Hudson Starts Saturday Celebrating Record-Setting Coach, Ends with Testament to His Work
By
Jeff Chaney
Special for MHSAA.com
February 28, 2026
KALAMAZOO – Scott Marry always likes to spread the praise.
The longtime Hudson wrestling coach always points to his wrestlers, school administration and Hudson community when talking about the successes of his program.
But he has been the constant in the dynasty.
This weekend at the MHSAA Team Wrestling Finals at Wings Event Center, Marry's Tigers won their fifth-straight Division 4 championship with a 50-15 victory over rival Clinton in Saturday afternoon’s championship match.
That made 13 Division 4 championships and 17 appearances in championship matches for Hudson during Marry's 38 years leading the program.
And to boot, with his team's 65-9 win over Decatur in the Semifinals, Marry became the all-time winningest coach in MHSAA wrestling history with a 983-216 record.
"I came back (to Hudson) from Michigan State in 1986 – I wrestled for (former Michigan State wrestling coach) Grady Penninger," said Marry, a 1983 Hudson graduate. "I spent three years up there, and I came back on unwanted terms. I did not want to be home, but I had to be home because I wasn't focused. I was wasting my time and my money and when I got home, basically my dad is an old-school conservative and he said get your butt to work – you are not going to school, so you are going to get a job."
So Marry leaned back on his love of wrestling.
"I started working construction and helping out with the wrestling room," Marry said. "Low and behold, the next year the wrestling coach resigned and they gave it to me. I wasn't even ready. I just started teaching like Grady taught us in the room at Michigan State, and now 38 years later here we are."
Here we are, all the titles and wins, let alone mentoring hundreds of boys and girls to push themselves through a difficult sport to become men and women.
"I owe a lot to Grady Penninger, and I owe a lot to my parents and I owe a lot to this community," Marry said. "Honestly, putting up with me. This is a longevity award, and there are a lot of places that wouldn't have put up with me and Hudson still loves me even after all the mistakes I've made."
You don't have to look far to see that love.
Senior 132-pounder Nick Sorrow, who will be looking to win his fourth individual championship next weekend at Ford Field to go with his now four team titles, points that out.
"He gives 100 percent every day," Sorrow said. "He focuses on bringing the energy up, and when energy is up good things happen. He is a positive light in our lives. It just goes to show how much he loves and cares for this team. He is with us every day, extra hours, early mornings. He is there for us and cares so much about Hudson, I just wish everyone knew just how much."
The Tigers won 11 of 14 matches Saturday against Clinton, which wrestles in the Lenawee County Athletic Association with Hudson and also Division 3 champion Dundee. Four wins came by pin, three by technical fall and four by decision.
Total, the Tigers gave up only 24 match points all weekend. That dominance in Division 4 has been the theme for the past decade, as Hudson has won eight of the past 10 titles.
The Tigers also won five in a row from 2009-2013.
"We are trying to make a new mark next year," Marry said. "We are looking for six in a row; we have never won six in a row.
“This team is very special. These seniors have led this team in a really spectacular way throughout the season. Off the mat, in the classroom, every which way. These leaders have really shown their leadership skills, and I am so proud of them."
PHOTOS (Top) Hudson’s Colt Perry works toward a decision at 150 pounds under the watchful eye of coach Scott Marry, far left. (Middle) Marry monitors the action Saturday afternoon after becoming the state’s all-time winningest wrestling coach during the Semifinals earlier that day. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
Richmond 'Works Hard' to Contend Again
By
Tom Markowski
Special for Second Half
February 8, 2016
RICHMOND – Every sport seems to have its glamour position.
Baseball and softball have their home run hitters. In football, it’s the quarterback. In volleyball, the player who collects the most spikes makes the highlight reel. And for those in track and field, the fastest runner receives all the glory.
There’s nothing pretty about wrestling. It’s a blue-collar sport where athletes compete like tigers in a cage. They eye their opponent, take a few steps, then make their move. Usually the strongest wins, but quickness often trumps strength – especially in the lower weight divisions.
One fact separates an average program from those that achieve success consistently, and that’s hard work. Sounds trite, but it’s true. Unless there is a wide variance in talent, the wrestler who out-works the opponent wins.
At Richmond, a town of about 6,000 people located in rural northern Macomb County, there’s no substitute for hard work. And for the school’s varsity wrestling coach Brandon Day, there is no tolerance for a lack of hard work.
The Blue Devils have won four of the last six Division 3 titles including last season. And despite losing 11 of their 14 starters, they are one of the top contenders again and No. 3 in the final regular-season Division 3 rankings.
“We have some talented kids,” Day said. “But we get the most out of them. It’s a total community effort here. Now I’m starting to get the kids who had dads and uncles wrestle here. We have one of the smallest schools (by enrollment) at the Finals, but we’ll have some of the biggest crowds.
“I guess we’re a lot like Lowell. It’s a community. They made the football Finals and their wrestling program is among the best. A lot of our kids play football, too. The kids want to be a part of it. There’s no selfishness.”
Day, a graduate of Imlay City, is in his 12th season as Richmond’s head coach. Growing up in a rural area, Day understands the mentality of participating in small-town athletics. The student you are competing with as a senior is the same person with whom you attended first grade.
One of five seniors on the team, Aaron Kilburn, is one of the three returning who started last season. As a freshman, he finished third at the 103-pound weight division. Kilburn was an MHSAA champion at 112 his sophomore year and, as a junior, finished second at 119. He competes at 125 this season.
The other two returners are Graham Barton at 135 and Cody Keller at 119. Both were MHSAA Finals qualifiers last season.
“We’re young,” Kilburn said. “We’ve developed the young guys as the season has gone on. Here everyone busts their butts every day. There are no slackers.
“A lot of the guys play football. I don’t. I just wrestle. We get a month off a year. The rest of the time we train in the offseason getting ready. I love the sport. It’s a passion. It’s just you and the other guy on the mat. Your teammates can’t help you then. It’s just you. I like working hard.”
The Blue Devils are improving. They lost to Division 1 No. 6 Oxford in a close match early in the season and last week at the Macomb-Oakland Invitational held at Oxford, Richmond went 5-0 highlighted by a 44-24 victory over the host.
Richmond’s Team District is Feb. 10 at Algonac, and for Richmond to be successful the Blue Devils must have solid matches from underclassmen like Colton McKiernan (171), Alex Roberts (140) and Tyler Marino (215), all of whom are sophomores.
Day is hoping the demanding schedule he put together begins to pay off. He’s taken his team to tournaments in Defiance, Ohio; Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Cleveland to help the team prepare for the postseason.
“We like to have the kids go against the best as much as possible,” he said. “We beat (defending Division 4 champion) New Lothrop and we wrestled (Division 2 No. 1) Lowell in Ohio and lost.
“We’ve been fortunate here. The parents and the kids value hard work and accountability. Being a hard worker is still cool here.”
Tom Markowski is a columnist and directs website coverage for the State Champs! Sports Network. He previously covered primarily high school sports for the The Detroit News from 1984-2014, focusing on the Detroit area and contributing to statewide coverage of football and basketball. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) A Richmond wrestler (right) works for control in a match against New Lothrop at Central Michigan University last month. (Middle) Richmond athletes watch a teammate during the competition. (Click for more photos from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)