s Regional, with a 9-8 loss to Boone, Swift rebounded this week with his first Finals championship thanks to a 1-point win in his favor this time around.

“I was just wrestling bad last week and didn’t feel good on the mat last week. This week, I got the nerves out and just stuck with what my coaches have told me,” Swift said of the turnaround. “I just came out with the mindset that I had to win, and it feels amazing to be a state champion.”

Swift got a takedown in the first period to lead 3-0, then added an escape in the second to go up 4-0. Boone got an escape and takedown in the third, but Swift answered with an escape late to earn the narrow victory.

Click for full results.

PHOTOS (Top) Grand Rapids Catholic Central's Dale Gant, right, prepares for his next move against Constantine's Bear Geibe during their Division 3 championship match Saturday at Ford Field. (Middle) Delton Kellogg’s Mitchell Swift, top, works toward his first championship against Columbia Central’s Dylan Boone. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)

D4 Preview: Contenders Pursue Hudson

February 19, 2014

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Hudson is seeking this weekend to become the first team in MHSAA history to win six straight wrestling team championships. And that’s the expectation, as the Tigers enter the MHSAA Team Wrestling Finals seeded first in Division 4 and ranked No. 1 in the state poll.

But the teams ranked 2-5 also are headed to Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena – and each would love to be the one to end this history-making streak.

Below is a look at all eight teams competing in Division 4, listed by seed. Their Quarterfinal matches begin at 1 p.m. Friday, with Semifinals at 9:30 Saturday morning and the championship match at 4 p.m. All matches this weekend will be streamed live on a subscription basis on MHSAA.TV. For results throughout, check the MHSAA Wrestling page. Rankings below are from MichiganGrappler.com

#1 HUDSON

Record/rank: 33-4, No. 1
League finish: Second in Lenawee County Athletic Association
Coach: Scott Marry, 26th season (690-145) 
Championship history: Five MHSAA championships (most recent 2013).
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Zach Lopinski (29-16) fr., 112 Roddy Hamdan (39-11) jr., 112 Tyler Roberts (38-15) jr., 119 Isaac Dusseau (31-11) sr., 130 Mason Lopinski (34-13) soph., 135 Carlos Randall (13-11) sr., 140 Cole Weaver (50-0) sr., 145 JD Waters (43-9) sr., 152 Kyle Johnson (41-9) soph., 160 Clayton Brockway (29-22)  jr., 160 Brian Sumber (17-14) sr., 171 Tylor Grames (16-16) fr., 189 Mitch Ely (28-21) jr., 215 Jacob Morgan (31-16) sr. 
Outlook: Hudson last season became the second in MHSAA history to win five straight Finals team championships, tying the Davison teams from 2002-06 for the longest streak – and are heavily favored to extend it this weekend. Hamden, Weaver (two straight) and Waters are reigning individual champions and Dusseau was a runner-up last season, and all but one of the expected starters have qualified for next week’s Individual Finals. And yet, only six of the team’s 14 qualifiers are seniors.

#2 NEW LOTHROP

Record/rank: 28-1, No. 2
League finish: First in Genesee Area Conference
Coach: Jeff Campbell, 13th season (336-64) 
Championship history: 12 MHSAA championships (most recent 2004), four runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Connor Krupp (35-12) fr., 119 Cole Hersch (44-7) soph., 125 Dalton Birchmeier (38-10) jr., 130 Gabe Bennett (47-3) jr., 135 Trevor Copes (40-12) jr., 140 Steven Garza II (22-0) soph., 145 Aaron Bauman (46-4) sr., 160 Josh Wendling (49-4) sr., 171 Taylor Krupp (50-0) sr., 189 Cody Symons (43-4) sr., 215 Dakota Clark (29-12) sr., 215 Owen Wilson (32-9) sr., 285 David Robertson (37-12) jr. 
Outlook: 
New Lothrop has reached the Quarterfinals all 13 seasons under Campbell and missed its first championship berth since 2007 by only two points in the final match of last season's Semifinal. Wendling was an individual champion in 2013 and Taylor Krupp a runner-up, and all but two of the probable starters this weekend have qualified for the Individual Finals – with Wilson able to sub in at the heavier weights. New Lothrop’s lone loss this winter was to Division 2 top seed Lowell by five points.

#3 LAWTON

Record/rank: 29-0, No. 5
League finish: First in Southwestern Athletic Conference
Coach: Troy Johnson, first season (29-0) 
Championship history: Four MHSAA championships (most recent 1990), two runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Jacob Chapman (25-8) fr., 112 Julian Torres (45-0) jr., 130 Kyle Barkovich (45-2) jr., 135 Cole Menck 45-3) jr., 140 Travis Smith (40-10) sr., 152 Chris O’Donnell (44-3) jr., 171 Brody Conner (47-0) jr. Outlook: Lawton is back at the Quarterfinals for the first time since 1997, and Johnson has led the Blue Devils through a tough run as former coach and program-builder Bryan Sosinski died earlier this year after a battle with brain cancer. Johnson was part of three MHSAA championship teams before graduating in 1987 and served as Sosinski’s assistant before taking over the program. Torres, Barkovich, Menck and Conner all were Individual Finals placers last season.

#4 CARSON CITY-CRYSTAL

Record/rank: 25-2, No. 3
League finish: First in Central Michigan Athletic Conference
Coach: Kacy Datema, fourth season (82-30) 
Championship history: MHSAA runners-up in 2000 and 2001. 
Individual Finals qualifiers: 112 Taylor Barkley (34-10) soph., 112 Alex Baker (32-4) jr., 119 Dallas O’Green (40-3) soph., 145 Darren Decker (42-1) jr., 152 Dillen Decker (37-2) jr.,
Outlook: Carson City-Crystal returned to the Quarterfinals last season for the first time in a decade and is led by three returning Individual Finals placers in O’Green and both Deckers. Still, the Eagles are young and could be contending for at least the next few seasons; only two starters are seniors including Garner Cusack, another Finals placer in 2013.  

#5 HESPERIA

Record/rank: 26-3, No. 4
League finish: First in Central State Activities Association
Coach: John Dingledine, first season (26-3)
Championship history: MHSAA champion 2008, five runner-up finishes. 
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Corey Agens (36-8) sr., 103 Davian Gowens (18-3) soph., 125 Zack Yates (41-0) sr., 125 Logan Eaves (34-13) soph., 135 Trenton Roesly (45-3) jr., 140 Chase Siersema (39-3) sr., 145 David Jacobs (33-11) sr., 160 Mark Workman (22-2) soph.
Outlook: Hesperia has finished MHSAA runner-up three times in five seasons, including last winter, and hopes to take the final step under Dingledine. He took over for longtime coach Doug Baird this fall and inherited a reigning individual champion in Yates and a last season runner-up in Siersema. Half of this weekend’s probable lineup competed in last season’s 32-24 championship match loss to Hudson.

#6 SPRINGPORT

Record/rank: 24-4, unranked
League finish: First in Big 8 Conference
Coach: Dave Pratt, ninth season (235-66) 
Championship history: Class D runner-up 1984.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 119 Walter Betz (31-10) sr., 135 Nick Cooper (36-9) fr., 140 Brandon Tanner (39-12) sr., 145 Zeth Caudill (32-3) soph., 152 Andrew Grady (29-15) sr., 189 Jacob Cooper (40-2) jr., 215 Adam Lammers (35-11) jr.
Outlook: Although Springport is returning to the Quarterfinals for the first time since 2008, it has had plenty of local success with eight league and nine District titles in nine seasons under Pratt. The Spartans defeated an impressive slate to return to Battle Creek, including No. 6 Schoolcraft, Constantine and last season Quarterfinalist Bronson. Cooper is the reigning individual champ at 160 pounds.

#7 NORWAY

Record/rank: 19-0, unranked
League finish: First in Mid-Peninsula Athletic Conference
Coach: Nick Burklund, fifth season (62-26) 
Championship history: Has never finished among the top two teams in Finals competition.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Zac DeCremer (40-2) soph., 140 Cole Gonzalez (41-4) jr., 171 Taylor Bonetti (37-7) jr.
Outlook: The Knights continue to shine after making the Quarterfinals last season for the first time. They’ve gone a combined 45-2 over the last two seasons. Norway will hope to make a splash despite entering as the seventh seed, but could be back for more in 2015 with only four starters graduating.

#8 CLINTON

Record/rank: 21-12, unranked
League finish: Does not compete in a league.
Coach: Jeff Rolland, first season (21-12)
Championship history: Has never finished among the top two teams in Finals competition.
Individual Finals qualifiers: None. 
Outlook: Clinton sent 10 qualifiers to its individual Regional last weekend, but amazingly has advanced to the team Quarterfinal without a single Individual Finals qualifier. Junior Zech Johnston, 33-10 and wrestling at 119 pounds, leads the team in wins but was stuck in one of the toughest brackets in Division 4. It’s an impressive feat led by Rolland, a Clinton grad who previously coached Onsted to three straight District titles from 2009-11.

PHOTO: New Lothrop senior Aaron Bauman has his hand raised in victory after a match against Lowell this season. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)