Team State Semifinals Results and Notes

Michigan Grappler

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February 24, 2024

DIVISION 1

The Shamrocks won twelve bouts in their semifinal versus the Rams, including a handful of hard-fought decisions. Most notable came at 285 as #1's squared off in a rematch of the DCC finals. Tied 1-1 in the 3rd, Ahern was looking to finish a single leg when action was stopped for an illegal scissor. After deliberation, the point was waved off and action continued. Bercume secured a takedown off a scramble with less than 10 seconds remaining to hand Ahern his first loss of the year. Diel and Hammingh were winners for the Rams, with each picking up wins over ranked opponents.

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Hartland built a sizeable early lead, with a 19-0 cushion to open the dual. At 138, Pacheco won a decision over Culver - a match that had gone the other way twice this season. Hartland picked up a pair of critical falls in the middle weights at 165 and 175 which allowed them to need just one win in the final four weighs to secure a victory. Pretzel won a 6-0 decision at 215 to put it away and give the undefeated Eagles a rematch of last year's Team Final against DCC.

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DIVISION 4

Hudson was on fire out of the gates, storming out to a 40-0 lead and putting out of reach. Within those weights were a couple of marquee matchups - Sorrow defeated Stewart, 4-2 in a matchup of #1's at 126 lbs; Perry decisioned Sloan 3-0 in a 1 vs 2 matchup at 144 lbs. Manchester picked up wins from Carson, Fletcher, and Gauss to get on the board in the upper weights.

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The Sharks punched through to the finals after taking eight matches, including falls from top-eight ranked wrestlers Rodriguez, Kuhn, Haworth, and Fogel. Wiggins won a swing match at 144 lbs as well. St. Louis did a great job minimizing bonus in their losses as Benzie picked up one fall and one major. St. Louis has been building towards a finals appearance over the past few years, this marking their first final since 1995. Coach Kevin Kuhn is a Hudson grad ('96) and the matchup will mark the second time Coach Marry has squared off against a former athlete in a final (Randolph - Clinton).
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DIVISION 3

Dundee once again went through a Constantine semifinal to earn a spot in the finals. Constantine showed up and battled from start to finish, winning swing matches, picking up bonus, and making it interesting. The VIkings closed it out with nine straight wins, including six falls and a 3-2 decision in a matchup of top-five foes in the final bout.

Whitehall makes a return trip to the finals against Dundee with a convincing 20-point win in the semis. The Vikings took six of the first eight matches, most notably an OT fall at 106 which flipped a result from the previous dual. Weiler and Christensen both won tight decisions in swing matches at 113 and 144.

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DIVISION 2

Lowell looks for their 11th-straight title this evening after a 35-point semifinal victory. Pretty good matches throughout, despite Mason not having all of their typical starters competing. The teams split a pair of narrow decisions, with Foss taking a 5-4 win at 126 and Smith scoring a late takedown and then the deciding takedown at 138.

Freeland makes their first state finals appearance after a solid semifinals performance against Greenville. The dual went more-or-less how it looked to shake out on paper. Dobson picked up a win in a ranked matchup to open the dual. After trading wins, Freeland's lower weights racked up enough points to put it out of reach, and they were able to forfeit the final weights.

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