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.)

Hudson Makes Big Stage Home Again in Division 4 Championship Repeat

By Jeff Chaney
Special for MHSAA.com

February 25, 2023

KALAMAZOO – The Hudson wrestling team is never afraid of the big stage. 

In fact, the Tigers thrive on it.

Hudson claimed its second-straight Division 4 team championship Saturday at Wings Event Center with an impressive 58-12 win over Bronson in the Final. 

The Tigers have won 10 team titles in head coach Scott Marry's 35 years of leading the program.

Marry said aside from a lot of hard work, it's a simple formula for the small school and community in southern Michigan.

 "We love  each other – I love my kids, and they love me," Marry said. "I love my coaching staff, and when you wrestle out of the environment like that, it settles in and it's really powerful. Everyone calls it momentum, but it's really love."

The love and momentum were on full display Saturday in Kalamazoo, especially in the championship match against Bronson. 

After falling behind 6-0 from a pin at 215 pounds, the Tigers ran off a string of nine straight wins. And among those nine straight wins, Hudson had seven pins. 

Starting the streak was senior heavyweight Aidan Rackowski with a pin in 2 minutes, 44 seconds. 

Pinning their opponents is a consistent theme for Hudson at the Finals. 

Bronson’s Matthew Blankenship, right, and St. Louis’ Ramon Anguiano lock up at 285 in a Semifinal.During the Tigers’ 62-18 win over Iron Mountain in the Quarterfinal, 51-12 win over Martin/Climax-Scotts in the Semifinal and the championship victory over Bronson, Hudson had a total of 17 pins. 

"We just work on a lot of subconscious brain work in the room," Marry said, "And visualization and creativity. And that manifests itself; it's powerful. Believe it or not, kids nowadays really do want to learn. They want to be loved, and they want to be taken care of." 

The 17th and final pin of the weekend for Hudson came from senior Logan Sallows at 190 pounds. 

Sallows a returning Individual Finals placer.

"We push hard at practice," said Sallows, who is the second-ranked 190-pounder in Division 4 by Michigan Grappler. "We always want to get better as a team, always. Everyone is family, and we continue to push ourselves until we hit our limits." 

And those limits are high. 

Although it ran up against one of, if not the best team in Division 4 year in and year out, Bronson coach Chad Butters was proud of his team's run this year.

The third-seeded Vikings defeated Manchester in the Quarterfinals 39-19, then second-seeded St. Louis in the Semifinals 38-29. 

"We felt really good coming in here," said Butters, whose team ended with a 39-2 record. "I thought we wrestled really well against Manchester. Then against St. Louis, we showed a lot of toughness and grit. 

"Against Hudson, we knew we would have to pull off some upsets; that just didn't happen," he added. "They overwhelmed us. They wrestled their match. They did what they do best."

Bronson got its wins in the Final from Matthew Blankenship at 215, Carson Norton at 157 and Jacob Britten at 175.

"I am so proud of my young men," Butters said. "I am proud of their heart. We just fell short."

Click for full results.

PHOTOS (Top) Hudson’s Nicholas Sorrow works toward a pin in his 113-pound match during the Division 4 Final. (Middle) Bronson’s Matthew Blankenship, right, and St. Louis’ Ramon Anguiano lock up at 285 in a Semifinal. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)