Joy Outweighs Pain for Erie-Mason's Griffin
March 3, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
AUBURN HILLS – At least for a couple of minutes Saturday evening, Logan Griffin’s left shoulder stopped hurting. Or, hopefully, hurt a little less.
He had separated it midway through this season, and didn’t return to the mat until the District tournament three weeks ago.
But amid sizable pain at the end, Griffin beat a two-time MHSAA champion Saturday at The Palace of Auburn Hills to win his first title
The Erie-Mason sophomore edged Carson City-Crystal senior Kenneth Dittenber 5-4 in overtime in the last match at 112 pounds. Dittenber had won the previous two Division 4 championships at 103, while Griffin was runner-up at 112 last season.
“It was my toughest match all season. … I didn’t think I’d make it this far,” Griffin said. "It was killing me. I didn’t think I was going to be able to make it through (OT).”
Griffin, who ended the season 27-0, had worn a shoulder brace throughout the weekend but decided it was best to shed it for the championship match.
He had never wrestled Dittenber, but certainly knew of him. “I just knew I had to be aggressive and keep attacking,” Griffin said.
Dittenber finished 53-5 this season. Click for full results and read below for recaps of every championship match and comments from all the winners.
285
Champion: Ryan Prescott, Whittemore-Prescott, Soph. (48-1)
Decision, 9-5, over Zach Rieger, Hudson, Sr. (53-2)
Prescott got a taste of an MHSAA championship match as a freshman. He fell one point shy of opening his high school career with a title, losing 4-3 in the Final.
He’s considered that every day since, and adopted a more aggressive style to help him achieve his goal this time.
“Every single day, I think about being a state champion. I think about the pleasure. I think about the exposure. I think about the greatness,” Prescott said.
“I’m a state champ. All the pressure’s off. Let’s go get two more.”
103
Champion: Roddy Hamdan, Hudson, Soph. (48-5)
Fall, 3:06, over Arthur Payne, Montrose, Soph. (46-6)
Hamdan got to play a significant part last weekend in Hudson becoming just the second school to win five straight MHSAA team championships.
This weekend, he earned the opportunity to finish with one more win. But it took a 10-8 triple-overtime victory over Dansville’s Clay Ragon two rounds earlier to keep that aspiration alive.
“After ... I knew I had to work harder. I was just saying I’ve got to get better and better as I go,” Hamdan said. “I’m very excited. I work hard every day, train hard. I just dream about this every day. It’s been in my mind since day one.”
119
Champion: Zack Yates, Hesperia, Jr. (53-1)
Fall, 0:59, over Isaac Dusseau, Hudson, Jr. (49-7)
A year ago, Yates also faced a Hudson wrestler in a championship match. Cole Weaver beat Yates 6-0 to win the title at 112 pounds.
But Yates learned plenty to bring back to Auburn Hills this weekend.
“I just needed to keep on my attacks,” he said. “I can’t take a break. I can’t stop wrestling the whole match.”
And it no doubt helped that he had some championship support in his corner – older brother Dan Yates, who won three titles from 2007-09.
“I love having him here. I’m glad he was here, cheering me on,” Zack Yates said.
125
Champion: Zach Mack, Mio, Sr. (45-1)
Fall, 3:42, Matthew Elliott, Fife Lake Forest Area, Jr. (47-6)
Mack had faced Elliott twice this season – pinning him during the final minute in their first match and then beating him 7-0 in the District final.
But that didn’t mean Mack was overly confident Saturday – just pleased when it was done and that he had a title on his last day as a high school wrestler.
There’s good and bad about seeing a familiar opponent in the final match of the season.
“There’s a lot of pressure on you. You’ve beaten him before, but you don’t know if you’re going to win,” Mack said. “(I was) a little nervous. But you can’t let that get to you.”
130
Champion: Cole Weaver, Hudson, Jr. (52-0)
Decision, 7-0, Richard Bentley, St. Ignace, Sr. (42-4)
It’s this simple. “I just don’t want to get beat,” Weaver said after winning his second-straight MHSAA title Saturday, in his third-straight Finals appearance.
It also finished his second-straight perfect season, making him 103-0 over the last two.
But what makes them perfect is the fact that he’s been part of three MHSAA team titles as well.
“Team is a lot better. Individual, it’s just something that goes along with it,” Weaver said. “We’re usually just team, team, team … is what we really care about.”
135
Champion: J.D. Waters, Hudson, Jr. (41-5)
Decision, 2-1, over Chase Siersema, Hesperia, Jr. (57-5)
Waters and Siersema didn’t face each other during last weekend’s Team Final.
But Waters knew what his Saturday opponent would bring, and he was ready for the attack from the moment he stepped on the mat.
Waters scored his points right before the end of the second period. And as the seconds ticked away in the third, he knew he had to do everything to withstand Siersema’s final shots – which he did to claim his first individual championship.
“I knew what he had coming,” Waters said. “So I just had to stop that, and work myself.”
140
Champion: Jacob Perrin, New Lothrop, Sr. (63-2)
Decision, 7-6, over Chad Decker, Grass Lake, Jr. (51-3)
Perrin joined brothers Zach and Russell this season with 200 career wins, and finished his high school career Saturday ahead of both with 222.
But if he’d fallen in his final match? He doesn’t even want to consider that – although it came close to fruition before Perrin scored his go-ahead points during the final seconds.
“That’s why you practice hard. To go out there and do it at the state finals,” he said. “It came down to 14 seconds left, and I was just thinking I gotta get it if I want to win it. We’ve drilled that 100 times in practice, and it worked for me.”
Perrin’s 63 wins this season tied for 20th most in the MHSAA record book. He won the 130-pound championship as a junior.
145
Champion: Josh Wendling, New Lothrop, Jr. (49-5)
Decision, 4-2, over Austin Hughes, Saginaw Nouvel, Jr. (46-2)
Hughes was going for the first individual championship in Nouvel history and had pinned Wendling in their only other meeting this winter.
But this time, Wendling was able to get away for the win despite the dogged pursuit of his opponent – and notch the highlight of his wrestling career.
“I placed as a freshman and sophomore, but it wasn’t like this,” Wendling said. “I’ve been wrestling a long time, but I feel like this year I just stuck it out.”
152
Champion: Jared Bruner, Addison, Sr. (51-3)
Decision, 9-4, over Spencer Reterstoff, Hart, Jr. (53-5)
Winning an MHSAA championship was “the best thing ever,” and Bruner did that last season at 145 pounds.
Winning two? Even better.
“I just look at this one as just another blessing. I went out and wrestled my match, and did as much as I could to win,” Bruner said. “It’s just what you have to do to be on top of the podium.”
Bruner said he's still considering either wrestling or playing football at the collegiate level.
160
Champion: Jacob Cooper, Springport, Soph. (46-2)
Decision, 7-5 OT, over Taylor Krupp, New Lothrop, Jr. (53-4)
Cooper finished runner-up last season at 145, falling in a 4-2 decision.
And after making it all the way back to the championship match, he was in danger of falling in another close one to end Saturday.
But he’d thought a lot about last season’s Finals defeat, and hit another gear when he needed it most.
“I really wanted this, so I pushed it hard,” Cooper said. “I needed to redeem myself, I thought.”
171
Champion: Galloway Thurston, St. Ignace, Sr. (52-2)
Decision, 5-0, over Pat Brown, Sandusky, Jr. (40-4)
Wrestling in MHSAA Finals became a habit for Thurston. He was a runner-up in 2011 and won a championship a year ago.
And all season long, he looked forward to adding one more title to finish his high school career.
For the second season in a row, he joined teammate Joe Ostman to give the Saints two MHSAA champions and the entire Upper Peninsula a dose of wrestling pride.
“I just tried to follow Joe’s footsteps. We just push each other to get better,” Galloway said.
“People were saying the U.P. is never going to have placers, never going to have champions. So it’s an honor to represent the U.P. well.”
189
Champion: Steven Malloy, Morley-Stanwood, Sr. (45-2)
Decision, 7-5, over James Snider, East Jackson, Sr. (36-2)
The last minute of Malloy’s high school career was certainly one of the best.
It's then that he scored the points that earned him a second-straight MHSAA title.
“I was just waiting for him to make a mistake,” Malloy said, still catching his breath. “And capitalize.”
Malloy was the 189 champion in Division 3 last season, winning by a similarly-close 7-6. But this win meant a little bit more. This one added the finishing touch to his senior year.
215
Champion: Joe Ostman, St. Ignace, Sr. (54-0)
Technical Fall, 17-1, over Kevin Koenig, Laingsburg, Fr. (59-4)
Ostman held up three fingers, as it often done when someone wins three MHSAA championships.
He added this to the one he claimed at 215 last season and his first at 189 in 2011.
“I won it a little earlier than I thought, and I came back and won a couple more,” Ostman said. “Being from the U.P., I think it just sets a goal for other wrestlers to reach in the future.”
Ostman will not wrestle collegiately, but instead will play football at Central Michigan next season.
“Obviously, I don’t want it to end,” he said. “But if it’s going to end, it’s a great way to end it.”
PHOTO: Erie-Mason's Logan Griffin (right) wrestles Carson City-Crystal's Kenneth Dittenber during Saturday's Division 4 Final at The Palace of Auburn Hills. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Buell Becomes 29th 4-Time Champ as Dundee Sets Finals Record
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
April 3, 2021
KALALAMZOO – Stoney Buell wasn’t exactly a secret as a freshman, already considered one of the state’s best as a top-seeded contender at his first Individual Wrestling Finals in 2018. He would go on to win his first championship on the same night as teammate Brandon Whitman would become the first in Dundee history to claim a fourth Finals title.
Three years later, Buell will be leaving high school wrestling with an even bigger stack of accomplishments, having more than justified those predictions of greatness.
Buell became the 29th wrestler in MHSAA history to claim a fourth Individual Finals championship Friday, earning the Division 3 title at 189 pounds at Wings Event Center. With Dundee’s fourth-straight team championship Tuesday, Buell also is now one of just three in state history to be part of four team and four individual Finals wins – joining 2020 Lowell grad Austin Boone and Davison legend Brent Metcalf, who accomplished the feat from 2002-05.
“I think it just kinda added a little bit to prove people wrong as a freshman – because people talk and it always adds a little bit of fuel,” Buell said. “Just to finally accomplish that goal that I’ve had for so long is unreal.”
Buell, who will continue at Purdue, capped his Dundee career with a 6-1 decision against Constantine senior Isaac Hall (33-2) after pins of 27 seconds, 37 seconds and 30 seconds to reach the finale.
He had won at 135 pounds as a freshman, 152 as a sophomore and 160 as a junior. He ended this shortened season 27-0 and with a career record of 160-15.
Buell also was joined by seven teammates winning titles Friday as Dundee set a Finals record with eight champions.
“I’m just beyond grateful that we got to be here right now,” Buell said. “A huge shout out to Wings Event Center, and just the sport of wrestling for allowing me to be able to wrestle right now, and be able to do it with a team that makes you better every day. I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else.”
103
Champion: Kade Kluce, Dundee, Fr. (18-2)
Decision, 7-3, over Talan Parsons, Ovid-Elsie, Fr. (24-1)
With three champions graduating, Kluce is part of the next generation of Dundee contenders – and he’s off to the best-possible start.
Kluce handed Parsons his only defeat of the season in a matchup of standout freshmen.
“It was really important for me, my team, my family. I worked a long time for this,” Kluce said. “And it’s paid off.
“I definitely want to do it three more times.”
112
Champion: Braeden Davis, Dundee, Soph. (27-0)
Fall, 1:26, over Gavyn Merchant, Kingsley, Fr. (28-1)
Davis is halfway to matching Buell. And he’s blazing a similarly dominant trail.
Davis never wrestled past the second period this season, winning all of his matches by pin or tech fall including this finale to hand Merchant his only loss.
The championship followed Davis’ title at 103 a year ago.
“This year I felt more prepared and used to it,” he said. “Less nerves, and I’m used to going to big-level tournaments, so I guess it helped.
“I’m going to take a week off and I’m going right into freestyle training and getting ready for Fargo (Nationals).”
119
Champion: Kaden Chinavare, Dundee, Soph. (24-0)
Major Decision, 16-5, over Dominic Anguiano, Alma, Sr. (29-4)
Chinavare had placed third at 112 as a freshman and was ready to take his turn among the many Dundee champions over the last two seasons.
He entered as the top seed at this weight and opened with a technical fall and pin on the way to claiming that first title.
“All these guys, they train with me every day. We scrap in the wrestling room 24/7, and it feels great to finally win the first title,” he said. “It’s kinda what we work for in the room all season.”
125
Champion: Zachary Gibson, Lake Odessa Lakewood, Jr. (33-1)
Decision, 2-1, over Caeleb Ishmael, Coloma, Jr. (30-5)
Gibson jumped from finishing fifth at 103 as a freshman and fifth again at 112 last season to claim his first title. He scored a reversal in the third period and held on.
“After I got the two, I figured, I couldn’t turn the kid the first two periods … so just stay smart. State champ match, you’ve gotta stay smart,” Gibson said.
He gave Lakewood a champion at the Finals for the second straight season, after entering as the second seed at this weight and getting pins in his first two matches of the day.
“It’s really awesome, really sets an example for the rest of the guys,” Cooper said. “My team, they see me as an upperclassmen. They want to fight to get up there with me, and it’s awesome. I work with all the guys, all the underclassmen.”
130
Champion: Ryker Johnecheck, Williamston, Jr. (27-0)
Decision, 6-2, over Brock Holek, Durand, Sr. (25-4)
Both were making repeat appearances in a championship match, Johnecheck after winning 125 last year and Holek after coming in second at 130.
Holek defeated Johnecheck’s brother Camden 5-3 in a semifinal, setting up this clash.
“I’ve wrestled him at Districts and Regionals, and I know what he likes to do,” Ryker Johnecheck said. “I was just waiting for the opportunity, and I got the takedowns when I needed to, and it turned out with me on top.”
Williamston has produced its share of champions in the past, including a pair of the best-known in MHSAA history. Johnecheck became the Hornets’ first repeat champion since Andy Simmons won his fourth title in 2002.
“We’ve had a lot of guys coming up around my age,” Johnecheck said. “We brought five guys to states today; we’ve got five placers. It’s all a team. We push each other at practice, and it shows.”
135
Champion: Aiden Davis, Dundee, Soph. (27-1)
Decision, 5-1, over Jack Sherman, Millington, Sr. (28-1)
Davis had come up just short as a freshman, losing the championship match at 125 to Johnecheck on a last-second ultimate tiebreaker takedown last winter.
After this win he talked about always getting better, by baby steps or leaps and bounds. And he finished the season by making that next move and handing Sherman his only defeat.
“This was one was pretty sweet, because last year I lost in literally the last second,” Davis said. “So I felt like this one meant something to really get it.
“I knew I deserved it last year. This year I just had to prove that.”
140
Champion: Max Brown, Whitehall, Jr. (35-1)
Decision, 7-1, over Austin Fietz, Dundee, Sr. (23-4)
Brown made some noise when he started Tuesday’s Team Final against Dundee with a win over the top-seeded Fietz, a 2020 champion.
Then it was back to preparing for a possible rematch, as Brown was the second seed in this bracket. He lined up a pair of pins Friday to earn the opportunity.
“After our match Tuesday at team states, we went back to the practice room, we worked hard, we got a strategy and went out and executed the strategy,” Brown said. “I knew what to block for, what to look for, how to keep working the whole time.”
Brown had finished third at 130 as a sophomore and fourth at 125 as a freshman.
145
Champion: Casey Swiderski, Dundee, Jr. (28-0)
Major Decision, 20-7, over Dametrius Castillo, Alma, Sr. (29-5)
It seemed appropriate that Swiderski earned not only Dundee’s last championship of the day, but also the last win of the Division 3 meet – because after this weekend, the spotlight is sure to turn his way even more.
Swiderski will have the opportunity next year to join the prestigious group of four-time champs, with Friday’s Finals win at 145 adding to his past titles at 135 as a sophomore and 103 as a freshman.
He won his first three matches this time by pin before the major decision against Castillo, who was a champion as a freshman and runner-up as a junior.
“State titles are state titles. If my goal is this high, this is just a stepping stone to my goals – Division I college, NCAAs, all that,” Swiderski said.
“Getting that fourth (would be) awesome for the history. And being one of those guys, not many people get to do that. Not many people alone get (one) state title.”
152
Champion: Nick Dodman, Sanford Meridian, Sr. (31-5)
Decision, 9-2, over Nicholas Blanchard, Whitehall, Jr. (30-7)
Dodman became his school’s third Individual Finals champion, and first since 2014 – and also Meridian’s first non-heavyweight title winner.
He made good on his top seed Friday after previous Finals finishes of sixth at 140 and eighth at 135 as a junior and sophomore, respectively.
“I knew I could beat anyone in this bracket, and that mindset helped me do it,” Dodman said. “I’d wrestled a lot of them before, and I know nobody here has put in as many hours as me. I knew they didn’t stand a chance.”
160
Champion: Tyler Swiderski, Dundee, Sr. (27-1)
Decision, 7-2, over Connor Owens, Flint Powers Catholic, Soph. (24-1)
Friday’s win over the previously-undefeated Owens came at the opening weight for this year’s Finals and kicked off the Vikings’ record run of champions while also giving Swiderski his second-straight title to go with last year’s at 145.
Swiderski had opened his high school career with Individual Finals runner-up finishes at 112 as a freshman and 135 as a sophomore. And then the key to taking the next step clicked.
“Just to wrestle my matches like I do in practice and not overthink the whole tournament,” he said.
“I think (this year) was a lot better, just because I think I was a lot more free this year,” Swiderski added, comparing his first and second championships. “And it was my last season, so I thought it was very important.”
171
Champion: Dominick Lomazzo, Dundee, Sr. (23-3)
Decision, 7-4, over Randy Pyrzewski, Gladwin, Jr. (28-2)
Lomazzo capped his career with a second-straight championship, adding to the title he won at 152 a year ago.
This run certainly was different though, even if the end result was the same. Lomazzo, who earned a pin and then a major decision to start off Friday, did it all with an ankle injury he suffered during last week’s Regional Final.
But he fought through it to finish a career that included multiple team championships as well and a third place in Division 1 at 125 as a freshman wrestling for Detroit Catholic Central.
“I’m just really happy to be part of this team. These are all my best friends,” Lomazzo said. “It just feels great to finish it out on a bang and know that I did everything I could to finish it, and I got it done.”
215
Champion: Ira Jenkins, Whitehall, Jr. (38-0)
Fall, 0:44, over Ryan Osterland, Algonac, Sr. (31-2)
Jenkins arguably had the most dominating day of any Division 3 competitor Friday, with pins in 1:28, 1:46, 19 seconds and then 44 seconds in the finale to lock down a perfect season and his first championship.
He’d previously finished third at 152 in Division 3 as a freshman and fifth at 171 in Division 2 as a sophomore.
“I wanted to come into this tournament and dominate as best I could,” Jenkins said. “I wanted to get four pins all the way through – that was just my goal, I guess. I know there’s some things I could’ve done better, but I got it done.
“Coming off last year, a fifth-place finish wasn’t where I wanted to end up. So I went back to working and learned from that, and just kept improving. All the offseason work is paying off.”
285
Champion: Dan McKiernan, Richmond, Sr. (16-0)
Decision, 3-1, over Levi Harber, Montrose, Jr. (18-3)
The McKiernans can wrestle. There’s no doubt about that.
Dan finished his high school career Friday by becoming the fourth McKiernan brother to compete in an MHSAA individual championship match – and the second from his family to win one.
McKiernan earned a last-second takedown for the go-ahead points.
“We were both tired, got barely anything left by the end,” Dan McKiernan said. “I knew it’s not worth resting toward the end of the period, so I just thought I had to get and go.”
Jake McKiernan had won the Division 3 title at 189 pounds in 2014, while Jordan McKiernan was runner-up at 152 for Richmond in 2006 and Colton McKiernan was runner-up at 189 in 2017 and 215 pounds in 2018.
“I’m so proud of it. I love my family,” said Dan, who had taken fifth at 285 as a junior. “I’m hoping they’re happy.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Dundee’s Stoney Buell raises four fingers on each hand to the crowd signifying his fourth championship won Friday at the Division 3 Individual Wrestling Finals. (Middle) The Vikings’ Braeden Davis, right, works toward a win at 112. (Below) Lakewood’s Zachary Gibson, right, maintains control during his title match win at 125. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)