2008 MHSAA Individual State Finals
MICHIGAN GRAPPLER INDIVIDUAL STATE PREVIEW
Division 4
103
Frontrunner: Collin Zeerip (Hesperia)
Top contenders: Dakota Kelley (Hudson), Cody Carew (Kent City), James Carey (Ithaca)
Darkhorse: Brenan Lyon (Ithaca)
Outlook: Collin Zeerip has established himself as the man to beat here. He has already beaten his top two contenders in Kelley and Carew. James Carey of Ithaca has come on lately winning his regional over Justin Krupp, Okelly, and teammate Brenan Lyon. Some tough competitors, but Zeerip's weight to lose.
Early matchups to watch:
1st round - #2 Dakota Kelley (Hudson) vs #10 Brenan Lyon (Ithaca)
Quarterifnals - #2 Dakota Kelley (Hudson) vs #3 Cody Carew (Kent City)
Predictions:
Semifinals - Carew over Carey; Zeerip over Krupp
Finals - Zeerip over Carew
112
Frontrunner: Jordan Bosma (Hesperia)
Top contenders: Blake Birchmeir (New Lothrop), Zeb Hilyard (Hudson), TJ Berridge (Martin)
Darkhorse: Tony Burge (Mason)
Outlook: Bosma has put together an impressive freshman campaign. He has beaten almost everyone, including Birchmeir, Hilyard, and Hamilton. Alot of these guys are returning qualifiers and placers from 103 last year, Talbot, Berridge, Barrett, and McMullin all placed while Hilyard and Hamilton are returning qualifiers. So it should be interesting to see if any of the expierenced returners can knock off the newcomer Bosma.
Early matchups to watch:
1st round - #6 Dakota Talbot (S Meridian) vs #8 Andrew Barrett (Jonesville)
Quarterfinals - #1 Jordan Bosma (Hesperia) vs Talbot/Barrett
Quarterfinals - #2 Blake Birchmeier (New Lothrop) vs #7 Jimmy Hamilton (Manchester)
Predictions:
Semifinals - Hilyard over Berridge; Bosma over Birchmeier
Finals - Bosma over Hilyard
119
Frontrunner: Cevin Walker (Manchester)
Top contenders: Allen Krupp (New Lothrop), Jacob Eagen (Springport), Jon Hayward (Marlette)
Darkhorse: Scott Noble (Clinton)
Outlook: Hayward is the returning champ at 119, beating Eagen in the finals last year. Eagen, along with returning 112lb champ Krupp and Walker have beaten Hayward this year. Therefore, this weight appears to be a 4 man race. Hren and Sobeck are both former placers and regional champs who will could contend as well. Eagen, Walker, and Hayward will all battle it out in the top half of this bracket while Krupp should get through to the finals barring any big upsets.
Early matchups to watch:
Quarterfinals - #1 Cevin Walker (Manchester) vs #4 Jon Hayward (Marlette)
Quarterfinals - #3 Jacob Eagen (Springport) vs #6 Jon Hren (Hesperia)
Predictions:
Semifinals - Hayward over Hren; Krupp over Sobeck
Finals - Krupp over Hayward
125
Frontrunner: Tom Webster (Pine Rive)
Top contenders: Mykel Sumner (Addison), Taylor Smith (Hudson), Kevin Schaefer (Byron)
Darkhorse: Jordan Bates (Hesperia)
Outlook: Webster enters this weekend undefeated and the man to beat, but Sumner, Smith, and Schaefer are all expirenced and Palace proven wrestlers. Sumner acutally beat Webster last year advancing to the semifinals and Schaefer was a semifinalist at this weight a year ago. Sumner, who is a former state champ, has went back and forth thsi year with last year's 103 runner up Smith who could make some noise here as well.
Early matchups to watch:
Quarterfinals - #2 Mykel Sumner (Addison) vs #7 Jordan Bates (Hesperia)
Predictions:
Semifinals - Sumner over Schaefer; Webster over Smith
Finals - Sumner over Webster
130
Frontrunner: Dan Osterman (Carson City Crystal)
Top contenders: Derrick Marry (Hudson), Nate Elston (Addison), Jeff Sabin (Kent City), Robert Morris (Pine River)
Darkhorse: Travis Perkins (Montabella)
Outlook: Osterman is one of the best wrestlers in all of division 4 and the man to beat in this weight. There are a few guys that enter this weekend with the hopes of knocking Osterman off, led by returing champ Marry and the undefeated Morris. Derrick Marry is one to watch out for, he is no stranger to March magic as he was a cinderella story last year en route to winning the title as a freshman.
Early matchups to watch:
Quarterfinals - #1 Dan Osterman (CCC) vs #3 Nate Elston (Addison)
Predictions:
Semifinals - Marry over Morris; Osterman over Sabin
Finals - Osterman over Marry
135
Frontrunner: Cody Dunn (Leslie)
Top contenders: Nathan Hall (Blissfield), Tharin Wilk (Rogers City), Malcolm Martin (Hesperia)
Darkhorse: William Hodge (Bangor)
Outlook: Everyone will be gunning for Dunn, the returning champ in this weight. Hall and Wilk are returning placers who know how to compete in Auburn Hills and Martin has really turned it up this year with some impressive performances all season long.
Early matchups to watch:
Quarterfinals - #4 Malcolm Martin (Hesperia) vs #5 Andre Sanson (Brown City)
Predictions:
Semifinals - Martin over Hall; Dunn over Wilk
Finals - Dunn over Martin
140
Frontrunner: Riley Ewalt (Carson City Crystal)
Top contenders: Curtis Huntoon (Ithaca), Steve Mena (Martin), Adam Wiseman (Hesperia)
Darkhorse: Tony Goss (Bendle)
Outlook: Alot of big names headline this bracket with returning champ Ewalt, returning runner up Mena, and Huntoon who finished 4th last year. Wiseman, Mena, Goss, and Hayward are all capable of doing well here also.
Early matchups to watch:
Quarterfinals - #2 Steve Mena (Martin) vs #5 Jordan Hayward (Marlette)
Predictions:
Semifinals - Ewalt over Wiseman; Mena over Huntoon
Finals - Ewalt over Mena
145
Frontrunner: Brandon Zeerip (Hesperia)
Top contenders: Brandon Douglass (Addison), Taylor Hatfield (Pittsford), John Burns (Decatur)
Darkhorse: Joe Wollum (Iron Mountain)
Outlook: Zeerip will look to finally get to the finals and win his first state title after being upset the past two seasons. Douglass, Hatfield, and Burns will all look to contend, but this looks like Zeerip's weight to lose.
Early matchups to watch:
Predictions:
Semifinals - Burns over Douglass; Zeerip over Hatfield
Finals - Zeerip over Burns
152
Frontrunner: Dan Yates (Hesperia)
Top contenders: Bill Cloke (Manchester), Stephen Kemp (L Westland), Matt Tuttle (Reading)
Darkhorse: Cody Livermore (Munising)
Outlook: Yates has been lights out all year and will look to garner his second state title this weekend. Returing champ Cloke and all-stater Tuttle are top contenders, and Kemp beat both of them at regionals so he is a threat as well.
Early matchups to watch:
1st round - #1 Dan Yates (Hesperia) vs #5 Payden Armstrong (Jonesville)
Quarterfinals - #3 Matt Tuttle (Reading) vs #6 Cody Livermore (Munising)
Predictions:
Semifinals - Yates over Kemp; Tuttle over Cloke
Finals - Yates over Tuttle
160
Frontrunner: Andy Anderson (TCSF)
Top contenders: Jason Alber (Manchester), Kyle Trent (New Lothrop), Grant Cook (Dansville)
Darkhorse: Jake Simpson (Mayville)
Outlook: Wide open weight class here. Anderson is a 3x placer and the favorite, but Alber, Trent, Cook, Weber, and Marshall are among the class of kids who could win this weight.
Early matchups to watch:
1st round - #4 Grant Cook (Dansville) vs #6 Gage Marshall (Addison)
Quarterfinals - #1 Andrew Anderson (TCSF) vs #4 Cook/#6 Marshall
Predictions:
Semifinals - Alber over Trent; Anderson over Weber
Finals - Anderson over Alber
171
Frontrunner: Taylor Trim (Dansville)
Top contenders: Robert Hall (Reading), Trent Morris (Reading), Kyle Hillard (Hudson)
Darkhorse: Marc Confer (New Lothrop)
Outlook: Trim, Hall, and Morris are all equal favorites to win this weight. Hillard and Pickford placed last year and could make some noise.
Early matchups to watch:
1st round - #5 Justin Pickford (Athens) vs #7 Marc Confer (New Lothrop)
1st roudn - #2 Robert Hall (Decatur) vs #Eric Lawrence (Sag Valley Lutheran)
Quarterfinals - #1 Taylor Trim (Dansville) vs #4 Kyle Hillard (Hudson)
Predictions:
Semifinals - Pickford over Morris; Trim over Hall
Finals - Trim over Pickford
189
Frontrunner: Conrad Bovee (Ithaca)
Top contenders: Chase McClennan (Rogers City), Travis Morril (Union City), Bryant Byler (Bronson)
Darkhorse: Jim Dyer (Manton)
Outlook: Bovee finished 3rd here last year, losing only to the eventual state champ, and he is the favorite heading in. McClennan has been right there his whole career but yet to win it all. Bovee and Mclenna meet in the semis and the winner of that match should win the crown. Morill, Byler, Elliot, and Dyer are all capable of knocking at the door.
Early matchups to watch:
Quarterfinals - #4 Travis Morrill (Union City) vs #6 Jim Dyer (Manton)
Quarterfinals - #2 Chase Mclennan (Rog City) vs #5 Gabe Elliot (Hudson)
Predictions:
Semifinals - Byler over Morrill; Bovee over Mcclennan
Finals - Bovee over Byler
215
Frontrunner: Kyler Ritter (Manchester)
Top contenders: Michael Rueda (Blissfield), Andy Oleary (Kent City), Justin Leanord (Webberville)
Darkhorse: Zack Ritter (Byron)
Outlook:
Predictions:
Semifinals - Leanord over Ritter; Oleary over Ritter
Finals - Leanord over Oleary
285
Frontrunner: Rudy Spalding (Hesperia)
Top contenders: Cody Sehl (Mancelona), Tom Pellegrini (Harper Woods)
Darkhorse: Devin Pommerenke (Rogers City)
Outlook: Spalding is arguably the best heavyweight in the state and he will be looking to get the monkey off his back and finnally win get to the top of the podium. This weight is one of the deepest in D4 so Spadling will have his work cut out for him. This weight should be fun to watch from the beginning.
Early matchups to watch:
1st round - #4 Ryon Barker (adrian-Madison) vs #7 Devin Pommerenke (Rogers City)
Predictions:
Semifinals - Sehl over Pellegrini; Spalding over Pommerenke
Finals - Spalding over Sehl
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