Swan Valley wrestling coach Darrell Burchfield said, “Don’t let the score fool you,” after his team lost a 58-9 Division 3 semifinal match to eventual state champion Dundee.
“When someone sees that score, they will think that we were blown off the mat,” he continued. “Do I like to see that score? Heck no, I don’t, but Dundee is a better team than we are, but not by much. I guess if you have to lose, it doesn’t hurt to lose to a defending state champion.”
Swan Valley’s Matt Santos gave the Vikings a 3-0 lead, earning a 6-5 decision in the first match. He was coming off a gut-wrenching performance in the quarterfinal the night before, where he needed a three-overtime performance to defeat defending state champion Devin Schroeder of Grand Rapids Catholic Central so that the Vikings could advance to the semifinal.
“When you need a victory over a state champion like Devin, and you are the guy that needs to get the victory, now that’s pressure,” Santos said after his victory over Schroeder. “That kind of stuff right there I live for.”
Santos’ victory against Dundee got Swan Valley started on the right foot, but Dundee won the next nine matches, a string that included five consecutive pins, to take a 46-3 lead.
“We made a few mistakes along the way, and at this level you can’t do that,” said Burchfield. “At this point, I couldn’t be happier for a great bunch of kids, who have dedicated themselves to getting better. We have to get our numbers up, and we have to get down here again to get that experience. These teams are not that much better than we are.”
Steve Becker broke the Dundee string at 285 pounds with a 4-2 win. KJ Suitor gave the Vikings their other win, a 5-2 decision at 112.
Swan Valley made it to the semifinal with a 32-27 win over Grand Rapids Catholic Central. It finished the season with a record of 41-2.