Led by 1st-Year Coaches, Dundee Adds to Longtime Tradition with Another D3 Win

By Jeff Chaney
Special for MHSAA.com

February 25, 2023

KALAMAZOO – Nate Hall and Garrett Stevens knew what they were taking over when they were announced as co-coaches of the Dundee wrestling team before this season.  

Longtime coach Tim Roberts did not leave the cupboard bare when he decided to retire. 

His Vikings program had won five straight MHSAA Division 3 team titles and was littered with talented and powerful wrestlers. 

Hall and Stevens proved to be the right picks to take over the legendary program, as they helped coach the Vikings to their sixth-straight title, and 14th overall. 

And Dundee did it in its usual impressive fashion, with a 60-18 win over Whitehall in the Final on Saturday at the Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo. 

"The well was not dry, and don't wreck it," said Hall, whose team finished duals at 19-2. "We didn't change much. We have all been around the program long enough, we had a great idea of what was taking place and how we are successful."

Which is?

"The commitment of the families, that is 100 percent why this program is so successful," Hall said. "I am not chasing kids down to have them wrestle in the summer. I'm chasing them trying to keep up with them."

And that is exactly what the Vikings'  three opponents were doing all weekend in Kalamazoo – chasing down Dundee's talent.

In the Final, the Vikings were down 12-0 after two pins by Whitehall. But after that, Dundee went on to win 11 matches in a row, seven straight by pin. 

Whitehall’s Jackson Cook wrestles to a 7-3 decision win at 190 in the Semifinal against Algonac.Freshman Haydn Nutt began with a pin in 3 minutes, 9 seconds. Nutt was one of six freshmen who took to the mat this weekend for the Vikings. And all six are ranked among the top 10 in their respective weight classes by Michigan Grappler, including Nutt, who is the state's top-ranked 106-pounder in Division 3. 

"We started the year and we had 13 freshmen, and I can't say enough the way our program has developed those kids," Hall said. "They were ready from day one this year, and they stepped up and progressed properly. They were ready to go."

It helps when you have a senior class of state champions leading the way like Braeden Davis at 132 pounds, Kaden Chinavare at 138 and Aiden Davis at 157. 

"Dundee is the best place to be when you want to pursue wrestling," said Braeden Davis, who will look to win a fourth-straight individual title next weekend at Ford Field and couple that with his now four team titles. "We have a great staff, a great community. It's all about wrestling at Dundee."

Braeden Davis went 3-0 for the weekend and helped Dundee defeat Hart in the Quarterfinals 64-15 and Constantine in the Semifinals 59-16. 

Braeden Davis was most impressive in the Final, when he won by fall in 15 seconds.

Whitehall co-coach Justin Zeerip knows good wrestling when he sees it. A four-time Individual Finals champion himself, Zeerip was impressed with the Vikings. 

"Dundee is so tough, " said Zeerip, whose team ended with a 32-4 record. "From 106 to 175, they have seven top-ranked guys. And a couple other guys are ranked really high, so hats off to them, they are a great program. Our kids wrestled hard, they are just a super team."

Whitehall did wrestle hard during the two-day event as well, downing Gladstone in the Quarterfinals 48-24 on Friday, and then Algonac in the Semifinals 40-27 earlier Saturday. Whitehall wrestled over its seed in that match, as the No. 3-seeded Vikings got past the second seed.

"I was proud how my guys wrestled this weekend," Zeerip said.  

Click for full results.

PHOTOS (Top) Dundee’s Kaden Chinavare, right, goes for a takedown during his 126-pound match with Whitehall’s Caden Varela. (Middle) Whitehall’s Jackson Cook wrestles to a 7-3 decision win at 190 in the Semifinal against Algonac. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)

Performance of the Week: Reed City's Wyatt Spalo

January 31, 2025

Wyatt Spalo headshotWyatt Spalo ♦ Reed City
Senior ♦ Wrestling

Spalo, 36-4 this season, avenged two of his losses on the way to repeating as champion in the 285-pound weight class at the Northern Michigan Championships after entering the tournament seeded third in his bracket. Spalo edged Sault Ste. Marie’s Sawyer Kuenzer in the semifinal 2-1 to avenge a loss, then avenged another with a 7-6 decision over Gaylord’s Caden Sides in the championship match.

It’s been a highlight-filled season for Spalo, who finished Division 3 Finals runner-up at his weight last winter. He reached 150 career wins and is up to 162, and has 28 pins this season and has surpassed 100 wins by fall for his career. Spalo also was a standout two-way lineman on Reed City’s District-champion football team. After graduation, he’s considering attending trade school for welding.

@mhsaasports 🤼‍♂️POW: Wyatt Spalo #wrestling #reedcity #outstandingwrestler #100pins #150wins #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA

@mhsaasports 🤼‍♂️POW: Wyatt Spalo #spongebob #gronkowski #pineapple #reesespieces #coolguy #part2 #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

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Previous 2024-25 honorees

Jan. 24: Olivia Flynn, Harbor Springs basketball - Report
Jan. 17:
Levi Rozema, Holland Christian swimming - Report
Jan. 10:
McRecco McFadden, Burton Bentley basketball - Report
Dec. 18:
Nash Leonard, Bay City Western hockey - Report
Dec. 11:
Blake Cosby, Dundee wrestling - Report
Dec. 4:
Keaton Hendricks, Zeeland West football - Report
Nov. 29:
Kate Simon, East Grand Rapids swimming - Report
Nov. 22:
Ella Kokaly, Essexville Garber volleyball - Report
Nov. 15:
Caroline Bryan, Grosse Pointe South swimming - Report
Nov. 8:
Kaylie Livingston, Whitmore Lake cross country - Report
Oct. 25:
Oliver Caldwell, Grand Rapids West Catholic tennis - Report
Oct. 18:
Alex Graham, Detroit Cass Tech football - Report
Oct. 11:
Victoria Garces, Midland Dow cross country - Report
Oct. 4:
Asher Clark, Bay City John Glenn soccer - Report
Sept. 26:
Campbell Flynn, Farmington Hills Mercy volleyball - Report
Sept. 19:
TJ Hansen, Freeland cross country - Report
Sept. 12:
Jordan Peters, Grayling soccer - Report
Sept. 6:
Gabe Litzner, Sault Ste. Marie cross country - Report
Aug. 30:
Grace Slocum, Traverse City St. Francis golf - Report

(Photos courtesy of the Reed City athletic department.)