Winning the Championship at the January 22 Imlay City Tournament was a bittersweet victory for the Oxford Wildcat wrestlers.
‘Saturday was fantastic,? said Head Coach Paul McDevitt. ‘We won by a landslide and we were thinking we had a legitimate chance of going to state.?
But within 24 hours McDevitt said the team lost three of the Wildcat’s biggest assets.
Sophomore Mike Upshur (103) was temporarily benched, senior Captain Kyle Nieporte (160) suffered a knee injury, and Assistant Coach Chris McDevitt, suffered a heart attack while driving home from the tournament. ‘We went from cloud nine to down in the dumps,? McDevitt said, however he said it was a week with a silver lining.
‘It’s been a tough week for the team but even in defeat we have our health and each other as a team,? said McDevitt adding he reminded the team to keep a positive perspective as the season comes to a close.
‘I told the team to have fun and remember this is the only time in your life you will ever be able to have this experience as a team . . .It’s not just about winning or losing.?
On Wednesday, January 26 the grapplers hosted the Oxford Invitational. Unfortunately, the team lost to Lapeer East 42-26 and Lapeer West 44-33 after defeating Grosse Pointe, Saginaw, St. Clair Shores and Utica.
‘We came away from that meet with only two losses,? he said. ‘Upshur usually wins his matches, if we would have had him we would have beat West by one point.?
With a full lineup McDevitt said Lapeer East and West are the only teams in the way of having a shot at making it through regionals, districts and on to state.
‘We do have a legitimate shot if we can put the team back together.?
Despite not having a full line up, on Saturday, January, 29 the Wildcat grapplers picked up another tournament championship on their home turf, beating second-place Lake Orion 39-33 for the title. ‘We didn’t have a full lineup, but the kids who filled in did a nice job,? McDevitt said. ‘We have a team of over-achievers.?
Sophomore John Logan, who started the season on junior varsity contributed to the title by winning every one of his matches at 160 pounds. ‘Logan has really stepped up to the plate,? McDevitt said.
Junior Kam Mueller (189), senior Kyle Oliver (215), and senior Matt Duncan (145) all went undefeated Saturday. ‘We had three voids because of out 103 weight class but the other team members stepped it up,? McDevitt said. The Wildcats continue their drive toward districts tonight (February 2) at 6 p.m. at Holly.