Mackenzie Hanselman, Kyle Masters, Jake Rygielski, Nate Troutvine, Nate Vandermeer are heading to the Palace of Auburn Hills after qualifying for the MHSAA Wrestling Individual Finals.
“Getting five guys to the finals is awesome,” said Clarkston Varsity Wrestling Head Coach Freddie DeRamus. “Last year we didn’t have any. It is awesome to have five represent the school. They have a good opportunity to be placers not just state qualifiers. I am happy for those guys. It says a lot about them and the work they put in throughout the summer and throughout the course of this year.”
The Wolves qualified at the MHSAA Individual Regional meet at Oxford on Saturday. Vandermeer led the pack, finishing as champion in the 160-pound weight class. He beat his teammate, Masters, 2-0.
Troutvine finished in second place with a 5-3 loss to Dan Perry from Lapeer. Hanselman (103) and Rygielski (135) finished in fourth place.
Hanselman had a tough match earlier in the day against Davison and lost 2-1.
“He bounced back and won the match he needed to to get out of the blood round into the medal matches,” said DeRamus. “It shows a lot of character for someone who is a freshman. He could have given up and now he is a state qualifier.”
He added Rygielski and Masters also had tough matches they bounced back from. For Rygielski, he boinced back and had to go against teammate, Jake Billette, to make it to qualify for the top four places. Masters battled Sam Addy from Rochester Adams, who he lost to in the Oakland County tournament in the finals.
“He went out there, put Sam to his back and pinned him. It was big for him,” said DeRamus. “I was happy for him. It was a big accomplishment. It shows he deserves to be there.”
Billette, Percy Fowler (215) and Harley Susalla (130) finished the season at the individual meet.
“You never know as a coach or a spectator how your kids are going to respond to adversity. With all these guys they have had adversity throughout the year but they have all bounced back and this is a testament to how strong they have been,” DeRamus said.
The team finished the year against Oxford in the semifinal round of the MHSAA Team Regional on Wednesday, 48-21. Troutvine, Vandermeer , Masters and Alec Bills posted wins over the Wildcats. Troutvine had a pin on Campbell Coker in the 285-pound weight class. The Wolves lost the next seven matches before Bills put them on the board again with six points when he had a pin on Trent Myre at 3:12 in the 145-pound weight class.
Vandermeer (160) had a pin over Ethan Moll at one minute. Masters scored three points for the Wolves with a 3-1 win over Ethan Kerin in the 171-pound weight class.
The Wolves finished the season with a 20-10 dual record, district champions, winning the OAA Red tournament and tying Oxford for the league title, second place in the Oakland County tournament and third place at the Hammer and Anvil Invitational.
“We bounced back from last year,” said DeRamus. “It was good for the seniors being leaders in the room and in the building. They showed a lot of character.”
For the underclassmen coming back the goals will remain the same – to get to the finals.
“The guys are ready to get back on the mat and that’s a good attitude to have,” DeRamus said. “They have asked ‘Coach, where can I go to wrestle?’ Guys see we have to put in a little more work and work harder. We are going to come back and have a lot of guys ready to go.”
He added seniors Bills, Masters, Susalla, Troutvine, Vandermeer, Nate Hayes, Sean Lucas and Gavin Pelle left a legacy of how to handle adversity as well as being phyically and mentally tough in wrestling.
“Hayes, he was great for us at 189,” DeRamus said. “Last year he was in and out of the line up. He didn’t get individual goals and where he wanted to, but he still walked out of here with 27 wins. Vandermeer, you think about his family history and the legacy there. He has never been a state qualifier. He is a two-time county champ, regional and district champ and he is ready to wrestle. As a leader, he has grown as a young man.”
He added Troutvine came back from an injury that kept him from wrestling and football in his junior year.
“It shows these guys you are going to have ups and downs but it’s how you finish,” DeRamus said.