Butch Harmon
Sports Scene
DIVISION 3
@CLARE
Semifinal matchups: Standish-Sterling vs. Chippewa Hills, Gladwin vs. Manistee.
Chippewa Hills is ranked third in the state in Division 3 and the Warriors will be tough to beat at this regional. Chippewa Hills placed 10 wrestlers at the individual district and had plenty of first-place firepowers with six wrestlers winning district titles. Junior Zack Cooper led the way as he ran his record to 50-2 for the season as he won the 112-pound title while fellow junior Jason Peacock upped his record to 35-1 when he captured the 140-pound title. The Warriors square off with a Standish-Sterling team that had four wrestlers make it out of the individual district. The other side of the bracket has a Manistee team that qualified five wrestlers for the regional taking on a Gladwin team that has four regional qualifiers. Look for Chippewa Hills to roll through this regional.
@COMSTOCK PARK
Semifinal matchups: Allendale vs. Lakeview, Comstock Park vs. Whitehall.
Two of the premier Division 3 teams in the state are on a collision course to meet in the regional finals with a trip to Battle Creek on the line. Whitehall is ranked fifth in the state in Division 3 while Allendale is ranked sixth in the state. With 10 regional qualifiers and a pair of district champions, Allendale looks to be deeper and stronger then Lakeview. Lakeview qualified four wrestlers for the individual regional led by Jordan Betham at 152 pounds.
Whitehall is the deepest team at the regional. The Vikings are sending 11 wrestlers on to the individual regional meet. Not only are the Vikings deep, but they are talented as 10 of those 11 wrestlers reached the championship match at individual districts with five bringing home championships. Whitehall has the tougher road to the finals as Comstock Park features a team with a trio of district champs led by Nick Ross at 125 pounds.
@DELTON-KELLOGG
Semifinal matchups; Buchanan vs. Lakewood-Lake Odessa, South Haven vs. Otsego.
Ranked seventh in the state in Division 3, Otsego is the team to beat at this district. The Bulldogs qualified 11 wrestlers for the individual regionals and seven of those wrestlers reached the championship round at the individual district with four Bulldogs winning district titles. Otsego faced South Haven during the regular season and recorded a 68-10 victory. Lake Odessa will have its work cut out for it against Buchanan. Lake Odessa qualified six wrestlers for the individual regional while the Bucks had seven regional qualifiers. Garrett Hyatt and Jordan Bennett won individual district titles for Lake Odessa and will lead the way for the Vikings.
@BIRCH RUN
Semifinal matchups: Lake Fenton vs. Durand, Birch Run vs. Portland.
The Panthers are ranked fourth in the state in Division 3 and are poised to claim a regional title and earn a trip to Battle Creek when they host the team regional Wednesday. The Panthers may be the most balanced team in the state as all 14 wrestlers that competed at the individual district qualified for the regional. Birch Run sent nine wrestlers into the championship round and four wrestlers emerged with district championships led by junior Lake Bennett who upped his record to 45-4 by winning the 130-pound title. Freshman Jerry Fenner improved to 42-4 as he won the 103-pound title while junior Damian Johnson (135) and senior Caleb Slavic (152) also won individual titles. Portland will provide the Panthers with a tough test in the semifinals. The Raiders boast eight regional qualifiers in their lineup led by seniors James Pace (140) and Seth Manshum (171) who both won regional titles. On the other side of the bracket, Lake Fenton, which boasts three district champions in its lineup, will be favored over a Durand team led by regional qualifiers Michael Fremd (135) and Zane Perrin (160).
@CARROLLTON
Semifinal matchups: Imlay City vs. Saginaw Swan Valley, Caro vs. Midland Bullock Creek.
An old fashioned battle royale will take place at Carrollton where Swan Valley, Bullock Creek and Caro are as matched up as close at three teams can be. Looking at the state rankings, Caro is ranked eighth in the state, Swan Valley is ninth and Bullock Creek 10th in the state. Digging deeper into the numbers, Bullock Creek boasts eight regional qualifiers, Caro had seven regional qualifiers and Swan Valley six. Caro, however, crowned four district champions while Swan Valley and Bullock Creek had one champion apiece. Caro is very strong in the lower weight classes and from 160 through 189. Swan Valley’s strength lies from 125 through 152 while Bullock Creek is strongest from 130 through 160.