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Week 1 Recap

Division 1

#1 Detroit Catholic Central: If limited to one word, “domination” would likely be the one best suited to describe DCC’s first week of competition. The Shamrocks opened their season with a 54-9 rout of #2 Davison on opening day. They followed up by powering through their competition to finish 5-0 and win the Westland John Glenn Rocket Duals on Saturday. The team should see a good range of competition this weekend when they look to defend their title at the Oakland County Championships.

#2 Davison: After starting the week on a sour note, the Cardinals really did a great job rebounding from their 54-9 loss at the hands of #1 DCC. On the very next night the team bounced back in a big way, avenging last year’s district finals loss with a 42-18 victory over Oxford. They carried the momentum over to Saturday where the Cards narrowly edged #4 Brighton to take first place at the Dorothy McClenathan Classic, despite the absence of top ranked Jordan Cooks.

#3 Oxford: The graduation losses were apparent this week for Oxford who suffered a tough loss at the hands of Davison to open their season. They did manage to come back and win the Corunna Invite on Saturday, edging out Caro for first place. The Wildcats have a great deal of new starters in their lineup, many of who are unaccustomed to wrestling such high levels of competition. I expect this group to continue to progress throughout the season as they gain experience, peaking for the postseason as they did last winter.

#4 Brighton: The Bulldogs made a big statement on opening night when they convincingly beat last year’s D2 runner-up Greenville by over a thirty point margin. They followed up with a similarly decisive win against a very solid Rochester group. Saturday they took the mats in East Kentwood at the Dorothy McClenathan Memorial Classic. The team’s depth was on display, as five wrestlers reached the finals in a runner-up performance behind #2 Davison.

#5 Hartland: On the season’s opening night Hartland started on a strong note, picking up a pair of close wins against quality opponents. The Eagles scored victories in dual meets against D2 #3 Greenville and Rochester. The team hosted their annual individual tournament over the weekend, where they topped D4 #3 New Lothrop in a two horse race between a pair of highly regarded teams.

#6 Southgate Anderson: The Titans came out of the gate a bit slow to start the year, falling 40-31 against New Boston Huron. Southgate is still without a few key wrestlers from last year, and I believe the lineup they fielded this weekend will look quite different in February. Watch for the Titans to steadily improve during the year and make another run at a regional title this postseason.

#7 Temperance Bedford: On Saturday the Mules kicked off their season at the always tough Don Johnson Invitational at Lansing Eastern. The tournament was dominated by D2 #1 St. Johns, but the Mules had a good day finishing far ahead of 3rd place Lansing Eastern and 4th place Grand Haven.

#9 Grand Haven: The Buccaneers also traveled to Lansing Eastern this weekend where they started there season with a fourth place finish at the Don Johnson Invitational. The team finished just behind host Lansing Eastern and ahead of 5th place Fruitport and 6th place Grand Ledge.

#10 Rockford: The Rams got a big test early on when they competed at the Dorothy McClenathan Memorial Classic Saturday. Lead by runner-ups Austin Scogg and Stephen Jendritz, they finished the day in ninth ahead of ranked teams such as D2 #10 Northview and D2 #6 Stevensville Lakeshore.

Division 2

#1 St. Johns: The #3 team in the country lived up to the hype, obliterating the field at the Don Johnson Invitational. The Red Wings crowned twelve individual champions en route to amassing over 400 team points. This weekend the defending champions can be seen in dual meet action when they head west to take on some strong competition at the Holland Duals.

#2 Lowell: With many wrestlers coming off a long and grueling football season, the Red Arrows made the decision to break their varsity lineup into two groups on opening weekend. One group made primarily of non-football players went to East Kentwood for the Dorothy McClenathan Memorial Classic, where three individuals won titles and several others placed. The other group wrestled at Allegan in the Southwest Classic where they finished third behind D4 #5 Shelby and D2 #4 Allegan.

#3 Greenville: The Yellow Jackets fell to a pair of D1 powers to open their season, dropping duals against D1 #4 Brighton and D1 #5 Hartland on Wednesday night. They were able to reverse their fortunes over the weekend and enjoy some success, staying home and claiming first place at their own invitational.

#4 Allegan: Lead by a pair of brothers, the Tigers were runners-up at the Southwest Classic on Saturday. Both the Simaz and Kelley brothers won titles for Allegan, and the team finished behind only D4 #5 Shelby and ahead of a partial Lowell squad.

#5 Tecumseh: After a week of competition the Indians are undefeated with a current record of 8-0. On Friday they overcame a very strong effort to knock off Ida in an assembly dual. Their winning ways continued on Saturday as they went 5-0 with a victory over #7 Mason to win the Brooklyn Columbia Central Duals.

#6 Stevensville Lakeshore: It was rough start for the Lancers who finished the day in 13th out 14 at the Dorothy McClenathan Memorial Classic. The team was without some key members and seemed to have a hard time catching a break in any of the matches I saw. Expect Coach Bittenbender to smooth out some of the kinks and have the team ready to compete for another regional title come February.

#7 Mason: The Bulldogs were in Brooklyn Columbia Central on Saturday, where they posted a 4-1 record along the way to a second place finish. Their only loss came at the hands of #5 Tecumseh in a rematch of last year’s regional final.

#8 Holly: It was an impressive showing for the Bronchos, who wrestled well to place fourth at the Dorothy McClenathan Memorial Classic over the weekend. D4 #2 Hesperia, D2 #6 Lakeshore, and D1 #10 Rockford were among the teams Holly outscored. They may still have a few holes in the upperweights, but this team has the firepower to do some serious damage in D2.

#9 Sparta: The Spartans had a really solid showing in East Kentwood on Saturday, placing sixth in a loaded field at the Dorothy McClenathan Memorial Classic. Champion Nick Trimble lead the way, and several others made strong contributions.

#10 Northview: It was a tough early season test for the Wildcats, who saw many of the state’s best at the Dorothy McClenathan Memorial Classic Saturday. The team finished 10th in a field highlighted by teams such as D1 #2 Davison, and D2 #2 Lowell.

Division 3

#1 Richmond: The Blue Devils did what they do best on Saturday: Win dual meets. The team was dominant at the WWT duals, racking up five victories including one over Canton to finish in first place.

#2 Dundee: On Saturday the Vikings showed that despite their graduation losses, they will still be a force to be reckoned with in D3 this year. Dundee placed third at the Dorothy McClenathan Memorial Classic, ahead of teams such as D2 #8 Holly and D4 #2 Hesperia. The only teams to finish ahead of the Vikings were D1 #2 Davison and D1 #4 Brighton.

#4 Birch Run: It was a dominant weekend for the Panthers, who stormed through the competition at the Linden Christmas Duals. The team dominated their way to title, routing Gaylord 66-9 in the finals.

#5 Bullock Creek: The Lancers claimed gold in the seasons first tournament. The team went 5-0 to win the Portland Duals, their closest dual a 43-30 win over hosting Portland.

#6 Swan Valley: Opening weekend was a tale of two tournaments for the Vikings who sent teams to separate competitions. A more experienced group went out to Howell, where they crowned Dylan Ewald and Zack Roethlisberger as champions. Others traveled to Bay City Central where they also enjoyed success competing in an individual tourney.

#7 Whitehall: The Tigers were in action at the Southwest Classic on Saturday, finishing in fifth place on the day. Teams to finish ahead of Whitehall were D4 #5 Shelby, D2 #4 Allegan, D2 #2 Lowell and Allendale.

#8 Otsego: The traditionally tough Herm Wilkinson Classic at Howell belonged to Otsego on Saturday, who won convincingly on a strong team performance. The team’s depth was on display as seven of their wrestlers placed third or higher.

#10 Lake Fenton: Third place was the outcome for Lake Fenton on Saturday, who competed at Hartland’s individual tourney. Beating out the Blue Devils were D1 #5 Hartland and D4 #3 New Lothrop.

Division 4

#1 Hudson: Division 4’s three-time defending champions were dominant on Saturday, winning the Jackson Area Wrestling Showdown in convincing fashion. The Tigers compiled a 5-0 record on the day, winning big over #4 Manchester in their final dual.

#2 Hesperia: The Panthers hung in there with many of Michigan’s elite teams from all divisions when they competed at the Dorothy McClenathan Memorial Classic over the weekend. The team placed fifth, narrowly behind D2 #8 Holly and ahead of D2 #9 Sparta. They were lead by individual champs Zack Yates and Brett Martin.

#3 New Lothrop: On Saturday the Hornets came up a bit short in a two horse race at the Hartland Invitation. They were in a battle with host D1 #5 Hartland all day, eventually finishing in second place far ahead of the next team D3 #10 Lake Fenton.

#4 Manchester: The Dutch reached the finals at Jackson Area Wrestling Showdown on Saturday, where they ran into #1 Hudson in a rematch of last year’s state semifinal. Manchester fell against D4’s reigning champions, losing by a score of 55-15.

#5 Shelby: It was a big weekend for the Tigers, who made a statement with their championship at the Southwest Classic. The team finished well ahead of the rest of the field, which included the likes of D2 #4 Allegan, D3 #7 Whitehall and a partial Lowell squad.

#10 Addison: 3-2 was the final record for Addison Saturday, who took on some good competition at the Jackson Area Wrestling Showdown. One loss came at the hands of #1 Hudson, while the other came in a very close dual where the team was pitted against #4 Manchester.

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