By BUTCH HARMON
After a slow start to the wrestling season, the Holt Rams picked the right time to get hot.
With their lineup at full strength, the Rams, one of the premier wrestling programs in mid Michigan for years, captured a team regional and earned a trip to the Division 1 state finals for the first time since 2010.
“It’s real exciting for the boys, because most of them have not been there before,” coach Rocky Shaft said. “Making it to the state finals is always exciting and a highlight every year.”
The way the Rams won the regional only added to the excitement. In the semifinals, the Rams defeated Lakeview 35-33, and then in the finals the Rams defeated Portage Central 40-24.
“We hadn’t seen Lakeview this season, and they were ranked 10th in the state at the time,” Shaft said. “We knew they had some good quality wrestlers. We established a lead early on and then had to hold on. We were up 23-0 but they are strong in the upper weights, but we were able to hold on.”
Holt’s strength is in the lower weights.
“Of our first four wrestlers, three are undefeated,” Shaft said.
Those three undefeated wrestlers kept their records clean at the individual regional, as all three won regional titles. Sophomore Benny Gomez improved to 42-0 as he won the regional title at 103 pounds, senior Shayne Wireman improved to 42-0 as he claimed the 119-pound title, and junior Martin Rodriguez improved to 11-0 as he won the 125-pound title.
The regional title added to Holt’s strong performance down the stretch of the season.
“Our record is 15-10, but we lost nine of our 10 matches over Christmas,” Shaft said. “We didn’t get everyone back into our lineup until mid January. We had six JV kids wrestling in the lineup over Christmas. The kids have really come together the last three weeks. We’ve got the missing pieces back, and that has made a big difference.”
*Holt was not the only CAAC wrestling team to qualify for the state finals. St. Johns captured the Division 2 regional title at Brandon High School in impressive fashion. The Redwings defeated St. Clair 75-4 in the regional semifinal and then defeated Holly 63-9 in the regional final.
l Mason also captured a Division 2 regional. The Bulldogs edged Fowlerville 36-33 in the semifinals at Fowlerville. The Bulldogs then defeated Chelsea 57-23 in the title match.
*While Fowlerville fell in the team regionals, the Gladiators had five wrestlers qualify for the individual state meet, including three regional champions. Adam Coon won the 285-pound regional title, while Brian Moran won the 215-pound title and Austin Cottingim won the 140-pound title. Mason Litz (171) and Jordan Jabara (189) also qualified.
l The Owosso boys basketball team won its first league title in over 20 years when it defeated Haslett 61-53. Marcus McGill led the Trojans with 16 points and 16 rebounds, while Austin Klapko added 16 points. The win gave Owosso the CAAC Red division title, the first league title for Owosso since winning the Big Nine West Division title in 1992. The Trojans gained a share of the title when they defeated DeWitt 64-62. Robert Geoghegan led the Trojans with 22 points against DeWitt.
l The Corunna boys basketball team wrapped up a share of the CAAC White title when it defeated Portland 60-51. MJ Myles led the Cavaliers with 17 points and Mikhail Myles added 14 points. The title was the first league title for Corunna since winning the Mid-Michigan Conference Blue Division in 2004.
l The Holt boys basketball team is closing in on the CAAC Blue league title. Led by point guard Don’Quall Jackson, the Rams received help from league rival Jackson, which defeated Lansing Eastern and gave the Rams a one-game lead over the Quakers.
*The CAAC Gold has been dominated by Waverly and Lumen Christi Catholic, and the two teams are in a dead heat. They split their two meetings this season.
*A trio of CAAC boys’ swimming teams are state-ranked. In Division 2, both Okemos and St. Johns are honorable mention, while in Division 3, Mason is ranked honorable mention.
l In bowling, both the Corunna boys’ and girls’ teams are ranked fourth in the state in Division 3. The Owosso boys are also ranked sixth in the state in Division 2.