2011 MHSAA Team State Finals Preview

---Division 1---

February 25-26

Kellogg Arena - Battle Creek

By Steve Widzinski

Michigan Grappler High School Analyst

QuarterFinals

Friday, 3:15pm

#1 Detroit Catholic Central vs #8 Roseville

Outlook: Detroit Catholic Central will come into Battle

Creek on Friday night intent on winning their second

consecutive Division 1 state title.  The top-seeded

Shamrocks will start their action in the quarterfinals

where they are scheduled to take on Roseville.  The

Panthers enter the tournament with a 9-16 dual meet

record, and will have a hard time matching up with the

high powered Shamrocks.

Our Pick: Detroit Catholic Central +45

#4 Brighton vs #5 Hudsonville

Outlook: Brighton has been one of the state’s most

improved teams over the course of the season.  The

Bulldogs scored impressive victories over Grand Ledge

and Holt last Wednesday night to earn a regional title

and claim the number four seed for the state finals. 

Taking on Brighton will be a vey solid Hudsonville team. 

While Brighton will be the favorite here, Hudsonville

has a tough lineup and should be capable of competing

with the Bulldogs and making this a relatively close dual.

Our Pick: Brighton +15

#3 Hartland vs #6 Romeo

Outlook: Following a regional title last Wednesday Hartland will travel to Kellogg Arena for their tenth consecutive appearance at the team state tournament.  After losing a great deal of talent to graduation last year the Eagles have not missed a beat, coming into the weekend as the third seed in Division 1.  The Eagles first round opponent will be Romeo.  The Bulldogs will be making their second consecutive appearance at the state meet and should provide an above average first round opponent for Hartland.

Our Pick: Hartland +18

#2 Oxford vs #7 Southgate Anderson

Outlook: After in impressive victory over Davison at districts, Oxford cruised through regionals to earn a spot in Battle Creek.  The second-seeded Wildcats have a senior-laden team and will be intent on reaching the finals where they hope to avenge an early season loss to DCC.  In the first round Oxford will see a very tough team from Southgate Anderson.  The Titans are currently one of the state’s hottest teams following an upset victory over Bedford at regionals last week.  Southgate appears to matchup well with Oxford, and could have a chance to make this closer than many people anticipate.

Our Pick: Oxford +15

Semi-Finals

Saturday, 9:30am

Note - below are our projected matchups

#1 Detroit Catholic Central vs #4 Brighton

Outlook: The defending state champs will have their first big test of the postseason in the semifinals where they will likely meet with a much improved Brighton team who has looked very strong late in the season.  Brighton was impressive at team regionals, defeating seventh-ranked Holt by over twenty points.  The Bulldogs continued to impress at individual regionals where they got ten wrestlers through the talent deep Saline region.

As impressive as their recent success has been, Brighton will have their hands full against DCC.  Currently ranked as one of the top fifty teams in the nation by Intermat, the Shamrocks are an absolute juggernaut who come into the postseason having wrestled one of the toughest schedules in the state of Michigan.  DCC will be heavy favorites to win soundly here, and Brighton will need to pull some upsets in order to keep this one close.

Key Matchups

--- 103 Jordan Amine BR vs Evan Toth DCC: This will be a key lower weight swing match that Brighton will need to win in order to compete with DCC.  Amine was eliminated from an incredibly tough region last weekend, and will be looking to earn some redemption with a big win in Battle Creek.

--- 125 Evan Hoshaw BR vs Ken Bade DCC: While Bade appears to be a clear cut favorite here, this could be a match where Brighton will have a chance to pull an upset and gain some momentum.  Hoshaw has scored some big upsets this season and should be able to compete with Bade.  If Hoshaw can find a way to win this match it will be huge momentum boost for the Bulldogs. 

--- 160: Brandon Hill BR vs Andy Erickson: With both wrestlers ranked in the top five of this weight class, the 160 lb match should be one of the best of this dual.  If these two meet, this will another swing match that Brighton will need to win in order to keep this dual close.

Prediction: While there is no denying Brighton’s talent, it is hard to see them being able to match up with DCC.  The Shamrocks are probably the deepest team across the state, and can adjust their lineup as well as anybody.  The Bulldogs will need to pull some upsets against the highly touted DCC lower weights in order to compete with the Shamrocks.

Our Pick: DCC +18

#2 Oxford vs #3 Hartland

Outlook: This semifinal will have the potential to be one of the duals of the Division 1 tournament.  Oxford comes in with an impressive group of seniors intent on winning a state title in their final trip to Battle Creek.  After an impressive 31-19 victory over Davison at districts Oxford is definitely one of D1’s hottest teams and will carry a lot of momentum into the state tournament.

If the Wildcats want to get a rematch with DCC they will first have to get past a very good Hartland team in the semifinals.  In what many thought was a rebuilding year for the Eagles, Hartland has shown why they are one of Michigan’s best and most consistent programs.  The Eagles earned their tenth consecutive regional championship last Wednesday, and come into the state tournament with a good shot to reach the finals.  Both teams are loaded and this dual should come down to a good mix of bonus points and swing matches.

Key Matchups:

--- 112: Austin Eicher HRT vs Keegan Cantara OX: The stud freshman Eicher will take on the senior veteran Cantara in this match.  Both of these wrestlers are among the top 112 pounders in Division 1, and this could be the best individual matchup of this dual.  Eicher has knocked off some highly regarded seniors already this season and will need a big effort to best the very tough Cantara in this match.

--- 119: Keith Boldt HRT vs Rocco Borg OX: Boldt is one of Hartland’s key senior leaders, and the Eagles will be counting on him to pick up a big win in this dual.  Borg is very solid and should also have a great chance to score a win here. If either team can win at 112 and 119 they should be in great position heading into the middleweights.

--- 152: John Julien HRT vs Dakota Peasley OXF: In one of last weekend’s biggest upsets, Peasley was eliminated from the regional tournament.  The talented Oxford senior will have a shot at redemption in Battle Creek where he will likely get a match against top-ranked Julien.  Julien has been a key contributor in Hartland’s lineup for years, and the Eagles will be counting on him to pick up a win in this match.

Prediction: With numerous swing matches and opportunities for bonus points, this is definitely a dual that has the potential to go either way.  Expect the key swing matches in the lower weights to be especially pivotal to the outcome of this dual.  Oxford’s veteran lineup gives them the slight edge coming in, but Hartland is definitely capable of earning a spot in the finals as well.

Our Pick: Oxford +6

State Finals

Saturday, 4:00pm

Note - Below is our projected finals matchup

#1 Detroit Catholic Central vs #2 Oxford

Outlook: After claiming their first state title in 22 years last February, the Shamrocks are looking to make it two in a row.  DCC has been Division 1’s top team all year long, and all signs indicate they are in good position to win their second consecutive title.  However, standing in their way will be an extremely tough Oxford team with a tested group of seniors looking to win a title in their last trip to Battle Creek.

These two powerhouses collided in early January with DCC

winning by a score of 36-17.  Despite DCC’s dominance on the

scoreboard last time around, the dual was actually much closer

than the final score indicated.  Six matches were determined by

two points or less, five of which were won by the Shamrocks.  The

other determining factor was pinning.  DCC scored three falls the

last time these teams wrestled, while Oxford did not have any. 

These are trends that Oxford will need to reverse in order to

compete with the mighty Shamrocks.

DCC’s win in the last dual can probably be most attributed to

their dominance in the lower weights.  The Shamrock’s did not

lose a match from 103-135, outscoring the Wildcats 24-0.  This is

where DCC took control of the dual last time around, and Oxford

absolutely cannot afford to be dominated like this again.  To give

themselves a shot at winning, the Wildcats will need to find a way

to win at least one match down low and prevent any pins.  Smith,

Cantara and Borg have all wrestled very close matches against

their DCC foes before and will be Oxford’s best bets to score some points in the lower weights.  If DCC can win the close matches down low, the likely bonus points from Bade, Mooradian and Marcicki should put the Shamrocks in control of the dual.

The middle of the lineup is where Oxford can really do some damage.  Frisch, Peasley, Logan and Ralston are among the Oxford’s top wrestlers and the Wildcats will be depending on the here.  However, every DCC wrestler from 145-171 is ranked in the top five of their weight class which will make it tough for Oxford to gain much ground.  Even if Frisch and Ralston win, Peasley and Logan will be underdogs against Garcia and Erickson.

At 189 DCC Senior Captain Miles Trealout scored a fall for the Shamrocks the last time these two teams met.  Anger is a state qualifier, and Oxford cannot afford to allow pins if they want to win this dual.  The Wildcats should have a good chance to score wins at 215 and 285.  Line should be a good bet to get bonus points at either weight, while McMaster will likely pick up a decision.

While Oxford has improved since the last time these teams met, one must not forget that DCC has shown improvement as well.  The Shamrocks have wrestled a grueling schedule all year long and every wrestler in their starting lineup is prepared to wrestle a hard fought dual meet.  Even if Oxford can turn a few of their past losses into wins, it will be a difficult task to make up the 19 points that DCC defeated them by last time.  If the Shamrocks can win the matches they are supposed to win and avoid giving up any falls or big momentum shifts they should be well on their way to another state title.

Our Pick: DCC 30 Oxford 18

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103

112

119

125

130

135

140

145

152

160

171

189

215

285

Oxford

#9 Smith

#4 Cantara

#8 Borg

Hill

Peasley

#7 Thomas

Gianola

#1 Frisch

Peasley

#1 Ralston/Logan

Logan/Ralston

Anger

#2 Line

McMaster/Line

DCC

#6 Toth

#7 Amine

#10 Fagan

#1 Bade

#3 Marcicki

#1 Moor/#9 Hanson

#8 Babicz/Mooradian

#4 Mason

#2 Garcia

#5 Erickson

#2 Beazley

#3 Trealout

Peterson

Coe

Projected lineups based on District wt classes

Freshman 130lber Logan Marcicki is one of 8 Shamrocks ranked top 5 in his respective weight class heading into this weekend's Team State Championships.  Photo/Gary Williams.