9/1 - Michigan Grappler is pleased to announce our 3rd Annual "All-Future" Youth Dream Team. The All-Future Team is meant to show off who may be the future prep and college stars of the state of Michigan based on their youth success in the 2008-2009 season.
The team consists of 20 youth wrestlers who were in 8th grade or below for the 08-09 school year. 10 of these wrestlers earned automatic spots on the team by finishing in the Top 10 of the Michigan Grappler Fab 50 Standings, including 2009 Youth Wrestler of the Year Zack Cooper. The other 10 wrestlers were selected from a pool of nominees.
This is the 3rd year of the All-Future team and 6 wrestlers have been on every All-Future Team to this point. Mark Hall, Zac Hall, Angus Arthur, Dominic Sutermeister, Justin Oliver, and Jacob Schmitt are all making their 3rd straight appearance.
Making their 2nd Youth Dream Teams are Brenden McRill, Zack Cooper, Garrett Stehley, Adam Coon, and Lincoln Olson.
9 wrestlers are making their first ever All-Future team, including 6 of the 7 Elementary selections.
The future looks bright for the state of Michigan as this year's All-Future team is loaded with Tulsa Champions, Liberty Champions, TOC Champs, as well as Fargo, Schoolboy Duals, and Cadet Duals standouts. Read below to see what the future has in store for wrestling here in Michigan with our profiles of the All-Future Team members and also keep in mind that this is just a sampling of what the youth wrestling scence has to offer here in Michigan as many great athletes with impressive resumes failed to make the cut.
All Members of the All-Future Team will be recognized at the Border Wars Nationals in November. All those who made the team please contact Michigan Grappler by email (admin@michigangrappler.com) to confirm your attendance.
ELEMENTARY
Andrew Hughes (Holt/Spartan Lightning)
52lbs - 2nd Grade
Hughes finished 4th in the overall Fab 50 standings, which earned him an at-large spot on the All-Future Team. The Holt native was busy all year, wrestling in Fab 50 events from August through May. He won the Triple Crown with a MYWAY Folkstyle Title and MUSAW Freestyle and Greco Titles this year. In addition, Hughes won the Border Wars Winter Nationals and took 3rd at the Viper Pit tournament in Ohio. He was also 5th at the Border Wars Nationals last fall.
Jesus Jimenez (Lansing/CCWC)
50lbs - 3rd Grade
Jimenez kept busy this year, wrestling in Fab 50 events from beggining to end to earn over 100 points and finish 10th in the standings. He won three state titles this year with MMWA, MUSAW Freestyle, and MUSAW Greco titles. The Lansing native was also 2nd at the Border Wars Nationals last November.
Brenden Zelenka (St.Johns/St.Johns WC)
55lbs - 3rd Grade
Zelenka logged some major Fab 50 miles this year, placing in 22 Fab 50 events over the course of the season. His dedication paid off as he finished 5th in the Final Standings and earned an autamatic spot on the All-Future squad. His most notable performances this year include a 1st place finish at the Viper Pit Tournament, 4th at Border Wars Nationals and 2nd at Border Wars Winter Nationals. He also fared well in freestyle and greco as he was a runner-up in both styles at the Central Regional in Ohio.
Dalton Ballantine (Clio/Clio WC)
63lbs - 4th Grade
The 2008-09 campaign was a breakout year for Ballantine as the Clio youngster
saw major success on the state and national level. Wrestling in some of the most
prestigous youth national events in the country Ballantine won the Tulsa Kickoff, was
4th at Tulsa Nationals, and finished runner-up at the Ohio TOC. He was also
dominant in Michigan, winning MYWAY and MMWA state titles. Overall, Ballantine
finished 3rd in the Fab 50 standings, just three points shy of last year's wrestler of
the year Mark Hall for 2nd.
Brenden McRill (Flint/CMS)
85lbs - 5th Grade
McRill is a repeat selection after making the All-Future team last year. This year he finished 16th in the Fab 50 Standings and continued to show his ability on the national stage with a Border Wars National Title, Viper Pit Title, and Winter National Title. He won the MMWA state title and then followed that up with a MUSAW Double State title, claiming both Freestlye and Greco championships.
Kane Williams (Clio/Clio WC)
100lbs - 4th Grade
The 2nd Clio grappler to make the squad with an automatic bid is Kane Williams. Williams finished 7th in the Fab 50 with 1st place finishes at the Border Wars Nationals, Winter Nationals, and the Viper Pit tournament in Ohio. He was also a MYWAY state runner up, finished 4th at the Eastern Worlds in West Virginia, and along side Ballantine, the future could be looking bright for Clio.
Milik Dawkins (Flint/Flint All-Stars)
100lbs - 4th Grade
Dawkins won MYWAY and Greco State Titles this year, including a win over fellow All-Future Teamer Kane Williams in the MYWAY state finals. He was 2nd at the Ohio TOC and was also a double champ at the USAW Central Regional. He finished 17th in the Fab 50 standings.
Honorable Mention: Michael Ellis (Holt), Jacob Madrigal (Davison), Gage Gillam (East Detroit)
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Lincoln Olson (Bay City/CMS)
77lbs - 6th Grade
Olson finished the season 27th in the Fab 50 while competing in just 8 Fab 50 events. He won the Border Wars National Title for the 3rd time with a win over 08 All-Future Team member Nathan Ellis and finished 2nd in a tough weight at the MMWA State Finals, losing to fellow All-Future Teamer Dominic Russ in a close match. Olson capped his year off by winning a double title at the MUSAW State Finals and a Central Regional Freestyle Title in Ohio. At the Schoolboy Duals he scored some big wins over the Tulsa National and TOC Champs in his weight, which shows why he could be a big part of the future of Michigan wrestling.
Dominic Russ (Powerhouse/CMS)
85lbs - 7th Grade
Russ is one of 6 CMS guys to make the cut this year. He earned an automatic spot after finishing 6th in the Fab 50 standings with 121 points. He did so while staying mostly in-state as all of his points were earned in Michigan or Ohio tournaments Among his notable accomplishments this year was a Viper Pit Title, Border Wars Winter National Titles, as well as the quadruple crown of State Championships (MMWA, MYWAY, Freestyle, Greco). In all this year he entered 16 Fab 50 tournaments and won 14 of them.
Zack Cooper (Chippewa Hills/Xtreme)
90lbs - 8th Grade
The Michigan Grappler Wrestler of the Year put together an impressive season to finish atop the Fab 50 Standings with nearly 50 points separating him from the rest of the field. Cooper won titles at the Border Wars Nationals, Winter Nationals, Viper Pit, and West Coast Nationals. At the West Coast Nationals he was named Outstanding Wrestler of his age division with 5 falls. Cooper also won the MYWAY State Title and NEMWA Championship, and was 2nd at the Big Horn Nationals. Aside from his work in Fab 50 events, Mr. Cooper also kept busy wrestling on Middle School National Duals teams, going undefeated at the Middle School Duals in Iowa, earning All-Ameircan honors, as well as posting perfect records at the Midwest Grand Challenge, Grand River Rumble, NHSCA Jersey Shore Duals, and the Northern Exposure Duals. He stayed busy all year long, and the work paid off as Zack Cooper won the Fab 50, earned a spot on the All-Future Team, and was named Michigan Grappler Youth Wrestler of the Year. He will now try to turn his youth success into prep greatness as a freshman this year at Chippewa Hills High School.
Jacob Schmitt (St Johns/Massas Maniacs)
90lbs - 8th Grade
Schmitt was 45th in the Fab 50, however, he could have been argued as one
of the top 2 or 3 youth wrestlers in the state of Michigan last year. He did not compete
in very many Fab 50 events, but he won just about everything he did wrestle in. He
won the Tulsa Kickoff Classic last fall and was a double champ as a Cadet in the
Freestyle State Tournament over Cooper. This summer Schmitt showed what he is
capable of by finishing one match short of making the Fargo finals in both freestyle
and greco (he ended up 4th at 91lbs in both styles). He was also undefeated
in both styles at the Cadet Duals and is currently ranked by MIG as the #1 wrestler in
this year's incoming freshman class. He could be looked at as an early favorite
to win the 103lb Division 2 state title this year.
Justin Oliver (Lapeer/CMS)
90lbs - 7th Grade
Oliver continues to thrive on the state and national level and has been consistently one of the top youth grapplers in Michigan throughout his career. He made the All-Future Team again this year for the 3rd consectutive year and finished 13th in this year's Fab 50 standings. Among his national accolades were a Border Wars National Championships, Liberty National Championship, and Top 3 finishes at the Tulsa Kickoff, Viper Pit, and Ohio Tournament of Champions. Oliver has one year left in middle school before he should be an immediate impact wrestler next year as a high school freshman.
Dominic Sutermeister (Davison/CMS)
90lbs - 6th Grade
Sutermeister is making his 3rd straight appearance on the All-Future Team. He
continues to dominate competetion in the state of Michigan and excel nationally. After
finishing 2nd in the Fab 50 last year, Sutermeister was 9th this year, but put up an
equally impressive track record from a year ago. He won 12 of the 13 Fab 50
tournaments he wrestled in, with his only loss coming in a runner-up finish at the
Viper Pit. He won the Border Wars Nationals, Tulsa Kickoff, Liberty Nationals, as well
as the Tournament of Champions. In addition he was dominant in winning MMWA,
Freestyle, and Greco State Titles. He, along with Mark Hall, are the future of the storied
Davison program and are also two of the brightest stars for the future of the state of
Michigan.
Zac Hall (Ithaca/Massas Maniacs)
100lbs - 7th Grade
Hall makes his 3rd straight All-Future team despite failing to make the Fab 50. He only wrestled in a handful of Fab 50 events, however, he wrestled on many of Michigan's top Middle School Dual Teams. He finished 3rd at the competetive USAW Folkstyle Nationals with 56 wrestlers on his chart and was 13-1 at the Virginia Duals wrestling for Team Michigan. In addition, Hall won Double Titles at the MUSAW Freestyle/Greco State Championships and the USAW Central Regional in Ohio. This summer he wrestled for Team Michigan at the Schoolboy National Duals and led the team with a 13-3 overall record in both styles. This time next year he will be looked at as one of the top incoming freshman in the state.
Anthony Gonzales (Pontiac/Ortonville Outlaws)
105lbs - 8th Grade
Gonzales set himself apart from the in-state competetion as he swept the state tournaments, winning the MMWA, MYWAY, and MUSAW Freestyle & Greco State Championships. He finished 8th in the Fab 50 to earn an automatic spot on the team and was also 2nd at the Border Wars Nationals and 1st at the Border Wars Winter Nationals. He, along with Zac Hall, was one of the top guys on the Michignan Schoolboy Team with a 13-3 overall record in both styles. Heading into his freshman campaign there is little doubt that Gonzales will be a major player in Division 2 at either 103 or 112 for Ortonville Brandon High School (he is currently ranked by MIG as the #4 incoming freshman in the state).
Mark Hall (Davison/CMS)
110lbs - 6th Grade
After winning the Fab 50 last year, the reigning Michigan Grappler Youth Wrestler of the Year
finshed 2nd in this year's Fab 50, however, just like last year he won every Fab 50 Tournament
that he competed in. Hall is widely considered one of the top youth grapplers in the country as he
wins virtually every tournament that he enters. His national accolades this year include wins at
the Border Wars Nationals, Tulsa Kickoff, Winter Nationals, Viper Pit, Liberty Nationals, and Ohio
Tournament of Champions. In addition to his MMWA, MYWAY, and MUSAW Freestlye/Greco state
titles, Hall also competed on an array of Dual teams, and actually went undefeated at the Jersey
Shore Duals wrestling in the High School Division. This is his third straight All-Future Team and
odds are he will be making his 4th and 5th in the next two years before entering high school.
Angus Arthur (DeWitt/Spartan Lightning)
120lbs - 7th Grade
Arthur finished 36th in the Fab 50 despite only competing in 6 Fab 50 Events throughout the year. He continued to be one of Michigan's most succesfull youth wrestlers on the national level this year with a runner up performance at the Tulsa Kickoff, 3rd place finish at the Tulsa Nationals, and double All-American honors at the Asics Kids Freestyle and Greco-Roman Nationals. This marks his 3rd straight year on the All-Future Team.
Taylor Grenawalt (Haslett/Spartan Lightning)
125lbs - 8th Grade
Grenawalt is making his first appearance on the MIG All-Future Team in his last year before entering high school. He finished the Fab 50 season in 11th place, just 3 points shy of 10th. Grenawalt excelled on the national stage, finishing 6th at the Tulsa Kickoff and 2nd at the Liberty Nationals. He made the World of Wrestling All-Star Team and was a MYWAY state champ and NUWAY Champ. He is a name to keep an eye on this year as a freshman in Division 2 around 125 or 130lbs as we currently have him ranked as the #7 incoming freshman in the state.
Garrett Stehley (Lowell/Flat River WC)
170lbs - 7th Grade
Stehley is making his 2nd All-Future team after earning a spot on the 2007 squad two years ago. Just a 7th grader, he has one more year before high school at which time he will likely be one of those rare occasions of a 171/189lb freshman who is capably of competing right away. This year he wrestled in many of the toughest Middle School Dual Competetions, going 7-1 at the MS National Duals in Danville, IL, 7-1 at the AAU National Duals in Iowa, 8-2 at the NJ Challenge and 8-2 at the Virginia Challenge. He was also undefeteated at the East Coast Duals and he was a MYWAY State Champ, Border Wars National Champ, and NUWAY Champ. He was named Youth Wrestler of the Year by Matside Michigan, and is part of a good looking future for the Lowell Wrestling Program.
Adam Coon (Fowlerville/WOW)
190lbs - 8th Grade
Coon is a repeat selection to the All-Future team after another dominant year. He finished his 8th grade year undefeated in the state of Michigan with MMWA, Freestyle, and Greco State Titles. He finished 2nd at the USAW Folkstyle Nationals, wrestling as a Cadet. This summer he had a breakout performance at the Cadet Duals, going 17-1 in both styles including a perfect 8-0 in Freestyle to make the All-Tournament Team. At Fargo he fell short of placing, however, he knocked off both champs in his weight, beating the Greco champ in Freestyle and beating the Freestyle Champ in Greco. He is currently ranked as the #2 incoming freshman in the state and he should be capable of contending for a state title as a freshman this year at 189 or 215lbs
Honorable Mention: Alec Panteleo (Canton), Logan Ritchie (Flat Rock), Tyler Perry (CMS), Shon Powell (Highland Park)
**Note - this team was selected from the pool of nominated wrestlers. Criteria for selection was primarily based on national and state tournament performances.**
Past All-Future Teams:
2008
Elementary: Davian Gowens (Hesperia), Jacob Madrigal (Davison), Nathan Ellis (Holly), Brenden McRill (Flint), Dominic Sutermeister (Flushing), Mark Hall II (Davison), Eric Rogers III (Highland Park)
Middle School: Martin Rodriguez (Holt), Jacob Schmitt (St Johns), Justin Oliver (Goodrich), Brant Schafer (Carson City), Freddie Rodriguez (Holt), Zac Hall (Ithaca), Angus Arthur (Laingsburg), Ben Whitford (Holt), Zack Cooper (Big Rapids), Taylor Massa (St Johns), Jordan Thomas (Greenville), Patrick Eldred (Charlotte), Adam Coon (Fowlerville)
2007
Elementary: Lincoln Olson (Bay City), Austin Eicher (Fenton), Dominic Sutermeister (Flushing), Justin Oliver (Goodrich), Logan Massa (St Johns), Mark Hall (Davison), Zac Hall (Ithaca), Angus Arthur (Laingsburg), Jake Hardaker (Clio), Garrett Stehley
Middle School: Jacob Schmitt (Climax), Freddie Rodriguez (Holt), Ben Whitford (Holt), Roger Wildmo (Durand), Joe Rendina (Dundee), Jordan Wohlfert (St Johns), Taylor Massa (St Johns), Adam Bonner (Rockford), Jordan Thomas (Greenville), Devin Pommerenke (Rogers City)
