Butch Harmon
Sports Scene
When a wrestling team in Division 3 in the state of Michigan is ranked among the top 30 team in the entire nation, the question is not if that team is going to win a state title, but by how much. That was the situation at the Division 3 Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) team state wrestling finals this year.
Not only did Dundee come into the finals ranked No. 1 in Division 3 in Michigan, but the Vikings were ranked in the mid-20s nationally in various high school national team rankings.
Dundee was also looking to add an eighth consecutive Division 3 team state championship and the only thing that was in doubt was the points that the Vikings would accumulate during the finals.
In the end, Dundee outscored its three opponents in the finals by a total score of 221-6. Dundee claimed the trophy in the finals with a 74-0 win against second-seed Yale. The Vikings reached the finals with a 72-0 win against fourth-seed Allegan in the semifinals and opened the tournament with a 75-6 win against West Branch Ogema Heights.
Dundee wrestlers were absolutely dominant in the title match. The Vikings opened the match against Yale with consecutive wins by technical fall by Mason Katschor (113 pounds), Haydn Nutt (120) and Bryan Sterling (126).
At 132 pounds, Braden Broderick delivered six points for the Vikings with a pin. That fall was followed by a pair of technical falls by Wyatt Burns (138) and Stone Redmon (144).
The middle of the Dundee lineup then delivered four consecutive pins. Blake Cosby started the run of pins at 150 pounds followed by falls from Jeremy Amrhein (157), Donny Beaufait (165) and Kole Katschor (175).
Dundee then wrapped up its eighth straight state title in impressive fashion. At 190 pounds Owen Motylinski won by major decision. Rocco Redmon won by pin at 215 pounds, Austin Miller won by a major decision at heavyweight and in the final bout of the match Scott Kohlman won by technical fall at 106 pounds.
While state title number eight was impressive and the bar was set high, next year’s edition of the Dundee wrestling team has even more potential. Dundee’s starting lineup had just one senior and with 13 starters returning along with a deep pool of backups at every weight class, the Vikings will be looking to rack up even more impressive numbers as they set their sights on a ninth straight Division 3 state title.
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