2010 MHSAA Individual State Finals
MICHIGAN GRAPPLER INDIVIDUAL STATE PREVIEW
Division 2
103
Frontrunner: Tyler Daniel (Lakeshore)
Top contenders: Jacob Schmitt (St Johns), Joey Golani (Crestwood)
Darkhorse: Kyle Frese (Lakeshore)
Outlook: The match to watch in this weight is a battle of nationally proven guys, Tyler Daniel & Jacob Schmitt, which will come in the semifinals. Daniel is currently ranked top 5 nationally at 103lbs by Intermat and Schmitt was a double all-american in Fargo last summer. Schmitt has looked good so far as a freshman, rolling through all the best 103s in the state he has come across with his lone loss coming against St Eds. Daniel is the returning champ at 103lbs and if his weight is under control it is difficult to see anyone being able to stop him from winning again, however, Schmitt is one of the best little guys in the country and this is without doubt a battle of the state's two best 103lbers in the state semifinals. Joey Golani gets overlooked, however, he is a junior with a 57-1 record. Golani should have no trouble getting to the finals, however, the state champ of this weight should be determined Friday night in the semifinals.
Predictions:
Semifinals - Daniel over Schmitt, Golani over Frese
Finals - Daniel over Golani
112
Frontrunner: Tim Lambert (Forest Hills Eastern)
Top contenders: Brant Schafer (St Johns), Tyler Frese (Lakeshore), Gamal Yahia (Melvindale), Anthony Gonzales (Holly)
Darkhorse: Mike Shaw (Allegan)
Outlook: This should be a widely contested weight with a few guys capable of winning it. Lambert is the man to beat after knocking off Schafer at districts and regionals. Schafer, along with Gonzales, are very talented freshmen who will look to cap off their rookie seasons by making a deep run in this bracket. They will have to get through Lambert as well as returning state placers Frese and Yahia. Frese was 4th at this weight last year and Yahia was 3rd at 103. Allegan's Mike Shaw looked good at Team States with a big win over Tyler Daniel and a close loss to Schafer, so he should be feeling confident heading into this weekend. There are alot of good early matchups in this weight with Scahfer/Frese & Lambert/Shaw in the quarters and the semis should be very good, including a battle of undefeated wrestlers with Lambert and Yahia.
Early matchups to watch:
Quarterfinals -#2 Schafer vs #3 Frese - HUGE quarterfinals matchup here with freshman stud Schafer, who beat Freddie Rodriguez this year, and returning placer Frese who has been 119 almost the entire year. These guys both have just a good a chance of winning this weight as anyone and they should be good matchup of styles. Both wrestlers are aggressive and they are both big 112lbers, so weight management may play a factor as well.
Quarterfinals - #1 Lambert vs #6 Shaw - If there was any doubt about Shaw it was silenced last weekend with his big win over Tyler Daniel at Team States. After his performance in Battle Creek you have to think that this kid can hang with Lambert. Lambert is a tall 112lber and may be tough for the shorter Shaw to deal with, however, this should be a big early test for top ranked Lambert.
Predictions:
Semifinals - Schafer over Gonzales, Lambert over Yahia
Finals - Schafer over Lambert
119
Frontrunner: Conor Youtsey (Mason)
Top contenders: Josh Pennell (St Johns), Esteban Gonzales (Holly), Collin Lesko (Tecumseh)
Darkhorse: Brett Glaske (Lakeshore)
Outlook: After winning his first state title at this weight last year, Youtsey seems to have separated himself from the pack this year. He has already beaten the #2, #4, and #6 wrestlers in this weight pretty soundly this year and is the heavy favorite coming in. St Johns freshman Josh Pennell has come the closest to pushing Youtsey so far this year and may be the best bet to challenge him. Gonzales, who was a runner-up at 103 last year, should be lined up for a showdown with Pennell in the semis that should be a tight match.
Early matchups to watch:
1st round - #2 Pennell vs #4 Lesko - Very tough quarterfinal here with two wrestlers who have similiar styles - Pennell and Lesko are both stocky guys who wrestle from good position with few mistakes. Lesko has gotten roughed up by Youtsey the past couple weeks at districts and regionals while Pennell kept it much closer with him, so you have to give Pennell the edge coming in, however, Lesko is a seasoned veteran who fell just short of placing last year. This is significant because the winner has a legitimate shot at winning in the semis and making the finals, so there is alot on the line here.
Predictions:
Semifinals - Youtsey over Leal, Pennell over Gonzales
Finals - Youtsey over Pennell
125
Frontrunner: James Cusin (Allen Park)
Top contenders: Nick Trimble (Sparta), Justis Cummins (Annapolis), Dan Flowers (Dexter), Shane Dutton (Lamphere)
Darkhorse: Taylan Knoblach (Allegan)
Outlook: Wide open weight here that features 3 returning state finalists and 7 total returning state placers. Cusin has looked good all year and won a tough regional over fellow state runer up Flowers as well as Cummins. Cummins came on strong at Regionals with a dominant win over Flowers, who took 2nd at 112 last year. Dutton is also a returning runner up, losing to BJ Suitor in the D3 finals last year. Sparta sophomore Trimble flies under some radars but is very tough youngster who took 4th as a freshman at 119 last year and has come on strong this year after a good summer last year. Another sophomore to keep in consideration is Taylor Simaz of Allegan, who has the technical tools to wrestle with just about anyone in this weight. The top half of the bracket is a little deeper with Simaz, Trimble, Cummins, and Flowers. The bottom half, meanwhile, should come down to Cusin & Dutton in the semis. This weight will be fun to watch from the beggining with good matches in the first round and quarterfinals and really is up for the taking depending on who shows up.
Early matchups to watch:
1st Round - #4 Simaz vs Josh Zaluga (Charlotte) - On paper this wouldnt look like a tough draw for Simaz, however, Zaluga is no stranger to the Palace with two all-state performances under his belt. Two returning state placers meeting first round - should be exciting. Zaluga has not looked as good this year so far, however, he is a proven kid who will not back down against Simaz.
1st Round - #6 Flowers vs #7 Tyler Rosser (Corunna) - Flowers suffered a setback at Regionals, losing to Cummins, so he will have to battle back now and go through a tough road to the finals if he wants to return to the finals. That road starts with Rosser who lost a battle with Dutton at Regionals and has proven he can contend in this weight. The winner will not have long to celebrate as Nick Trimble and his 1 loss record will await in the quarterfinals.
Predictions:
Semifinals - Trimble over Simaz, Cusin over Dutton
Finals - Trimble over Cusin
130
Frontrunner: Tyler Keselring (Greenville)
Top contenders: Victor Vettese (Avondale), Jeff Jenkins (Tecumseh), Justin Holm (Harper Creek)
Darkhorse: Jesse Stefani (Trenton)
Outlook: Two horse race here with a pair of 2x state champs Keselring and Vettese. Vettese is in the position Keselring was in a year ago as a 2x state champ still vying to be the next 4xer. Keselring suffered a set back at the Palace last year, failing to place, and he will likely be looking to get a little redemption this year and finish on top. Most would consider Keselring the favorite here and if Vettese, or anyone, knocks him off it would a major upset. After the top two this weight is wide open with only one other returning placer in Austin Rymarz of Linden who took 8th at 125 last year. Jenking, Holm, Stefani, and Haslett freshman Taylor Grenawalt have had great seasons this year as they look to win their first state medal this weekend.
Early matchups to watch:
Quarterfinals - #3 Jenkins vs #5 Rymarz - Being one of three returning state placers in this weight, Rymarz' expierence has to give him an edge to fare well this weekend, however, Jenkins has been on fire all year after getting bounced from districts last year. He is 54-2 coming in and ready to make a name for himself. The winner of this match gets the task of taking down Keselring in the semis.
Quarterfinals - #1 Keselring vs #6 Taylor Grenawalt (Haslett) - Keselring is favored heavily to win this weight and an upset here would be a huge surprise. With that being said it will be interesting to see how Grenawalt, a tough freshman, fares against the senior 2x state champ. Grenawalt is long and somewhat difficult to wrestle so he may be capable of slowing down Keselring and tying him up on the mat.
Predictions:
Semifinals - Vettese over Hebert, Keslering over Jenkins
Finals - Keselring over Vettese
135
Frontrunner: Jaylyn Bohl (Allegan)
Top contenders: Keegan Arthur (Petoskey), Joe Johnson (South Lyon), Payne Hayden (Lakeshore)
Darkhorse: Ben Clinkscale (Northview)
Outlook: Returning runne-up Bohl comes in undefeated and the man to beat, however, he will be tested. Johnson of South Lyon has come out of nowhere this year with one loss on the year to AJ Fligger and big wins over guys like returning D1 placer Jeff Lopez. Bohl and Johnson are slated to meet in the semifinals. On the other side of the bracket returning state placer Keegan Arthur should be the man to beat, however, Lakeshore freshman Payne Hayden has looked good all year long, scrapping with some of the state's best. Hayden only lost 6-4 to Bohl at Regionals and is fully capable of knocking off Arthur and making a finals run.
Predictions:
Semifinals - Bohl over Johnson, Hayden over Arthur
Finals - Bohl over Hayden
140
Frontrunner: Dakota Cooley (Chelsea)
Top contenders: Jake Connell (Muskegon RP), Matt Smith (Allegan), Gage Pederson (Hastings)
Darkhorse: Collin Fuller (Greenville)
Outlook: Very tough weight here with two undefeated wrestlers, Cooley and Connell, as well as a three other returning state placers in Smith, Pederson, and Steve Burkett of Annapolis. Cooley should be primed for a finals run after falling just short the past two years and it would be great to see a matchup of undefeated wrestlers with him and Connell. Smith is as talented as anyone and he or Luke Perrin could try to play spoiler on Cooley in the semis as well.
Early matchups to watch:
1st Round - #3 Smith vs #6 Travis Curley (St Johns) - This match seems good on paper, however, Smith beat up Curley 14-0 at team states, so maybe not so much. Curley has scored big wins all year, but has also suffered 15 losses so it depends on which Travis Curley shows up. Curley needs to bounce back after a 3 loss weekend at Team States to Smith, Perrin, and Fuller and Smith seems primed for a run in his final Palace trip.
Quarterfinals - #3 Smith vs #5 Luke Perrin (Corunna) - Smith's tough road will continue in the quarterfinals with Luke Perrin, who is 57-2 coming in. These two have a common opponent in Curley who they both beat, but Smith did so a little more convincingly. Either way two talented seniors fighting to stay alive in their state title hunt this should be a good one.
Predictions:
Semifinals - Connell over Pederson, Cooley over Smith
Finals - Cooley over Connell
145
Frontrunner: Josh Houldsworth (Holly)
Top contenders: Ryan Watts (Ferndale), Nick Humes (Lakeshore), Jordan Wohflert (St Johns), Garrett Smith (Allegan)
Darkhorse: Nick Starzek (Mason)
Outlook: This is without doubt the absolute toughest weight class in this year's state tournament with returning state champ Josh Houldsworth, two returning runners-up in Wohlfert and Humes, Watts who lost in overtime to Houldsworth this year, and Smith who was 5th last year and beat Humes at Regionals. Either way this shakes out somebody worthy of wrestling in the state finals will be finishing outside of the top 4. The top bracket looks a little weaker than the top as Houldsworth really only has Smith to worry about. The bottom, meanwhile, features Watts, Humes, and Wohflert, with Humes and Wohlfert meeting in what could be the highlight quarterfinal match of Division 2. This weight class should be marked on every wrestling fan's program from the quarterfinals on.
Early matchups to watch:
Quarterfinals - #3 Wohlfert vs #5 Humes - This should be the match of the quarterfinals with two returning state finalists going at it. In a normal year with a normal field you would expect either of these two to be the favorite coming in - but not in this super tough weight class. Humes is fun to watch with his offensive always attacking style and Wohlfert will likely look to slow things down, the winner will be in line for another marquee matchup with Watts.
Quarterfinals - #4 Smith vs #7 Starzek - Starzek flies under a lot of radars, but he is another tough sophomore in this weight class and proved last weekend that he can hang with the top guys as he lost 2-1 to Smith at Team States. This time around should be equally close and could be the site of a major upset if Starzek can break through Smith's stellar positioning.
Predictions:
Semifinals - Houldsworth over Smith, Humes over Watts
Finals - Houldsworth over Humes
152
Frontrunner: Taylor Massa (St Johns)
Top contenders: Tony Burge (Mason), Connor Branchaeu (Fenton), Dez Jones (HP)
Darkhorse: Randy Gaffney (Linden)
Outlook: Not much to talk about here - if anyone can last 6 minutes with Mr. Massa it would be considered a triumph. Massa has pinned everyone he has wrestled this year and odds are he will do the same in this bracket. Former runner-up Burge already beat the other Regional champ on his side, Derek Leal, 9-0 earlier this year and should get through the relatively weak top side of the bracket for another shot at Massa, however, he was pinned by Massa earlier this year and it is tough to see him turning that around on the super sophomore.
Predictions:
Semifinals - Burge over Leal, Massa over Brancheua
Finals - Massa over Burge
160
Frontrunner: Jordan Thomas (Greenville)
Top contenders: Rafael Rodriguez (Adrian)
Darkhorse: Kevin Beazley (FH Harrison)
Outlook: Thomas seems to be separating himself from the rest of pack here and after finishing 2nd to Massa in a close finals match last year, he should primed to win his first state title this weekend. The nationally ranked sophomore will likely get his toughest challenge from the super athletic and strong Rodriguez in the finals. Devin Sheick of St Johns is someone to keep an eye on the bottom half, he has wrestled well against tough competetion all year and could give Rodriguez a run for his money in the semis.
Early matchups to watch:
1st Round - #6 Shawn Scott (Holly) vs #7 Beazley - Two very good sophomores battling it out first round. These guys both qualified last year as freshman and should both be in the hunt to place high this year in their 2nd trip to the Palace. Scott beat Beazley 1-0 at the Oakland County Tournament earlier this year and this time around should be similiarly close.
Predictions:
Semifinals - Thomas over Sall, Rodriguez over Sheick
Finals - Thomas over Rodriguez
171
Frontrunner: Adam Bonner (Greenville)
Top contenders: Tyler Humes (Lakeshore), Brian Plummer (Byron Center)
Darkhorse: Brian Sousley (Allegan)
Outlook: Bonner has been on fire all year with many big wins including an upset over Jackson Morse, which makes him the clear favorite here. However, Tyler Humes cannot be overlooked. He may be the only guy here who can match Bonner athleticall and technically. These two appear to be the clear top two, after that it seems up for grabs. Plummer is a returning qualifier who gave Jordan Thomas a decent match earlier this year, therefore, he may be capable of pushing Bonner when they meet in the quarterfinals.
Predictions:
Semifinals - Humes over Sousley, Bonner over Farris
Finals - Humes over Bonner
189
Frontrunner: John Rizgallah (Allegan)
Top contenders: Jamal Jackson (St Joes), Travis Ostrowski (Chelsea)
Darkhorse: Matt Henry (Owosso)
Outlook: Rizgallah should be in his own world here. Jackson finished 3rd in this weight last year and is probably the only person capable of giving Rizgallah a run for his money and they wont meet until the finals. Jackson defaulted to Rizgallah in the Regional Finals so it is tough to tell how capable he is of knocking off the returning runner-up. Guys like Jackson Lewis of Lamphere, Alex Bockman of Escanaba, and Henry are all tough big guys who have put together solid seasons and could challenge Jackson to come out of the bottom bracket.
Predictions:
Semifinals - Rizgallah over Ostrowski, Jackson over Henry
Finals - Rizgallah over Jackson
215
Frontrunner: Adam Coon (Fowlerville)
Top contenders: Sean Domas (Milan), Jacob Burlager (Hazel Park), Dave Giese (Marshall)
Darkhorse: Nick Moore (BCJG)
Outlook: It is rare to see a freshman as the man to beat especially above 145lbs, however, Adam Coon is the real deal. He has knocked off top tier 215lbers all year, including #2 Burlager at Regionals. Senior returning state qualifier Domas is 60-2 and may be the best bet to challenge Coon. Giese has wrestled well this year as well including a win over Domas, however, this weight features only one state returning state placer and that is Josh Clark of Mason who wrestles Coon first round.
Early matchups to watch:
1st Round - #1 Coon vs Josh Clark (Mason) - Clark is the only returning state placer in this weight class but will have a tough road to placing again as he sees the freshman phenom 1st round. This could be a good indicator of how well Coon's regular season sucess will carry over to the Palace.
Predictions:
Semifinals - Giese over Moore, Coon over Domas
Finals - Coon over Giese
285
Frontrunner: Quean Smith (Highland Park)
Top contenders: Kyle Conners (Tecumseh), Elbert Butler (Beecher)
Dark Horse: Keith Williams (Ferndale)
Outlook: This is a pretty open weight led a trio of quality big men Smith, Conners, and Butler. Smith scored a 7-4 win over Conners at Regionals and is as athletic and dangerous of a 285lber as you will find. Butler sneaks under some radars but he is maybe the only heavyweight in the state who can match Smith physically. Butler vs Conners in the quarterfinals should be a dynamite matchup with the winner of that match likely advancing to the finals. A fleet of other solid heavys like Williams, Adam Robinson, and Justin Zimmer should all make some noise here as well.
Predictions:
Semifinals - Butler over Robinson, Smith over Williams
Finals - Smith over Butler
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