Butch Harmon
Sports Scene
* Rebuilding is the name of the game for the Alma wrestling team this season, and the Panthers are showing plenty of progress under first-year head coach Randy Miniard. The Panthers, who are are led by Liam Widman (160 pounds), upped their record to 11-9 for the season after defeating Hemlock (38-25) and Ovid-Elsie (60-6). The Panthers headed to Sparta in mid-January to go up against some of the premier wrestling teams on the west side of the state, including Allegan, Grand Haven, Sparta, Greenville, and Comstock Park. The Panthers finished 10th at the tournament and Widman reached the finals at 160 pounds, where he suffered his first loss of the season against Dillon Francisco of Comstock Park.
*Heading into the high school wrestling season, the common theme was that St. Johns was the premier team in the state and everyone else was playing for second place. As the wrestling season heads down the home stretch, that theme has been proven more than right.
The Redwings have faced the best teams Michigan can offer and have defeated all challengers. At the Detroit Catholic Central Super Duals, the Redwings proved that they are the undisputed best team in the state regardless of class when they defeated Detroit Catholic Central, the No.1-ranked team in Division 1, 31-21. St. Johns fell behind early in the match but came roaring back to earn the victory in a battle of defending state champions. The Redwings also defeated Bedford, the No.4-ranked team in the state in Division 1, and Clarkston at the duals along with Ohio wrestling powerhouse Solon.
St. Johns also served notice that it will be the undisputed team to beat for the Division 2 state title again this season, when it defeated Lowell 41-18 in a dual meet in St. Johns. The defeat was the first dual-meet loss of the season for the Red Arrows of Lowell.
* Lowell has been enjoying a solid season in its own right, and in any other year the Red Arrows would be the favorite in Division 2. Lowell took command of its own conference when it defeated Greenville in an early-season O-K White dual meet. The Red Arrows also captured first place in their own dual-meet tournament when they defeated Hartland, the No.-5 ranked team in Division 1, 47-12 in the title match.
The Red Arrows are rounding into shape after a long football playoff run and are paced by talented veterans such as Gabe Dean, Andrew Morse, Gabe Morse, Jake Stehley, Garrett Stehley, and Bailey Jack, along with talented freshman Jordan Hall.
* Birch Run is off to a fantastic start. The Panthers are ranked fourth in the state in Division 3 and turned in a record-setting performance in winning the title at the 40th annual Saginaw County Wrestling Championships.
The Panthers scored a record 322 points enroute to winning the county championship, breaking the previous record of 305 that Swan Valley scored at the 2009 meet.
Birch Run sent 10 wrestlers into the championship match and had five wrestlers come away with titles, as the Panthers won a record 16th county championship.
Winning titles for the Panthers were Jerry Fenner (103 pounds), Adam Biship (112), Lake Bennett (130), Jared Elliot (140), and George Lahar (171).
* Michigan Lutheran Seminary finished fourth at the Saginaw County meet with 118 points. The fourth-place finish was the school’s best since winning the title in 1990. Michigan Lutheran Seminary coach Marcus Bode was also named the Coach of the Meet. Senior Matthew Gulick became the school’s first individual champion since 1997 when he won the 215-pound title.
* The Rockford Rams are quietly putting together a solid season. The Rams took command of the O-K Red Conference race when they defeated Grandville to improve to 5-0 for the season. The Rams are led by an outstanding senior core of Austin Scogg, Trent Boyer, Robby Gorton, Dan Apkarian, Cullen Maksimowski, and Tyler VanRooyen along with talented young wrestlers like freshman Grant Tennihill and sophomores Brandon Houle, Brent Showers, Stephen Jendritz, and Braden Zych.
* Davison has been relying on some talented wrestlers this season and that young talent has put the Cardinals in a position to return to the state team finals in Battle Creek at the end of the season. Davison is ranked second in the state and is coming off an impressive tournament championship win at Holt. Sophomores Justin Oliver, Jordan Cooks, and Matt Miller have been leading the way, along with talented freshmen Lincoln Olson and Tyler Wildmo.
* Chippewa Hills is turning in another solid season. The Warriors are ranked third in the state in Division 3 and upped their record to 21-3 for the season after earning wins against Gladwin and Standish-Sterling.
* St. Louis is off to a strong start this season. The Sharks are 5-1 in the Tri Valley and 16-9 overall after notching wins against Merrill and Michigan Lutheran Seminary. The Sharks have been led this season by Jackson Miller, Jed Abbott, Cody Thrush, and Wayne Beach.
* Mt. Pleasant is off to a strong start in the Saginaw Valley. The Oilers are 4-1 in league duals and have a 9-4 overall record in duals. The Oilers have received strong efforts from wrestlers like Jordan Lewis, Danny Cashen, Shane Seelye, Gil Franco, Casey Kennedy, Keith Odykirk, and Eric Belco.
* Montabella has enjoyed a solid start to the wrestling season. The Mustangs opened the season with 14 wins in their first 18 duals. Tristan Viglianco, Logan Burns, and Dustin Scott have been among the wrestlers leading the way for the Mustangs.