Observerland 2009 Review: DCC/John Glenn will remain atop conference


By Charles Rothwell
3/24/09


Overall, this probably seemed like a pretty typical year for Observerland
wrestling.  The numbers of regional qualifiers, state qualifiers, and state
placers were consistent with the past few years.  No schools dropped
wrestling.  However, it seems to me that quite a few schools continue to
really struggle, and some appear to be headed in a negative direction.  As
always, this is one fan’s opinion and the opinions of other fans are
encouraged.

17. Clarenceville
I think Clarenceville took a step backwards this year.  Last place at
Observerland, again.  Only 16 kids on the team and typically voiding a
couple weights, again.  Two regional qualifiers, but no wins at the regional,
again.  But unlike last year, Clarenceville did not win the Metro Conference.
This year’s seniors, whom I expected to show improvement over last year,
did not.

Key Losses:  Jake Ruth (125, regional qualifier), Patrick Walker (130),
Cody Sillanpaa (140), Derrick Robbins (171, regional qualifier), Andrew
Jasmer (189), Joe Haapalaa (215).

Key Returnees:  Brent Gilman (119), Coy Sillanpaa (135), Tim Siecinski (171).

Outlook for Next Year:  Bleak.  Half of the starting line-up graduates.  Gilman and Siecinski are the only returnees who appear threats to win a single match at Observerland.  Clarenceville wrestling needs a major turnaround, both in recruiting new wrestlers and in developing their skills.

16. Redford Union
This was a good year for Dwuan Burris, but another dissapointment for the Redford Union program.   The Panthers scored 28.5 team points at Observerland compared to 16 last year, but nearly all those points were scored by the 140-pound champion Burris.  The papers listed Redford Union as having about 16 wrestlers, but they only entered 5 in Individual Districts.  Burris qualified for the state tournament, but no other Panther made it out of a relatively weak district.

Key Losses:  Matt Kibner (112), Dwuan Burris (140, state qualifier), Mike D’Arcangelo (145), Jake Bringard (171).

Key Returnees:  Josh Hall (130), Raul Garcia (135), Wade Natho (140), Christian Colon (285).

Outlook for Next Year:  In last year’s review I mentioned that things at Redford Union would probably get worse before they got better.  My guess is that next year will be even worse than this year was because there is no Dwuan Burris on the horizon.  I see no returning wrestlers as threats to place at Observerland, so the Panthers may even displace Clarenceville for last place in 2010.

15. Wayne Memorial
What a difference between this year and last.  Coach Vasiloff attained an assistant position on the football staff which helped him recruit a lot of new wrestlers.  With 42 wrestlers on the roster, Wayne Memorial now has one of the largest teams in the area.  Academic ineligibility was a huge problem last year, causing the Wolfpack to send as few as 5 wrestlers to some tournaments.  This season Wayne had 20 wrestlers with a G.P.A. of 3.5 or greater.  Last year, former wrestlers and assistant coaches were publicly blasting the team and Coach.  This year his colleagues voted coach Vasiloff co-Regional Coach of the Year.  The turnaround was not so evident in the Observerland or postseason tournaments.  Because the wrestlers were so young and inexperienced, the Wolfpack finished in the same position, 15th, at Observerland as last year, with similar point totals.  Only Tevin Hines placed.  At individual districts, Wayne entered 14 wrestlers, but Hines was the only one to qualify for regionals.

Key Losses:  Tevin Hines (135, regional qualifier) and Max Hershey (160).

Key Returnees:  Ryan Raymor (103), Tristan Jarosicwicz (103), Darryl Ison (112), Mike Wallace (125), Jalen Jones (130), Brandon Whittenberg (140), Josh Mills (152), Nate Cavanaugh (171), Demetius Renfroe (171), Jimmy Kassis (189), Dylan Korzetki (215), Chris Bowie (285).

Outlook for Next Year:  The Wayne Memorial staff has shown they can recruit the numbers and focus on academics.  Now its time to demonstrate their aptitude for teaching technique and conditioning, and for creating a winning culture.  I think the Wolfpack will take a huge step forward next year and finish around 10 or 11 at Observerland.

14. Garden City
The Cougars had a very disappointing year, and took a major step backwards.  Several veteran wrestlers did not join the team this year, and the seniors did not step up.  Garden City bailed on the Observerland tournament, sending only three wrestlers.  Hence, their huge decline in points scored and team standing.  Last year they had five regional qualifiers out of a tough district.  This year only one regional qualifier from a weak district.  About the only positive from my viewpoint is that Coach Davis seems to have recruited a good number of freshmen and first year sophomores so he should at least be able to field a full line-up for the next couple years.

Key Losses:  Jacob Johnson (140), Tyler Twigg (145), Shane Miller (160).

Key Returnees:  Devin Ashley (130, regional qualifier), Tom Wisniewski (140), Dustin Clark (215).

Outlook for Next Year:  Next year could be just as ugly as this year.  The only wrestler that seems a threat to place at Observerland and make it out of districts is Devin Ashley.

13. Lutheran Westland
LW stopped the decline they have been in for the past few years, but I am still concerned about the health of their wrestling program.  Their roster lists 21 wrestlers, which is not terrible for a tiny Division IV school, but the grade distribution is the opposite of what one normally encounters: 2 freshmen, 4 sophomores, 8 juniors and 7 seniors.  The current economic crises and the fact that they are surrounded by excellent public schools add to my concern.  At Observerland, the Warriors’ 13th place finish was the same as last year, but their point total nearly doubled.  They had 3 placers and several other wrestlers scoring points.  Three wrestlers qualified for individual regionals, but only Steve Kemp made it to the state tournament, where he placed fifth.

Key Losses:  Brad LaRose (119, regional qualifier), Breck Crandell (135), Drew Maynard (145), Steve Kemp (160, all state), Bob Schwartz (160).

Key Returnees:  Laith Francis (125, regional qualifier), Justin Palka (130), and Craig Kowalsky (215).

Outlook for Next Year:  Francis, Palka, and Kowalsky improved a lot compared to last year.  If they show the same incremental improvement over the next 9 months, they should all place at Observerland and help LW maintain its position in the area.

12. Farmington
Another modest step forward for Farmington wrestling.  The Falcons had five wrestlers earn points at Observerland and their point total more than doubled (53 vs. 24.5).  This moved them up 2 places in the team standings.  Like last year, they had two regional qualifiers, but neither made it to states.  Farmington was team district champs last year, but they got hammered by a pretty weak Livonia Stevenson this year.

Key Losses:  Rob Williams (135), Josh Gaskill (140), Kirk Tomski (145), Colin Clark (152), Kenny Carfagno (171).

Key Returnees:  Kevin Jose Guerreiro (103), Kienuwa Davis (112, regional qualifier), Ali Bajrami (125, regional qualifier), Nick Tomski (145), Dylan Wells (285).

Outlook for Next Year:  The numbers look strong, every weight class should be filled, but will any individual be technically skilled enough to be a threat?  Unless something new happens in the room, I see Farmington as a mediocre team producing decent wrestlers that no one from the better schools is worried about going up against.

11. Plymouth
On the surface, the 2009 version of the Wildcats looked exactly like the 2008 version.  The 11th place finish with 57 points at Observerland mirrors the 10th place finish with 59 points last year.  As occurred last year, no Plymouth wrestler made it out of districts.  Also, the coaching turmoil persisted, with Jay Helm leaving and the inexperienced Quinn Guernsey taking over.  Two of Plymouth’s better wrestlers, Dylan Spicer and Anthony Favot, did not join the team this year.  Beneath the surface, it appears to me that the situation is improving.  The young coaches have the attention of the younger wrestlers.  Numbers are quite strong, at least two deep at nearly every weight.  And 14 kids participated at individual districts compared to 10 last year.

Key Losses:  Derrick Davey (152), Vince Rizzo (171), Alex Winn (189), Brian Chandler (215).

Key Returnees:  Said Youssef (103), Shadi Jammoul (112), Nick Rizzo (119), James Ahearn (125), Tate Braboy (135), Brandon Crowther (145), Robert Barackman (152), Jordan Birman (285), Wally Eppler (285).

Outlook for Next Year:  I think Plymouth will return to the top 10 next year.  The input I have is that people are happy with the current coaching staff, so they shouldn’t have to deal with that turmoil again.  They will probably have wrestlers with at least one year of experience at every weight and a good number of experienced freshmen coming in.  Youssef, Rizzo, and Eppler should place top six at Observerland, and if Birman can get down to 215 he should do well also.

10. North Farmington
North Farmington graduated 10 of its 14 starters from last year’s team, and was still better this year.  Truly amazing!  Coach Seremet certainly appears to have established a very solid wrestling program.   The Raiders moved up one spot in the Observerland Rankings, from 11th to 10th, and increased their point total (62.5 vs. 56) and placers (5 vs. 4).   They qualified 3 individuals for regionals, and had one regional champion.

Key Losses:  Jacob Blowers (160) and Rahmi Chaghouri (171, regional qualifier).

Key Returnees:  Mike Hoover (103), Jordan Russell (112, regional qualifier), Matt Jaisle (119, state qualifier), Garrett Fisk (125), Marc Chiodo (130), John Davis (135), Matt Russell (145), Brian Miller (152), and Nate Cherney (160).

Outlook for Next Year:  The Raiders appear solid in the light and middle weights, but they graduate their only 2 productive bigger guys.  Without some influx of upper weight talent, North Farmington could lose ground to improving Plymouth and Wayne squads.

9. Livonia Churchill
This year was both a disaster and an embarrassment for Churchill Wrestling.  It was a disaster in the sense that injury, illness, and skin problems constantly deprived the team of its most talented wrestlers.  It was an embarrassment because with the tremendous support this team gets from the administration and wrestling parents it could only muster 17 or 18 participants from a student body of 2161.  Furthermore, some of the freshmen still looked as clueless near the end of the season as they did at the beginning.  At Observerland, Churchill dropped from 6th last year to 9th, scored only half the points, and placed 4 vs. 7 wrestlers.  Five Chargers made it out of their weak district, but all were 4th place finishers.  Only 1 qualified for states.  It is true Churchill graduated 8 of 14 starters last year, but solid programs like Livonia Franklin, Canton, and recently North Farmington have graduated more and maintained their productivity.

Key Losses:  Matt Hecksell (119, regional qualifier), Brett Appel (135), Brian Fortney (135, regional qualifier), Josh Gustitus (152), Grant Morgan (152, regional qualifier).

Key Returnees:  Jacob Meadows (103), Kane Kanouse (125), John Bannoura (130, regional qualifier), Ben Hesscamp (152), Curtis Castleberry (171, state qualifier), Jon Shekell (215).

Outlook for Next Year:  I have a bad feeling that Churchill will be worse off next.  They graduate not simply 5 good wrestlers, but their top leaders in the room as well.  I certainly hope they can turn things around and become a real threat to produce Observerland champions and regional champion caliber teams like a few years back.

8. Livonia Stevenson
I got to see a lot more of Livonia Stevenson this year, and frankly, I was not impressed.  The biggest disappointment to me was that kids I saw as freshmen with great potential are now juniors or seniors that can’t make it out of an easy district.  Matt Greenman, perhaps the best returning wrestler on the team, was injured most of the year.  The Spartans’ Observerland point totals fell from 124 to 76.  The number of regional qualifiers fell from 7 to 4, and state qualifiers fell from 4 to 0.  On the bright side, participation seems quite high and all weight classes were covered.

Key Losses:  Mitch Gonzales (135, regional qualifier), Raz Markosian (140, regional qualifier), Dustin Poisson (145), Jonny Myshock (152), Matt Greenman (215, former regional qualifier).

Key Returnees:  Dan McCarthy (152), Josh Siebert (160, regional qualifier), Jake Burns (171), Andrew Schramm (189, regional qualifier), Nathan Keedle (285).

Outlook for Next Year:  Unless there is a major turnaround in the room, I won’t be surprised if Stevenson finishes out of the top 10 at Observerland next year.  I don’t see a single wrestler under 160 that is a serious threat to place there, or to make it out of districts.

7. Farmington Hills Harrison
Harrison had the biggest turnaround season of any Observerland team, including Wayne Memorial.  Last year, they finished 12th with 32 points and 1 placer.  This year, the Hawks finished 7th with 92.5 points and 5 placers.  In 2008, FHH had about 18 wrestlers, but only 10 entered individual districts and none were regional qualifiers.  In 2009, FHH ended the year with 33 wrestlers.  The Hawks entered 14 kids in districts and 7 qualified for regionals.  Two qualified for the individual state meet, the first state qualifiers for FHH since 1998.  Harrison was OAA Blue champions, team district champions, and won their first team regional match before losing to Hazel Park.  A truly fantastic performance by Coach Jim Stuef, his staff, and wrestlers.

Key Losses:  Matt Conn (103), Jon Baldwin (125), Doug Babler (140, regional qualifier), Marcel Snodgrass (160, regional qualifier), Bobby Tucker (171), Ryan Roberts (215), Mark Mouawad (285, state qualifier).

Key Returnees:  Ramy Zoma (112), Evan Hahn (119, regional qualifier), Kevin Beazley (130, state qualifier), James Roberts (130, regional qualifier), Dan Leeb (145, regional qualifier), Sultan Hubbard (152), Brandon Martin (189).

Outlook for Next Year:  Harrison should be solid in the lower and middle weights, but they graduate all but 1 experienced wrestler over 152 pounds.  Coaches Steuf and Beazley will need a minor miracle to fill the upper weights with competitive wrestlers next year.  Even if next year is slightly down compared to 2009, this program looks to be back to relevancy and should continue to grow.

6. Belleville
Belleville graduated 7 starters in 2007 and 8 last year.  Additionally, one of their better wrestlers, Tom Coak, did not stick with the team this year.  This all led to the 2009 season being a tough rebuilding year for the Tigers.  However, the numbers were consistent with past seasons so I don’t think one down year is a sign of a faltering program.  At Observerland, they finished 6th, with 7 placers and 117 points compared to 4th place, 10 placers, and 172 points last year.  Belleville had only 3 regional qualifiers and 1 state qualifier in 2009, compared to 5 and 4, respectively, in 2008.

Key Losses:  Tommy Kozak (130, state qualifier), Robert Chapman (145), Kaare Cigan (189).

Key Returnees:  Brandon Papin (112), Robert Chapple (135), Tyler Schneider (135, regional qualifier), Carter Sherman (140), Andrew Majewski (145), Kyle Skotak (152), Cameron McCoy (160), Alex Landa (160), Alex Juchartz (171), Devin Kelemen (189), Forrest Sampson (215, regional qualifier), Dustin Staton (285).

Outlook for Next Year:  Belleville kids are always tough to beat, especially in the latter half of the season.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they place at each weight from 135 through 285 next year and once again place 4th.  However, can Coach Munoz find kids to fill out those lower weights?  Until Belleville can continually get the smaller kids to join their program, they will not be in a position to challenge DCC, John Glenn, Canton, or Franklin for the Observerland championship.

5. Livonia Franklin
Another strong year from a consistently strong program.  Their Observerland numbers were a little off from last year, but that was due to injuries/illness that prevented 2 certain placers, Paul Hanni and Brandon Billiau, from competing. This year the Patriots finished 5th, with 8 placers and 137.5 points.  Respective numbers for 2008 were 3rd, 11, and 178.5.  Livonia Franklin captured the KLAA South, winning the tie breaker with John Glenn and Canton, and was team district champion.  Individually, 8 Patriots were regional qualifiers, and 2 made it to states.
 
Key Losses:  State qualifiers Don Stratz (160) and Cody Hay (215, 8th); regional qualifiers Elvin Ferreira (145), Brandon Billiau (152), Garrett Hay (171), and Mike Modes (285); and Justin Jacobson (125), Ryan Haarala (130), Nick Clendennin (135), and Brandon Conger (140).

Key Returnees:  Rian Klein (103), Paul Hanni (112, regional qualifier), Steve Tuyo (112, regional qualifier), Erik Czech (119), Jordan McGuire (125), Josh Hatfield (140), Alex O’Connor (152), Matt Roos (160), Nick Simmons (189), and Zach Leuenberger (189).

Outlook for Next Year:  Next year will probably be a down year for Livonia Franklin.  Losing 9 starters and nearly all their big guys would hinder any team.  One wonders if Paul Hanni will return, given the circumstances that ended his junior year on the team.  Still, Klein, Tuyo, McGuire, Roos, and Leuenberger should do quite well next year and keep Franklin up around 5th place.

4. Canton
This was a tumultuous year for Canton and in my opinion, inadequate support from the athletic director and School Administration has placed a top-notch program at risk.  The athletic director canned the “Varsity B” team.  She forced the cancellation of a freestyle tournament that she previously authorized and had collected contracts and deposits for.  The school administration rejected a request for an improved wrestling room – leaving Canton with the poorest facilities in the KLAA.  The worst blow was the school board rejecting Coach Randolph’s request that PCEP follow an existing state law that permits students to attend schools where a parent is employed.  The district’s lottery rule was enforced and Casey’s daughter drew Salem.  Casey immediately accepted the Tecumseh position, and Canton also lost its hopes for retaining Coach Beazley and perhaps his son, Kevin.  Although there were multiple reasons, the above circumstances contributed to Canton losing a lot of good wrestlers with varsity experience:  Paul Le Chevalier (103), Connor Johnson (112), John Dugan (125), Steve Rudelic (130), Braden Price (145), Andy Rothwell (152), Mitch Kuchenberg (160), Josh Piper (171), Dakota Dark-Bird (215), and Luke Konsitzke (285).  Add in the graduating seniors and Canton lost 8 starters and 6 solid back-ups.

Nonetheless, the ~28 kids that stayed generally wrestled well.  Canton had 6 kids place at Observerland, scoring 150.5 team points.  The team tied for first in the KLAA South, but lost the tie-breaker to Franklin.  The Chiefs captured their 4th consecutive team district title, but lost the regional finals match to John Glenn on the 6th tie-breaker.  Six Chiefs made it out of the tough Bedford District, and 5 of them qualified for the state tournament.  Four of those 5 placed.  Another bit of good news is that Canton had 5 freshmen place 1st or 2nd at the competitive Garden City Novice Tournament.

Key Losses:  Carl Lucke (7th at 119) and Jeremy Filippelli (130).

Key Returnees:  Danny Filippelli (103), Keshav Patel (103), Waleed Faraj (8th at 112), Julia Salata (119), Alex Eimers (119), Mitch Wolski (125), Zach Marsh (130), Tyler Troszak (130), Donnie Watkins (3rd at 135), Sean O’Keefe (140), Ryan Terrel (140), Brent Winekoff (3rd at 145), Anthony Abro (152, regional qualifier), Austin Mach (160), Keith Zech (171, state qualifier), Ben Poirer (189), Robbie Lincoln (189), Tyler Bourcier (215), and Julius Maddox (285).

Outlook for Next Year:  My enthusiastic side tells me next year could be the best ever for the Chiefs.  Talk in the stands is that 103 and 112 will be filled by outstanding freshmen.  119 though 171 should be filled with above average to exceptional returning wrestlers.  Recruiting and training the big guys will be critical.  Would Dakota Dark-Bird consider wrestling next year?  My skeptical side says “that’s what you wrote last year.”  Administration support and senior leadership will probably determine what the true outcome will be.

3. Salem
Salem was a much improved team this year.  They placed 3rd at Observerland with 10 placers and 155 points.  That was a huge improvement over 8th place, 4 placers, and 94.5 points last year.  Their numbers were up (42) and they were much more competitive at dual meets.  They gave Canton a very hard time at team districts.  Individually, they fared about the same as last season.  The Rocks had 4 regional qualifiers, 2 state qualifiers, and Nick Kim placed 8th.

Key Losses:  Ian Phillips (112), Ben DeWitt (119), John Bills (125), Johannes Olind (140, regional qualifier), Robbie Schultz (145), Sam Lepper (215, state qualifier).

Key Returnees:  Nick Kim (103, state placer), Devin Stratton (119), Karl Allan (119), Kyle Middleditch (130), James Middleditch (135), Dylan Hatcher (145), Chris Sweet (152), Colin Gross (160), Joe Williams (160), Adam Turner (171), Austin Root (189), Blake Abbey (285), Jordan Moore (285).

Outlook for Next Year:  I expect much of the same from Salem next year; a pretty solid line-up with 4 or 5 regional qualifiers and 2 state placers (Kim and Root).  I see them again getting about 150 points at Observerland, but falling to 5th because of stronger showings by Belleville and Canton.

2. Westland John Glenn
This year started out like last year.  Gifted individual wrestlers, but tempers, grades, and injuries threatened to turn great promise into team disappointment.  However, John Glenn really got their act together and had their best season ever.  Their 2nd place finish at Observerland, with 11 placers and 181 points was much better than last year; 5th, 7 placers, and 139.5 points.  If Jared Stephens had participated, the Rockets may have been Observerland champions.  As a team, JG tied for the KLAA South title, but lost the tie-breaker to Livonia Franklin.  The Rockets saved their best for the post-season, knocking off Bedford at regionals, before staging a huge come-back to tie Canton and earn a spot in the team state finals on the 6th criteria.  John Glenn had an excellent showing against the third-seeded Hartland squad, but ended up losing 38-26.  Coach Polk received co-Regional Coach of the Year Honors for their success.  Individually, all 8 regional qualifiers made it to the state meet, and 5 of them placed.

Key Losses:  Jared Stephens (2nd at 135), Jimmy Mann (5th at 140), Jeff Adkins (152), Zaid Ammari (152, state qualifier).

Key Returnees:  Steve Wakeford (6th at 103), Doug Wiley (112), Josh Austin (119, state qualifier), Anthony Pavlich (8th at 125), Mark Thompson (125), Malcolm Allen (130), Justin Robinson (130), Mikkel Tipton (140), Mike Johnson (145), Zach Redden (160, state qualifier), Kameron Jones (171), Gerald Powell (215), Dustin Gajowiak (5th at 285).

Outlook for Next Year:  John Glenn will be a powerful team next year.  In addition to the returnees listed above, I hear that Jimmy Mann’s younger brother will be a freshman.  The talk in the stands is that the younger Mann will eclipse his older brother’s accomplishments.  If Austin and Pavlich both move up a weight, John Glenn may have a problem with having one excellent little guy (Wakeford), one excellent big guy (Gajowiak), and a ton of very good to excellent wrestlers from 125-171.  Any big holes at either end of the weight range could open things up for DCC and Canton.

1. Detroit Catholic Central
Another good year for the area’s top program.  They list 61 kids on the roster, and continually attract top level talent.  Incoming freshmen Todd Melick and Alec Mooradian helped turn last year’s weakness, light weights, into this year’s strength.  Injury/skin problems caused CC to only enter 11 wrestlers in the Observerland tournament, but they won anyway.  Nine Shamrocks placed, and six were champions.  As a team, they were clearly the best in the area, beating Canton 39-20, John Glenn 58-18, and Livonia Franklin 43-19.  DCC earned the 4th seed at team states and lost a close opening round match to Lake Orion.  Individually, they had 9 regional qualifiers, 7 state qualifiers, and 6 state placers; Mooradian was state champ.

Once again, however, the Shamrocks managed to hurt themselves and blemish what should have been a joyous season.  Team captain and potential state champion, Shea Hasenauer quit the team, and apparently his younger brother did as well. 

Key Losses:  Buck Neal (140), Kevin Sullivan (140), Trevor O’Connor (7th at 152), Brendan Cox (171), Steve Shikora (171),

Key Returnees:  Todd Melick (4th at 103), Alec Mooradian (112 state champ), Matt Thompson (112, regional qualifier), Justin Melick (6th at 119), Nick Mason (119), Charlie Joseph (125, state qualifier), Mike Perales (125), Doug Eldridge (4th at 130), Alex Kas-Marogi (130), Tim Urso (135),  Gerid Gee (145, regional qualifier), Trevor O’Connor (7th at 152),  Andrew Erickson (160), Mike Kinville (7th at 189), Andrew Johnson (215),  David Knuth (285).

Outlook for Next Year:  Catholic Central has to be the favorites to win Observerland and make it back to team states as a top 4 team again.  However, they are not a lock to do so.  Canton and John Glenn will be strong challengers and a lot can happen in the next 10 months.


Contact Charles Rothwell via email



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DCC Senior Trevor O'Connor was one of 6 Shamrocks to place at the Division 1 state meet, taking 7th at 152lbs.  Photo by Jeff Mcginthy, Save the Moments.