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 20^th 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.)