Selfless Seniors Lead Shamrocks to Fourth-Straight Division 1 Title
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
February 28, 2026
KALAMAZOO – Moments after Alex Buskirk stepped off the mat following his 157-pound Individual Regional Final victory, he received his next assignment: cut down to 150 for the Division 1 Team Finals.
“I just thought that if they thought it was what was best for the team, it was an obvious yes,” the Detroit Catholic Central senior said. “If that’s best for the team, I’m doing what’s best for the team.”
Buskirk was one of multiple Shamrock wrestlers to make a personal sacrifice for the betterment of the team, and as it tends to do at Catholic Central, it paid off. The Shamrocks defeated Hartland 43-16 on Saturday in the Division 1 Final at Wings Events Center, claiming their fourth-straight championship.
‘It’s remarkable,” Catholic Central coach Mitch Hancock said. “I think it speaks a lot to their effort and attitude. We had a slogan this year that was pretty important; it was ‘Culture, Faith and Process.’ Keeping those things in line I think is what helps those guys. I think they get overwhelmed, I think sometimes there’s a lot of pressure on them in this world. So, if they can keep their eyes on Jesus Christ, focus on their study around a great culture, we can be successful.”
The title was the 19th overall for Catholic Central, and 12th under Hancock, all won since 2010. It was also the second time the Shamrocks had won four in a row, having also accomplished the feat from 2017 through 2020.
But for Hancock, it never gets old, as each team and title has its own back story, and in this one it was the selflessness of his seniors.
“Hats off to our seniors who were remarkable today,” Hancock said. “Starting right off with Collin Payne, he’s a 215-pounder ranked fifth in the state. We went to him on Tuesday and said, ‘Collin, we need you at (190).’ No questions asked, he got down to (190). Our heavyweight (Paxton Heitsch), committed to Akron for track & field. Wrestled as a freshman and sophomore, took last year off and came to me this year and said, ‘Coach I want to wrestle, I wanna go win a team title.’ Alex Buskirk, a 157-pounder, ranked No. 2 in the state, cuts down to 150. It gave us some flexibility and options, so I’m just really proud of those guys.”
Payne won his match by technical fall, 19-3, to open the dual, and Heitsch won a 7-3 decision at 285. Buskirk won a 19-7 major decision back at his normal weight, 157.
After his match, with the dual and Finals title already sealed, he blew a kiss to the CC crowd.
“Just so much emotions running through,” Buskirk said. “Just all the love and gratitude to the fans, the coaches, my teammates, everyone, God, just everyone that supports us. It means so much, it’s hard to describe. People are going to look back and notice this team and say we won four times. I just hope it gives inspiration to the underclassmen below us to keep going.”
There were plenty of non-seniors to be inspired, as 10 of the 14 wrestlers who took the mat in the Final will be back next season.
The other senior to wrestle for the Shamrocks on Saturday was Wyatt Lees, a three-time Individual Finals champion, who can become an eight-timer (four team and individual titles) next weekend at Ford Field. He won his match with a 16-5 major decision.
“It’s the standard in our program,” Hancock said. “The standard isn’t winning titles, it’s being selfless, it’s making sure that you work extremely hard and treat each other with respect. You’re not afraid to lose, you challenge yourself. I’ve got guys on my team with 15, 20 losses. We challenge ourselves. Just really proud of our seniors, our coaching staff.”
There were no pins in the Final, but the Shamrocks did rack up five technical falls by Payne, Caden Krueger (215), Jamison Gregory (126), Ryan Totten (132) and Grayson Fuchs (150).
Braxten Roche (175) won by major decision, while Gavin Boller (106) won a 6-3 decision for the Shamrocks (20-5).
As DCC is setting the standard in Division 1, Hartland hopes to be the team to eventually meet it and take them down. The Eagles were 26-2 on the season, with the two losses coming to Catholic Central and Division 2 champion Lowell.
“Our goal always is to be the best in the state of Michigan,” Hartland coach Kyle Summerfield said. “We wrestled Lowell, we wrestled (Division 4 champion) Hudson, we wrestled (Division 3 champion) Dundee, and we wrestled CC – we wrestled everybody.”
Returning Division 1 champions Bodie Abbey (138) and Dallas Korponic (165) each won by technical fall for Hartland, while Jace Sensor (113) and Jonah McPherson (120) each won decisions.
“One of the big things we preach, we don’t look at score anymore, we look at how our kids did in each match,” Summerfield said. “Our kids competed in each dual, they focused on scoring points and they did their best to wrestle their style. So, that’s kind of what we try to preach, and I’m very proud of the way the kids wrestled this weekend.”
PHOTOS (Top) DCC’s Alex Buskirk, front, gets ahold of Ashton Jewel’s leg during their match at 157 pounds Saturday. (Middle) Hartland’s Jonah McPherson, right, wraps up opponent Brent Coak at 120 pounds. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
D3 Preview: Dundee's Drive for 5 May Include Meeting of 2021 Champs
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 24, 2022
It’s not often we get to see two of last year’s Finals champions face off for this season’s title. But we could Saturday in the Division 3 Team Wrestling Final.
Dundee is seeking to win its fifth-straight Division 3 championship. Clinton won the last two in Division 4 before moving into Division 3 this winter. They are the top seeds in the bracket heading into this weekend. They also wrestle together in the Lenawee County Athletic Association; Dundee won the regular-season dual 40-26.
But there is plenty of wrestling ahead before we reach that potential rematch – and a repeat No. 3 seed in Alma, along with five more qualifiers, looking to reach that last match of the weekend as well. Friday’s Quarterfinals begin at 4:30 p.m. at Wings Event Center – see matchups below – with Semifinals at noon Saturday and the championship match later that day at 3:45 p.m.
#1 Dundee (14-4) vs. #8 Constantine (25-10)
#4 Imlay City (27-5) vs. #5 Hart (30-5)
#3 Alma (26-1) vs. #6 Montrose (18-5)
#2 Clinton (30-3) vs. #7 Gladstone (15-1)
Tickets for Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Finals will be sold by the Wings Event Center box office. All matches for all three rounds also will be viewable on MHSAA.tv with subscription.
Below is a look at all eight teams competing in Division 3, listed by seed. (Girls Finals qualifiers are noted with “G” with weight class, as those classes differ from the other Individual Finals brackets.)
#1 DUNDEE
Record/rank: 14-4, No. 1
League finish: First in Lenawee County Athletic Association
Coach: Tim Roberts, 23rd season (572-80-1)
Championship history: Thirteen MHSAA championships (most recent 2021), seven runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Ashton Viers (24-12) fr., 112 Kade Kluce (34-6) soph., 119 Braeden Davis (34-2) jr., 119 Kyle Smith (27-7) sr., 125 Cameron Chinavare (32-2) soph., 130 Kaden Chinavare (29-3) jr., 135 Logan Sander (29-6) sr., 135 Kole Katschor (28-11) fr., 140 Trey Parker (25-8) soph., 145 Austin Jaworski (17-10) sr., 145 Aiden Davis (36-0) jr., 152 Casey Swiderski (38-0) sr., 152 Jacob Fenbert (24-13) jr.
Outlook: Dundee has wrestled in the last 10 Division 3 championship matches and brings back eight starters from last season’s winning team. Swiderski will wrestle next weekend to join the elite group of four-time individual champions, and Braeden Davis is right behind wrestling for his third individual title in three seasons. Kluce, Kaden Chinavare and Aiden Davis also were Individual Finals champs in 2021, while Smith, Sander and Parker were placers. Also among Dundee’s wins this season was a victory over Division 1 top seed Davison.
#2 CLINTON
Record/rank: 30-3, No. 2
League finish: Tied for second in LCAA
Co-coaches: Casey Randolph and Jeff Rolland, ninth seasons (247-52)
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Braylon Long (42-6) fr., 112 Connor Younts (39-6) soph., 119 Connor Busz (43-2) jr., 125 Zak Shadley (38-9) jr., 130 Chase Packard (34-9) sr., 135 Coy Perry (43-7) soph., 140 Maurice Ames (32-13) soph., 145 Joey Preston (29-7) soph., 160 Kent McCombs (28-2) sr., 189 Logan Badge (33-4) sr.; 130-G Faith Blackburn (20-1) soph.
Outlook: Eight starters return this weekend from last season’s Division 4 championship match win, and they provide major points potential even as the team graduated two individual champions. Badge also will be attempting to join the four-time individual champions group next weekend, again at 189, and Younts (103) and Perry (112) were Division 4 champs a year ago as well. Busz was the 112 runner-up to Perry in 2021, while Shadley (119), George Ames (140) and McCombs (145) also all finished runners-up at last year’s Individual Finals, McCombs for the second straight. Ames, a senior, is 21-2 at 152.
#3 ALMA
Record/rank: 26-1, No. 3
League finish: First in Tri-Valley Conference East
Coach: Randy Miniard, 11th season (260-100)
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 112 Isaiah Mullins (34-3) sr., 125 Fabian Facundo (33-2) fr., 130 Buddy Leonard (32-8) fr., 135 Gianni Tripp (28-7) jr., 160 Jaden Morrow (35-5) sr., 171 Cole O’Boyle (35-2) soph., 189 Jacob Munger (35-2) sr., 215 Adam Garcia (26-6) sr., 285 Caden Adams (17-11) sr.
Outlook: The Panthers have extended their Regional title streak to five seasons and are back in Kalamazoo as the No. 3 seed for the third straight after advancing again with a Regional Final win over No. 10 Portland. A lineup loaded with nine seniors has lost only to Division 1 No. 10 Brighton, in December. Munger placed fifth last season at 160, and O’Boyle and Tripp also will be making repeat trips to the Individual Finals.
#4 IMLAY CITY
Record/rank: 27-5, unranked
League finish: Fourth in Blue Water Area Conference
Coach: Tony D’Ambrosio, eighth season (118-76-1)
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 103 Tanner Land (39-8) fr., 119 Dominic D’Ambrosio (41-2) soph., 125 Cristian Rojas (42-3) sr., 130 Julian Rojas (41-4) jr., 145 Anthony D’Ambrosio (40-6) jr., 215 Latham Perry (32-12) jr., 285 Chris Torres (38-9) sr.
Outlook: The Spartans are making their first trip to the Quarterfinals, and after an unforgettable Regional at which they defeated No. 4 Algonac 36-30 and No. 5 Richmond 37-31. Cristian Rojas finished fourth at 125 at last year’s Individual Finals; he’s part of a powerful group of five wrestlers with at least 33 wins apiece taking the mat between 119-145.
#5 HART
Record/rank: 30-5, unranked
League finish: Second in West Michigan Conference
Coach: Brad Altland, 11th season (277-95)
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 119 Trayce Tate (37-4) jr., 145 Mason Cantu (44-1) sr., 160 Zane Thomas (34-15) jr., 215 Leo Guadarrama (44-2) sr.
Outlook: Hart is making its third-straight trip to Finals weekend, this time the fifth seed after previously entering as a No. 7 last year and No. 4 in Division 4 in 2019. Tate and Cantu were Individual Finals placers last season, and Cantu and Guadarrama are two of only three senior starters for a lineup that should continue to surge next winter.
#6 MONTROSE
Record/rank: 18-5, No. 7
League finish: Second in Mid-Michigan Activities Conference
Coach: Jason Perrin, fifth season (80-41)
Championship history: Nine MHSAA championships (most recent 2005), five runner-up finishes.
Individual Finals qualifiers: 125 Hunter Coxon (38-5) jr., 135 Aidan Bernard (41-1) sr., 140 Blake Greenman (11-7) sr., 189 Braxton Powell (33-12) sr., 285 Levi Harber (39-4) sr., 285 Aden Viar (8-6) sr.
Outlook: A senior-loaded lineup is bringing Montrose to Finals weekend for the fourth consecutive year, as eight seniors start and are joined by six underclassmen. The Rams defeated No. 6 Freeland 45-22 in a Regional Semifinal last week. Harber was the 285 runner-up last season, and Bernard also was an individual placer.
#7 GLADSTONE
Record/rank: 15-1, unranked
League finish: Second in Mid-Peninsula Conference
Coach: Jeff Brazeau, third season (44-11)
Championship history: Upper Peninsula Finals champion 1987, two UP runner-up finishes
Individual Finals qualifiers: 112 Eli Terrien (26-8) jr., 112 Drew Hansen (33-5) soph., 119 Michael Brazeau (38-7) sr., 125 Austin Solis (28-1) soph., 285 Brett Boudreau (41-4) sr.
Outlook: Gladstone finished second in its league only to Division 4 team qualifier Iron Mountain, and is making its first trip to Finals weekend since 2016. Gladstone defeated No. 8 Kingsley 46-34 in a Regional Final to advance. Hansen and Solis were individual placers last season.
#8 CONSTANTINE
Record/rank: 25-10 unranked
League finish: First in Southwestern Athletic Conference
Coach: Dale Davidhizar III, eighth season (137-69)
Championship history: 1993 Class C-D champion, 2002 Division 3 runner-up
Individual Finals qualifiers: 130 Eric Demas (30-10) sr., 152 Dathan Smith (17-20) soph., 171 Troy Demas (40-1) jr., 189 Bennett VandenBerg (44-7) soph., 215 Greg Reed (24-8) soph.; 170-G Bo Geibe (22-3) sr.
Outlook: Constantine won its third-straight District and second-straight Regional titles to earn this weekend’s trip to Wings. Eric Demas is the only senior starter, and the Falcons should continue to rise with nine underclassmen also in the lineup. Demas also is one of five wrestlers with at least 30 wins this winter.
PHOTO Braeden Davis will try to help Dundee to a fifth-straight Division 3 championship this weekend. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)