Did you see that? (9/3-9/9)

September 10, 2012

School is back in session, and MHSAA teams should be hitting their best strides as league competition gets underway in most sports.

Here's a look at some of the highlights from the first full week of September, with links to additional coverage.

Volleyball

Spikes under the sun: Muskegon Mona Shores finished 3-0 in its home invitational Wednesday against a strong field of Grand Haven, Fruitport and Spring Lake. That's reason to celebrate on its own. But the best part of this story is where the Sailors did their damage -- on two portable courts stretched across the school's football field. (Muskegon Chronicle)

St. Philip takes Cereal City: Despite being one of the smallest schools in the state, it's rare that Battle Creek St. Philip doesn't leave a tournament as champion -- especially in its home town. But the Tigers hadn't won the Cereal City Invitational since 2007, until it did so with a two-set win over Class A honorable mention Temperance-Bedford this weekend. (Battle Creek Enquirer)

FHE is No. 1: Ada Forest Hills Eastern more than justified its ranking as best in the state in Class B by besting many of the best from the Grand Rapids area at the East Kentwood Invitational. Among others in the field were Class A No. 8 East Grand Rapids and reigning MHSAA Class A champion Rockford. (Grand Rapids Press)

Put them in the book: Johannesburg-Lewiston swept Gaylord St. Mary on Tuesday, thanks in part to 10 aces by junior Brittany Cherwinski, a total which will qualify for the MHSAA record book once documentation is submitted. In the team's previous match, junior Julia Nieman qualified for most assists in a match. (Gaylord Herald Times)

Cross Country

Harbor Springs rules the mud: Both the Harbor Springs boys and girls teams won their Charlevoix Classic Mud Runs on Saturday on a course that featured standing water and hay bales among other obstacles. It was the 21st year of the race. (Charlevoix Courier)

Running to records: Sault Ste. Marie has a freshman to watch in Parker Scott, who won his school's Bill Lynn Trails race Saturday in a time of 16:36 -- at least 26 seconds faster than any of the three first-place times from last season's MHSAA Upper Peninsula Finals. The time was a school record. (Soo Evening News)

Swimming and Diving

West Ottawa wins West Michigan: Facing many of the biggest and best from that side of the state, Holland West Ottawa won the West Michigan Relays after finishing third in the event each of the last three seasons. Among those also in the field was reigning MHSAA Division 2 champion Holland. (Holland Sentinel)

Tennis

Dow rises again: The Division 2 top-ranked Midland Dow tennis team remained perfect this season by winning its third tournament of the fall, at Grosse Pointe North. Among others in the field were No. 2-ranked Portage Central and No. 3 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (Midland Daily News)

Dundee Writes Near-Perfect Ending to Near-Perfect Weekend with 9th-Straight Title

By Jeff Chaney
Special for MHSAA.com

February 28, 2026

KALAMAZOO – The Dundee wrestling team has become so good that winning is almost expected in late February.

The Vikings flexed their muscles once again at the MHSAA Team Wrestling Finals on Saturday at Wings Event Center, winning their ninth-straight Division 3 title with a dominant 60-6 win over Yale in the championship match.

In fact, Dundee lost only three matches all weekend, beating Allegan in the Quarterfinals 70-3 and Lake Odessa Lakewood in the Semifinals 63-6 before their dismantling of Yale in the Final.

But that kind of dominance has not become boring.

"No, not at all," senior 157-pounder Blake Cosby said. "We put the work in the room, and it shows out here. We do so much more than other people, and it shows."

That work starts right after the current season ends – a kind of work ethic that has built a team this year with eight top-ranked wrestlers in their respective weight classes, two more ranked second and one third. 

That's 11 wrestlers out of their 14-wrestler lineup ranked top-three.

Ryan Williams, left, wrestles Yale’s William Lawson at 113 pounds."Every year, every group of kids writes their own story," Dundee coach Garrett Stevens said. "People don't see the amount of work that goes into the offseason. These are teenagers, they have highs as they have lows. We have to pick them up when they are down – you have to build them up when they are down. You have to ride the waves when they are high. They put the work in."

To help Stevens with all of that has been a senior group that includes Cosby, 120-pounder Mason Haines, 126-pounder Bryan Sterling, 144-pounder Braden Broderick, 165-pounder Donny Beaufait, 190-pounder Owen Motylinski and 215-pounder Rocco Redmon.

Combined they have seven individual titles to now go with the four team titles they have contributed to during their four seasons at Dundee.

And they still have next weekend's Individual Finals to add to the haul.

It's great to go in a (practice) room and have great workout partners," said Cosby, who is a two-time individual champion going for his third next weekend at Ford Field. "They are awesome to scrap with. This has been awesome. I don't have much to say, but I love the program. I love everything that I have done here."

Yale co-coach Rob Majcher is impressed. His team lost to Dundee in the Finals last year as well. 

"Going from last year to this year, I think our kids competed much better this year," said Majcher, whose team ended with a 28-7 record. "I think they wrestled hard and more aggressive. They truly battled. Yes the score may look a little lopsided, but when I break it down to matches, our kids were wrestling in the matches. And that's the big thing, take those incremental steps each year and continue to battle and gain confidence that we can compete."

Last year Yale fell to Dundee in the Final by the score of 74-0. 

"This is a special program," said Stevens, whose team ended with a 26-3 record. "I'm sure one day when I get to sit down and look back on all of this, I will probably reflect on (how special) this has been. To me, I will enjoy this for a day, then come Monday we will reset for individuals. Then I will reflect on that for a day, then it is on to the next team." 

Click for full results.

PHOTOS (Top) Dundee’s Stone Redmon, right, gets control of Austin Rhodes’ leg during their match at 150 pounds Saturday. (Middle) Ryan Williams, left, wrestles Yale’s William Lawson at 113 pounds. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)