Although Clarkston wrestler Mike Maguire, a county and league champion this season, needs to watch his weight for the next week to stay eligible for 119 pounds, he might be encouraged to try a bowl of Corn Flakes.
He and the rest of the Wolves earned a spot in the state’s grand finale in Battle Creek this weekend, with a 59-9 thumping of Davison in the regional finals and Walled Lake Northern in the qualifier 60-18. The appearance will be the team’s first since 2004 when many of its wrestlers were freshmen.
After dropping Davison in the regular dual-meet season, Clarkston knew the real test would come from the Cardinals in the state playoffs.
Clarkston took command of a 9-9 tie when 135-pounder Frank Sade won an 8-2 decision over Zach LaBelle. Clarkston never looked back, taking the next nine matches.
‘Tying it up felt good because I wanted to give our team a chance to get back in it,? Sade said.
?(Coach Joe DeGain) has given us the head of steam we need to go into states. We sure delivered with our performance tonight, all of our guys stepped up.?
‘It almost seemed like a college dual meet because the score was so low. We were six weights into it and neither of us had 15 points yet. All those matches could have gone either way. A lot of them were key matches,? DeGain said.
Cardinals Coach Roy Hall said his team lost critical matches in the lower weights that could have turned things around for the five-time defending state champions.
‘The only way it could have gotten more interesting at all is if we had won at 125 and 119 and that was our only shot and we lost those matches,? Hall said.
‘It’s a good lesson for us to watch. If we want to get back, that’s how we’ve got to (be).?
For 119-pounder Maguire, his 4-1 decision over Zach Davis was the 150th of his career.
‘For it to be at the dual meet where we finally beat Davison and get another chance at the state championship’it’s just unexplainable to have the chance to go back and win it as a senior,? Maguire said.
Maguire moved his record to 47-3 this season with the win.
‘The hard work is finally paying off and it’s just exhilarating and I’m excited,? he said.
Tyler Schneider (140 pounds) put the Wolves on top for good with a major decision over James Hyatt for a 13-9 lead. In the next match, 145 pounds, Erik Butterfield pinned Austin Wilson at 4:44 and began the Wolves? barrage.
Colton Tweed (152) scored a major decision, Bryant Craft (160) won by disqualification, Adam Lauzun (171) pinned Josh Connel at 0:47, Tommy Ellsworth (189) pinned Booker Fritz at 0:49, Layne Upcott pinned Nathan Hayden at 0:40 and Zac Roberson (103) pinned Brandon Shuart at 3:13. The Cardinals voided at 275 pounds, giving Steve Cooper the victory.
‘They got beat by a better team. All I can ask for is their best effort and in some cases we didn’t get that,? Hall said.
DeGain said the team did not overlook its opponents in the regional playoffs and he will now begin to look into the other teams Clarkston might face in Kellogg’s country.
‘We’re excited, and to be honest, we never looked past Davison and Lake Orion. For the first time, we’ll take a look at teams from across the state and evaluate,? DeGain said.
‘They’re definitely peaking right now. I hope they can turn up that notch three more times.
‘That’s where everything gets written down for good is at the individual and dual state meets. That’s where we really want them at the top of their games.?
In the regional semifinal, the Wolves pulled away after the Knights made the match its closest at 18-12. Clarkston got pins from Roberson, Matt Dietz (112), Tyler Schneider (135), Erik Butterfield (145), Lauzun, Upcott and Cooper.
The Cardinals knocked off Lake Orion 35-34 in their first match, although the contest was much more lopsided than the score shows.
The Dragons fell behind 29-0 to Davison and couldn’t stem the flow until A.J. Pratt secured a pin at 3:34 over Hyatt. In the Lake Orion wins to follow, they needed to get the points given for a pin, but instead won decisions by Jake Varilek (152), Allen Sigler (160) and Morgan Maciejewski (171). After they had been mathematically eliminated, the Dragons got pins from Evan Gros (189) and Garrett Roberts (215).
‘We knew we were going to fall behind early, I told the kids to not let that bring them down because we’re going to make hay at the upper weights and it almost worked,? Dragons coach Doug Kline said.
Kline said he was forced to shuffle his lineup from 130 pounds all the way up to match up with the Cardinals.
‘We didn’t think we were going to get pinned and we can’t give up the sixes like that,? Kline said.
He hopes the team takes its 27-12 record and second place Oakland Activities Association finish as a learning experience.
Neil Fenzel, coach of Walled Lake Northern was satisfied with the way his wrestlers performed.
‘I have no problem with how we wrestled. They went after them and didn’t quit,? Fenzel said.
‘We’re still a building program, I’m okay with it. Our guys weren’t afraid. It was a good effort and we were shorthanded.?
The Knights from the Western Lakes Conference finished the season 15-8.