As a team Clarkston’s wrestling season ended Feb. 15, as eventual district champion and No.3 ranked team in the state, Davison, beat the Wolves 41-24 at Holly High School.
‘I’m proud of the way the guys wrestled against Davison. They didn’t lost to them because they were scared of them,? Clarkston Coach Joe DeGain said.
The wrestling season continues though, as nine ronin Clarkston warriors, stripped from their pack, qualified for individual regionals with top four finishes at the individual districts on Feb. 18 at Walled Lake Western.
The top four in each weight class at individual districts move on to the regionals at Davison Middle School on Feb. 25 to face wrestlers from the Saginaw Heritage district.
Amidst the regional qualifiers from Clarkston, seniors Steve Herron and Bryant Craft shimmer, having won their respective weight classes during individual districts.
Craft won an 8-2 decision over Aron Bland of Waterford Kettering to take the district title in the 152-pound weight class.
Herron obtained a parcel of revenge and the district 275-pound title, as he won an 8-6 overtime decision over Lake Orion’s Shane Tobin. Tobin defeated Herron on Feb. 10 for the OAA I championship in the same weight class.
‘Herron beat a guy he lost to last week. He handled him pretty good (at individual districts),? DeGain said.
Senior Josh McAllister (171-pounds) senior Tommy Ellsworth (160), junior Colton Tweed (140) and junior Mike Maguire (119) all earned berths to individual regionals with second place finishes in their respective weight classes.
Clarkston senior Mitch Miller (135), junior Tyler Schneider (125) and sophomore Adam Lauzen (160) all qualified for individual regionals with fourth place finishes.
‘On paper (Miller, Schneider and Lauzen) weren’t supposed to make it through, but they upset a lot of kids to get there,? DeGain said.
Davison was the only other school besides Clarkston at the individual districts to qualify nine wrestlers for the next round. Lake Orion qualified eight wrestlers.
With each of the 14 weight classes qualifying four wrestlers for individual regionals a total of 56 slots were up for grabs. Clarkston, Davison and Lake Orion filled 26 of those slots.
‘I think the qualifiers from our (individual) district should take the lion’s share of places for states,? DeGain said.
To prepare them for the pacing of the individual regionals, DeGain is drilling the Wolves? qualifiers with concentrated bursts of activity in practice.
‘There’s a lot of breaks in between matches at regionals,? said DeGain, adding the flurries of activity at practice not only train the wrestlers minds, but also helps avoid injury.
The Wrestlers who finish in the top four at regionals advance to the individual state finals at the Palace of Auburn Hills held March 9-11.