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Individual State Finals Recap

2009 MHSAA Individual State Finals

Palace of Auburn Hills - March 12-14

DIVISION 2

103 -- Lakeshore freshman Tyler Daniels wrestled like a seasoned veteran last weekend as he tore through this weight en route to what may be his first of a few state titles. Daniels picked up a huge pin over returning finalist Gamal Yahia in the semifinals and then picked apart a very tough sophomore in Esteben Gonzales in the finals, 10-4. He is overlooked a lot in the super freshman discussions, however, Daniels is well put together for a freshman and may be capable of doing well if he chooses to compete nationally this summer.

112 -- Victor Vettese did it again. The Avondale freshman came in this year just like a year ago as one of a few guys with high hopes of being able to win it, however, just like last year he stormed through the chart and further solidified himself as one of Michigan's best lightweights. Vettese ate up Dexter's Dan Flowers in the finals 11-0 to cap off another great season. After winning it all as a freshman and sophomore, the quest for becoming a 4xer is starting to become realistic for Vettese.

119 - Mason sophomore Conor Youtsey was relatively un-challegenged en route to his first state championship. The Youtsey-Keselring finals match that was anticipated did not go down as planned as Keselring, a 2x champ, suffered his 1st ever loss at the Palace in the quarterfinals to Allen Park's James Cusin and in one of the bigger shocks of the weekend inevitably failed to make the podium. Cusin scored an impressive win in the semis over undefeated Herm Gillium as well, however, in the finals Youtsey proved to be too much with a dominant 11-4 win.

125 - When the dust settled in this stacked weight it was Kyle Dalton who stood atop the medal stand and won the title. Dalton edged nemesis Matt Watson in a very tight finals match after Watson survived the half bracket from hell with close wins over Justin Walls and Zach Crim in the quarters and semis. Dalton, a runner up last year, sealed the deal this year as he left the Palace for the last time as a state champ.

130 - Jake Walters never left any doubts as he stormed through this deep bracket and finally won the ever-elusive state title. Walters, who has had a heap of national success but never been able to win in Auburn Hills, scored two falls before beating returning finalist Tony Burge 9-2 in the semis and scoring a dominant 12-2 win over Jaylyn Bohl in the finals. Walters, a senior, capped off an amazing undefeated senior season in fashion.

135 - It is always uncomfortable and rare when two teammates wrestle each other in the state finals and this was no different as St Johns senior Dan Osterman downed St Johns freshman Jordan Wohlfert in overtime to win his 3rd title. This weight was filled with drama from the very beginning as Osterman came back from a 9-3 deficit to Collin Fuller in the quarters to stay alive in the title hunt and Wohlfert down returning champ Mike LeHolm in the quarterfinals. Wohlfert also beat another impressive freshman in Andrew Morse of Lowell in the semifinals in an amazing overtime match between two freshman who will without doubt be big time stars in Auburn Hills in the years to come. Returning champ and Fargo all-american LeHolm finished 7th in this weight that saw freshman placing 2nd and 3rd. The future looks promising for prep wrestling here in Michigan.

140 - With little suspense or suprise, Mason senior Craig Eifert won this weight without much struggle. Eifert downed Lakeshore junior Nick Humes in the finals 9-4 to cap of his stellar career with his 3rd state title. Eifert will be wrestling for Cornell next year, while the 2nd and 3rd place finishers Humes and Cooley should be two of the state's best middle weights next year.

145 - This weight unfolded in an unprecedented fashion as two freshman set themselves apart from the field in a weight that is usually dominated by upperclassmen. Taylor Massa, widely recognized as one of the top freshman in the country, pinned his way to the state finals before edging fellow freshman Jordan Thomas of Greenville in the finals 5-2. The finals match between these two was very close and it pitted two of the best freshman grapplers in the country. Massa finished 59-0 and the rest of his career will be under a microscope as people starting talking about his chances to go undefeated and win 4 titles before he even stepped foot in high school. Thomas finished 54-2 with both losses coming to Massa.

152 - After emerging as one of the state's premiere wrestlers with an impressive performance in Auburn Hills last year, Lowell junior Jackson Morse sustained that status with a dominant performance here last weekend. Morse made it look easy as he picked apart previously undefeated Rafael Rodriguez (aka "RafRod") in the semis 11-5 and then Zach Carr in the finals 7-1. Morse is highly ranked nationally and may be the #1 recruit in Michigan next fall. With Morse, Thomas, and Massa all coming back it will be interesting to see where these guys shake out next year as somebody will likely be crossing paths again next year at the Palace.

160 - After surviving a scare in the semifinals, Sparta's Adam Miller controlled Tim Gingerich of Lowell in the finals to win his 2nd title. Miller, who will be a Chippewa in the fall, needed overtime to defeat undefeated Zach Lang in the semifinals. Lang, along with Tyler Humes of Lakeshore, finished 3rd/4th and are good looking juniors who should be top dogs to win it next year.

171 - There was little suspense as Phil Joseph of Lapeer East won this weight without much challenge. Joseph finished his senior season perfect with a state title. Joseph edged Andrew Lovins of St Clair Shores Lakeshore in the finals after Lovins scored one of the biggest upsets of the D2 semifinals when he ousted Ryan Olep of Lowell 14-8 in the semifinals. The Olep-Joseph match was highly anticipated but never happened, Olep will now have one more shot at winning in Auburn Hills next year.

189 - After finishing runner-up last year, Fowlerville senior Dillon Kern moved up a spot on the podium this year by winning the 189lb state title. Kern entered as the heavy favorite to win and lived up to that reputation by controlling every opponent he faced en route to the title. Kern's college plans have not been announced, however, he has what it takes to wrestle at the next level.

215 - Fowlerville's Nick McDiarmid made it back to the finals after finishing runner up while at Mason last year and this time he finished the deal, knocking off Travis Dickensen 10-8 in the finals. Dickensen gave McDiarmid a run for his money in the finals, nearly catching him on his back at one point, however, in the end McDiarmid won his 1st title. Odds are McDiarmid will be back next year and will repeat as champ and he will be one of the top seniors in the state next year.

285 - Dylan Smith of Oxford was one of the least likely choices to win this weight, however, he did just that. He created waves in the Palace when he knocked off undefeated and top ranked David Box in the quarterfinals and then finished up his storybook run by pinning Blake Beals in the finals to win the heavweight title. Kyle Connors of Tecumseh lost 1st round, then came all the way back to finish 4th. Connors and fellow junior placer Conor Kruse of Lowell are the only returning qualifiers in this weight, which should make them the guys to beat heading into next year.

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