Calandrino an All-American - Howell sophomore wrestler is just second in school history

By Rick Shepich - DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - August 6, 2009

In the long and distinguished history of the Howell High School wrestling program, only one wrestler had ever earned All-American honors. That was former coach Joe Adam, who was the runner-up in the heavyweight division at the 1994 USA Wrestling National Championships in Fargo, N.D. Now, he's got company.

Howell sophomore Alex Calandrino finished sixth at this year's national championships (July 17-25) at 105 pounds. "It feels good to be an All-American," said Calandrino, the Division 1 state runner-up at 103 pounds last year, "but I know I can do a lot better than I did."
It's that kind of attitude — along with his work ethic — that has gotten Calandrino as far as he has already come. "I didn't wrestle up to my potential," he continued. "As the days went on and I kept winning, I was thinking I could have been in the finals. So, I have a few things to touch up."
Calandrino went on a mini-tour of the country competing in wrestling tournaments in Minnesota, Oklahoma and Maryland in order to prepare for the national meet in North Dakota. "He did a great job of preparing himself through the whole summer leading up to this tournament," said Howell assistant coach Drew Minock, who accompanied Calandrino and three other Howell wrestlers to Fargo. "I think this summer has been a big confidence boost for him mentally. We expect big things from him next year and the rest of his career."

Calandrino agreed that the title of All-American has given him a lift, but said it has also given him a reason to keep working. "It helped me out as far as knowing that I can be at the top," Calandrino said. "I just have to live up to my own expectations and train even harder than I have before. It just gives me more motivation."

Calandrino had a chance to talk to Adam before he left for nationals, and his former coach offered some words of advice. "He told me to stay focused and just take it one match at a time," Calandrino said, "and not to get nervous." That last part can be difficult if you've never been to the tournament, considering there are between 60 and 70 kids in each weight class all vying for the title of All-American. "There's so many kids once you get out there," Adam said. "The first year I went I was wide-eyed. The second year, I was there to do something and it wasn't such a big deal."
According to Minock, Calandrino performed so well early on that they had to reassess his goals for the tournament. "Going out there, our goal was for him to be an All-American," Minock said. "After we went through the first day undefeated, we reevaluated his goal and figured he had a shot to win the whole thing."

Both Minock and Adam said it's not hard to understand why Calandrino is enjoying this type of success. "Kids like Alex don't come around very often," Adam said. "He's very dedicated to his sport, he wrestles year round, and he puts himself in a position to be successful. You feel great for a kid who has worked his tail off and gets rewarded at the end of the day. I'm really proud of him."

Calandrino is taking a short break from competing, but can still be found in the weight room or wrestling room working out. He'll get back on the mat October 24 when he wrestles at the Super 32 Wrestling Challenge in Greesboro, N.C. The time off might give Calandrino a chance to both enjoy being an All-American and focus on his goal for the 2009-10 prep season. "It's always on my mind — wanting to win a state title and not finish second this year."

"It's a very prestigious academy, and I realized early on that this was a great opportunity," Morrison said. "I get the best of both worlds because I can serve in the military and get a great education that can take me a lot of places," he added. Morrison, who served as a varsity wrestling and football captain this school year, said he hopes his athletic leadership will work in his favor during military training.

Beyond that, military service may be "in his blood." As a grandson of two servicemen, Morrison said he has felt a sense of patriotism and duty for his country from a very early age. One of his grandfathers served in the U.S. Army while another served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force. Morrison's father, Scott Morrison, was born on an Air Force base on an island off the coast of Portugal. "We have a history of military service in our family," Scott Morrison said. "As you can probably imagine, when I found out Brad had been accepted, it was definitely the proudest moment of my life."

DAILY PRESS & ARGUS • February 19, 2009

The winter sports postseason began on Wednesday, with three Livingston County teams advancing out of district tournaments. Hartland (28-3) won its ninth consecutive district title, beating Walled Lake Northern 65-10 in the title match at Lakeland. Fowlerville (36-2) won its second district crown in three years and ended Mason's 11-year run of district titles with a come-from-behind 39-34 win over the Bulldogs at Haslett.

Howell (30-6) won its last four matches to down Brighton, 42-21, at South Lyon for its third consecutive district crown.

The Highlanders routed Pinckney 73-0 in the semifinals while Brighton downed South Lyon. Their title match was tied at 21 when Shane Hall got a pin at 215 pounds. "It was a big pin," Howell coach Joe Adam said. "It got our momentum going." Two-match winners included Alex Calandrino (103), Kyle Pillars (112), Travis Rife (119), Steve Mixon (140), Austin Lane (160), Luke Brown (189), Shane Hall (215), Brian Smith (heavyweight).

"It was a tough night," Brighton coach Sam Amine said. "I'm proud of our kids. They wrestled tough. Grant Pizzo (119 and 125), Kenny Richmond (130), Jacob Smith 9135), Andrew Ranbarger (145) Travis Hernandez (152) and Nick Krause (171) were double winners for Brighton.

The three district winners advanced to team regionals on Feb. 25. Howell will travel to Saline, while Hartland and Fowlerville will be at home.

* Coach Adam says: "We're a pretty senior-laden team this year, so we have a lot of experience with the kids in the lineup this year. It's a nice thing to have."

Calandrino Paces Howell — Freshman wins Highlanders' lone title at tourney

By Rick Shepich - DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - December 14, 2008

HOWELL — Freshman Alex Calandrino entered the Herm Wilkinson Classic thinking positive. He left with the Howell wrestling team's lone championship. Calandrino won the title at 103 pounds to lead the host Highlanders to a sixth-place finish overall. "I'm just here to wrestle and to give it my all," Calandrino said. "I was hoping to win. It feels good when everybody's here watching. It was exciting." Calandrino beat Thornapple Kellogg's Mike Craven, 18-5, in the championship match. Though he's just a freshman, Calandrino 's performance came as no surprise to his coach.

"I always expect him to do well," Howell coach Joe Adam said. "He's a hard worker."

While Calandrino led the way, he wasn't the only Highlander to put together a solid day.

In all, Howell saw seven wrestlers finish in the top six in their weight class.

Swan Valley won the tournament, Clarkston finished second and Rochester Adams and Middleville Thornapple Kellogg tied for third.

"We wrestled well today," Adam said, "not as good as I think we can, but it's still early in the season. We just got some guys that are going to be big contributors into our lineup for the first time, but we did pretty well with the level of competition that's here today."

Howell had one other wrestling in a championship match, but senior Austin Lane lost a 9-3 decision to Don Stratz of Livonia Franklin. While Lane was disappointed with his loss in the title match, he was pleased with his day overall. "I wanted to win, but I thought I did good," Lane said. "These meets don't really matter. It's the end of the season that matters."

Travis Rife, Brad Morrison and Mike Cushing all finished fourth in their respective weight classes. Rife advanced to the semifinals at 125 pounds before falling to Kyle Dalton of Thornapple Kellogg. He then dropped a 4-2 match in the consolation finals.

Morrison lost in the semifinals at 145, then fell 9-7 in the consolation finals when Traverse City West's Brad Gilllison notched a takedown with just 1 second left in the match. "It was just a matter of who wanted it more, I guess," Morrison said. "It's frustrating. I'm happy I made it to the finals, but I wish I could have taken third. There's always next weekend."

Cushing lost by a single point in the semifinals at 152 before losing the consolation final 4-0. Steve Mixon (140) and Shane Hall (215) each finished fifth for the Highlanders.

Pinckney was also at the meet, but the Pirates, who have very little experience, struggled. "The only experience I really have is at 152, 160 and 171," Welch said. "(Ryan Erps) was seeded eighth and finished seventh, but I was disappointed by (Kyle Gladney) and (Scott Hasseld). They're better wrestlers, but it's a long season." Even so, Welch enjoyed the Howell-sponsored tournament. "It's a great tournament," he said. "Howell does a great job with it."

Contact Daily Press & Argus sports reporter Rick Shepich at (517) 552-2861 or by e-mail at rshepich@gannett.com

Hartland, Howell hit the mats — Eagles, Highlanders compete in tough regional meets tonight

By Rick Shepich - DAILY PRESS & ARGUS – 3-20-08

The Hartland and Howell wrestling teams are in both a familiar and an unfamiliar spot. They're both wrestling in the regional round of the MHSAA's Division 1 team tournament, but they won't be facing each other. In the past, chances were good that the Eagles and Highlanders would meet in either the district or regional round and one would knock the other out. This year, No. 4 Hartland and No. 10 Howell both won their districts and are now in separate regionals, giving both an opportunity to advance to the state meet. In fact, if both win their regionals tonight, the Eagles and Highlanders would meet in the state quarterfinals Feb. 29 in Battle Creek. One look at each team's regional, however, and that scenario still seems a long way off.

Howell is hosting its own regional and will welcome Lansing Eastern, Saline and No. 2-ranked Holt to the Parker Campus. The Highlanders will face Lansing Eastern in one semifinal, while the Rams and Hornets will meet in the other. The winners will wrestle for the regional title and a trip to Battle Creek . "We know what Holt's got and it's no surprise that they're one of the elite teams in the state this year," Howell coach Joe Adam said. "We've got our sights set on Lansing Eastern. If we can get past them, we know we'll have our work cut out for us."

Hartland will travel to Holly for its regional, where it will square off with No. 8 Clarkston in the semifinals, then likely be forced to tangle with No. 7 Detroit Catholic Central if they can beat the Wolves. The Shamrocks will face the host Bronchos in the semifinals. "We've been in these situations before, but this one is a little bit tougher than most," Hartland coach Todd Cheney said. "We've just got to win two matches to get out. We can't look ahead to anything. We're focused on Clarkston and we'll worry about whomever is next if we get past them." The Eagles run of four straight years as the Division 1 state runner-up has been well-documented. The wrestlers on this year's team are aware of the high standard that has been set by their predecessors. "Over the summer, we always have that goal that's set up high," Hartland heavyweight D.J. Charneski said. "We want to get back to states and win a state championship. There's pressure on us to live up to the program's history, but we can just work hard and whatever comes out of it, comes out of it." Cheney doesn't think his team should feel any pressure to live up to what past teams have done as much as they should strive to reach their own lofty goals. "Their expectations are already at that level," he said of his team. "It's not pressure. They just don't expect anything less than getting (to the state finals) and winning a state championship." The Eagles got a chance to see many of the wrestlers they will be competing against at the individual district tournament over the weekend. Both Clarkston and Detroit Catholic Central were there. While Cheney said it's tough to get a good read at an individual tournament as to how the teams might match up in a team dual, there's no secret they're in for a tussle tonight. "It's going to be tough," Kyle Summerfield said. "Everybody on our team has got to come to wrestle. If we do that, we can achieve our goals." When a team is facing such a challenge, however, there is only one way to view the obstacle. "In this sport and any sport," Adam said, "nobody wants to take the easy path through. We'll know, if we win our regional, that we deserve to be there."

Contact Daily Press & Argus sports reporter Rick Shepich at (517) 552-2861 or by e-mail at rshepich@gannett.com .

Howell wrestlers win district

By Rick Shepich - DAILY PRESS & ARGUS – 2-14-08

PINCKNEY — After a performance in the Kensington Valley Conference championships that didn't quite meet the Howell wrestling team's own high standards, the Highlanders wanted to prove something to themselves Wednesday.

At the Division 1 district tournament at Pinckney High School , Howell bounced back from its third-place finish at the KVC meet to win its second consecutive district championship and third in the last four years. "We haven't been practicing too good lately and (Howell) coach (Joe Adam) said he wasn't sure which team would show up (Wednesday) night," Howell's Jason Leavens said. "I guess the right team showed up. We bounced back and it feels good." It didn't come without some tense moments, however. There was little concern during the Highlanders' 51-15 win over South Lyon in the championship match. It was Howell's 33-25 semifinal win against Brighton that may have gotten a little too close for the Highlanders' liking. Howell stormed out of the gate, winning five of the first six matches, and it looked as though the Highlanders' performance would be a repeat of their 26-point win in their regular season dual with the Bulldogs.

That early stretch also included a key move by Adam. He inserted Luke Brown — who is not normally in the varsity lineup — at 189 pounds, then bumped Ryan Root up from 189 to 215 and Shane Hall from 215 to 285. "They had beaten us there (189) during the season," Adam said. "I thought Luke had a good shot to win that match and I feel confident putting Ryan Root up against anybody." In fact, Brown pinned Brighton 's Jack Griggs in the second period before Root won a 12-2 decision over the Bulldogs' Price Burton to give Howell its biggest lead at 22-3.

Both teams knew, however, that Brighton still had the meat of its lineup remaining, and the Bulldogs won five of the next six matches to make the score 27-22. That stretch included a pin by Sam Pizzo at 112 and a gutsy 6-4 overtime win by Grant Pizzo at 119. Just when it looked as though the Bulldogs might have a shot to pull off the upset, however, Howell's Jason Leavens slammed the door with a pin. "We had a lot of confidence in the guys we had left (at the end of the match)," Howell's Travis Rife said. "We knew they'd pull it out at the end."

Brighton coach Sam Amine gave the credit to Adam and the Highlanders. "Joe (Adam) got us pretty good at 189," Amine said with a smile. "That was just a great job of coaching on his part. Hats off to Howell. We've still got some work to do, but we're just going to keep getting better."

The Highlanders had no trouble with South Lyon in the final. Rife, Leavens, Austin Lane and Chris Janes all won two matches on the night. Root also won two, though his match against the Lions was won by void.

South Lyon beat Pinckney 48-24 in the other semifinal. The Pirates are still trying to get their numbers up — they voided three weight classes Wednesday — but those who competed went all out. "I've got a great core group of kids," Pinckney coach Don Welch said. "I've just got to do my job as a coach and prepare them to step out on that mat."

Contact Daily Press & Argus sports reporter Rick Shepich at (517) 552-2861 or by e-mail at rshepich@gannett.com .

HOWELL — Winning, in all of its forms, never gets old for Hartland wrestling coach Todd Cheney. "No way," he said, grinning widely, after his team clinched its eighth consecutive Kensington Valley Conference championship on Saturday at the Parker Campus.

It was the final KVC meet, and it ended a remarkable run for the Eagles, who won nine of the last 10 and 11 of the final 13 KVC titles. The Eagles had 256 points, well ahead of second-place Milford (191) and third-place Howell (166.5). Jeremy Bommarito finished the victory for Hartland, taking the 160-pound title. "It feels great," he said. "Especially since it's my senior year and the last year for the KVC." He picked up his 200th career victory the night before, when Hartland clinched the dual-meet crown, becoming only the third Hartland wrestler, and the first without the last name of Bain, to reach that milestone. One of the Bains, Matt, won the 145-pound title despite two injured and painful knees, pulling out a 4-2 overtime win over Lakeland's Matt Thomas to become one of only eight wrestlers to win four KVC titles. One of those eight was his brother Jesse, who accomplished the feat last year. D.J. Charneski, Hartland's heavyweight, also won a title, keeping an unusual streak alive, according to Cheney. "Every year in this streak we've won the title, we've also had a heavyweight champion," Cheney said.

Milford , a team predominantly made up of underclassmen, was a bit of a surprise in second place.

It was a sour surprise to Howell, which had hoped for better things on Saturday than a third-place finish and 166.5 points. "We've had better days," Howell coach Joe Adam said. "Hopefully we learned something today."

The meet came the night after the final duals of the season for all eight KVC teams, a situation necessitated by snow-related postponements on Feb. 1 and again last Wednesday.That forced wrestlers to compete Friday night and in many cases, face the same wrestlers again on Saturday. "It was tough," Bommarito said. "But everyone had to go through it."

Another team that didn't do as well as it hoped was Brighton , which took fourth with 132 points. "We wrestled tough today," Brighton coach Sam Amine said. "We had some solid performances, but we were without one wrestler and I pulled another one after he had a concussion. I think that wrestling on Friday and coming back 12 hours later was a bit of a mental strain, but we'll bounce back. We have a team district on Wednesday, and that will be a good day."

It was a good day for Hartland for a familiar reason. The Eagles had wrestlers in 13 of 14 weight classes in the final four, with eight in the championship match. Hartland had 222 points going into the finals, and with so many wrestlers scoring points, the Eagles victory was a foregone conclusion. "It was the last KVC meet, it was a lot of fun and we wrestled well," Cheney said. "Even the younger wrestlers wrestled well."

Howell had a pair of champions. Ryan Root, at 189 pounds, won his final match at home and picked up his 100th career win. "I set goals for myself at the beginning of the season, and I try to work toward those goals," he said. "I look forward to reaching some of the other goals I set." He won all three matches, by technical fall, by pin and a 12-8 decision in the final."It was nice to get it at home," he said.

But, in all the talk of wins and titles, there was the looming specter of the next step. For all eight teams, it will be the team districts, held Wednesday for Brighton , Pinckney and Howell, and Thursday for Hartland.

"We have to be ready to go," Adam said. "We have to have a great week of practice and be ready for Wednesday."

Hitting the mat — Fowlerville ends night triumphant in double dual

By Dan Strawser - DAILY PRESS & ARGUS – 11-29-07

HOWELL — Fowlerville's Dillon Kern welcomed the pressure. The Gladiators had already outwrestled Pinckney and were looking for their second win of the night Wednesday at the Parker Campus when it was Kern's turn to take the mat. Howell and the Gladiators were tied, 27-27, heading into the final match of the night at 171 pounds. Kern pinned Howell's Chris Janes 50 seconds into the second period to give the Glads a 33-27 win. "I'm used to it," said Kern, who was 2-0 on the night. "The past couple of years versus Howell, I'm always in the last bout. The pressure helps you perform better. I felt him out and finished strong."

Howell and Perry went 1-1 on the night, while the Pirates left the quad meet 0-2. "We're happy," Fowlerville coach Chris Tyle said. "We've got a lot of work to do. It feels good to get the victories, but now we've got to examine the little things. If you don't do that, you're not going to be where you want to be in March."

Howell coach Joe Adam was expecting the match with the Glads to be a good one. "It was a heck of a dual between two ranked teams," said Adam. "That's the way it should be — down to the wire and exciting. My hats off to Fowlerville, they're a good team. They battled back and took it. "The season is early. This was a good steppingstone for us. I wanted a tough, competitive schedule. That's how you compete with Hartland and Davison. We worked hard. We left a lot of matches on the mat that we could've won. Hopefully, next time we'll reverse our fortune."

The Highlanders earned a 55-18 win over Perry in their first match of the night. Howell's Ryan Root, who won both of his matches at 189 pounds, said it was nice to finally get out on the mat in some real competition. "It's always nice to wrestle that first match," he said. "There's always a lot of anticipation in the wrestling room and it's great to get out here. (The match with Fowlerville) was a good wake-up call. We're getting the younger kids into the swing of what Howell wrestling is all about. It's good to start out like this."

Contact sports reporter Dan Strawser at (517) 552-2860 or by e-mail at dstrawser@gannett.com .

Triple play — Hartland has three champs for 2nd year in a row

DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - By Rick Shepich - 3-11-2007

AUBURN HILLS — Hartland wrestling coach Todd Cheney could get used to this. For the second consecutive season, three Hartland wrestlers claimed individual state championships at the Palace of Auburn Hills Saturday. Senior Zach Jones won at 112 pounds, senior Owen Wilkinson won at 135 pounds and junior Jeremy Bommarito won at 145 pounds. Entering last year's individual championships, Hartland had had a grand total of one state champion, John Graybeal in 1997. By 9 p.m. Saturday, that number was up to seven. "We went from 1997 to last year with nine runner-ups," Cheney said. "Now, we've got six champions in two years. It's unbelievable. It's incredible."

Howell's Justin Root was the fourth county wrestler in a championship match. The senior fell to Rockford phenom Ben Bennet 16-1 in the title match at 160 pounds.

After qualifying but failing to place last year, Jones dominated Belleville's Justin Fleeson in the title match en route to a 16-4 win. "This is huge," said Jones, who finished the season 63-2. "I've worked for this for four years. Last year I got here, but it was a little disappointing for me. I really wanted to come back and place and I didn't stop there." After Jones' win, the pressure was on Wilkinson to follow suit. He delivered with a 6-1 win over Rockford's Jake Dorulla. To end a career like that, with a win like that, in this stadium full of people is awesome," said Wilkinson, who finished the year with a record of 62-1. "This is the best day of my life." That left Bommarito in the final match of the evening. His 3-1 win over Zakk Sharron of Grandville was the closest of the four matches. As it turned out, a takedown less than a minute into the match was the difference. "It feels great," said Bommarito, who wrapped up his season with a 63-3 mark. "The past two years I came up short and didn't do what I wanted to do. I worked all year, I stared at that wall (in the Hartland wrestling room) with all the state champs on it, I worked hard after practice and I just wanted it bad."

In all, 11 county wrestlers earned all-state honors by finishing in the top eight in their respective weight class.

Root, who finished eighth in the state last season, beat Bryant Craft of Clarkston 5-3 in overtime in the semifinal to earn a berth in the title match. "I never thought in a million years I'd be in the state finals," said Root, who finished with a record of 47-10. "It's just an awesome experience to be there."

Hartland's Bryce Sopko, who was sidelined with a knee injury midway through the season, finished third at 145 pounds. Sopko avenged his only loss at the tournament — 11-2 to Temperance Bedford's Colin Arnold in the quarterfinals — with a 5-3 overtime win over Arnold in the third-place match. He finished the season with a record of 53-9. "It's awesome," said Sopko, who joyously jumped into Cheney's arms when he scored the match-winning points. "It's the only word I can say. It's like a dream." Sopko and Bommarito are the first pair of Hartland wrestlers to place in the same weight class at the state meet. If they both would have won out, they would have met in the championship match. Jesse Bain (140) wrapped up his record-setting career with a seventh-place finish. The win made him the first four-time all-state wrestler in Hartland history. "That's pretty sweet," said Bain, whose 222 wins are also the most in Hartland history. "That's a big accomplishment for anyone. It feels good that I'm the first one at Hartland to do it."

Howell tied a school record with seven state qualifiers, then broke the school record for state placers when four earned all-state honors. In addition to Root's runner-up finish, sophomore Mike Cushing (140) finished fifth, while seniors Chad Janes (171) and Brad Marx (215) both finished seventh. Six of Howell's seven qualifiers shaved their heads prior to the tournament, saying they wanted to start an annual tradition. They couldn't convince coach Joe Adam to join them before the tournament, but he told them he would let them shave his head if four of them placed. Saturday, Adam arrived for Root's title bout with a freshly bald head.

Fowlerville's Brandon Burt (152) finished eighth and was one of two Gladiators' wrestlers to place. Patrick Roberts (130) was the other. After losing 6-1 in the opening round, Roberts ripped off four straight wins before falling in the third-place match to finish fourth. "I didn't want to give up," Roberts said. "It was always a dream to come to states and place. After losing my first one I was down, but I kept focused and just kept going."

Close shave for Howell

DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - By Rick Shepich - 3-9-2007

AUBURN HILLS — The Howell wrestlers who qualified for the individual state tournament literally shaved off that last bit of weight.
Saying they wanted to start a tradition among state qualifiers at Howell, six of the school-record tying seven state qualifiers shaved their heads prior to Thursday's opening round.

"All the state qualifiers wanted to start a tradition for the wrestling team," senior Justin Root said. "So, we all decided to shave our heads."

The wrestlers gathered at the Howell wrestling room and had Brad Marx's mother, Renee, shear off their locks. Renee, a hairdresser, said they were the easiest hair cuts she has ever done. She also admitted that she was concerned beforehand as to how they would all look. "I was concerned about it, but after they all got done, I thought they all looked pretty good," Renee said. "I even asked all their girlfriends, and they all liked it."

Ironically, the idea to do so came from Ryan Feeley, who had the longest hair of the group. He lost two-tenths of a pound by buzzing his head. "A few guys wanted to bleach our hair, but Feeley and I didn't want to," said Mike Cushing. "So, Ryan said, 'Why don't we shave our heads instead?' So, we got everyone to shave their heads."

Cushing (125) and Root (160) were the only two Highlanders to win their opening matches.

The tournament continues today at the Palace with first-round consolation matches beginning at 8:30 a.m. and championship quarterfinals starting at 11 a.m.

In all, 10 of the 22 county wrestlers who qualified won their opening match, which keeps them in contention for a state championship. The 12 who fell in their first match are still competing for third through seventh places. A wrestler must lose twice to be eliminated.

Hartland easily had the best day among county schools. Five of the nine Eagles wrestlers who qualified won their first match. D.J. Charneski (285) and Zach Jones (112) both won their matches by pin. Charneski beat Rochester's Dave Sexton, who had pinned him earlier in the season. "It's been exciting and nerve-wracking," said Charneski, who is making his first appearance at the individual state finals. "Winning that first one just totally made me feel good." Owen Wilkinson (135), Jesse Bain (140) and Jeremy Bommarito (145) were Hartland's other winners Thursday. Matt Bain, who won the state championship at 119 pounds last year, fell to Davison's Justin McDermitt, 8-6. McDermitt, who is now 48-3 on the season, scored with less than five seconds left in the match to break the 6-6 tie.

Fowlerville had a successful first day in Division 2, with three of its five wrestlers winning. Brandon Burt (152), Dillon Kern (171) and Wesley Schultheis (135) all won.

Burt wrestled in the first match of the day, which immediately follows the grand march, in which all the state qualifiers parade around the Palace floor. "Coming off that walk, I didn't get much warm-up time," Burt said. "I could have been a little more aggressive, but I'll take the win."

On Saturday, consolation matches continue beginning at 8:30 a.m. Consolation finals (third, fifth and seventh-place matches) start at noon and championship finals begin at 4:45 p.m.

Wrestlers ready to roll — County has 22 wrestlers at individual state meet

DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - By Rick Shepich - 3-8-2007

The individual state wrestling finals can be a lot of things to a lot of people. For some, the tournament is a reward for all the sacrifices made and hard work put in during the season. For others, it's all business.

"Anytime we go somewhere to compete I always let the kids know that it's a business trip," Howell coach Joe Adam said. "I tell them if they're satisfied with where they're at, they probably shouldn't even make the trip." Howell will be represented by a school-record tying seven wrestlers at the individual state championships. The tournament begins today with the Grand March at 2:30 p.m. and will conclude Saturday evening. Justin Root is the Highlanders only returning all-state wrestler. He placed eighth last year at 160 pounds and boasts a record of 44-9 entering today's tournament. Joining Root this year are Mike Cushing (125), Ryan Feeley (130), Ryan Root (189), Brad Marx (215), Travis Hughes (152) and Chad Janes (171).

Hartland had three individual state champions last year, though the only one returning this season is Matt Bain (130). The Eagles wrapped up another outstanding team season by finishing as the Division 1 state runner-up for the fourth consecutive season March 3. Now nine Hartland wrestlers are ready to take a shot at some individual accolades. The tournament is a three-day event and while wrestlers can't win the state championship today, they certainly can lose it. It's something Cheney is preaching to his wrestlers. "When you get to this point, you can't look past that first round match," he said. "That first round is where you see a lot of upsets." Other wrestlers to watch include Matt's older brother Jesse Bain (140). Jesse, a senior who enters the tournament with a record of 57-5, has a shot to become the first four-time all-state wrestler in Hartland history. Senior Owen Wilkinson is one of the favorites at 135 pounds entering the weekend with a 58-1 record. Wilkinson and Jesse Bain both finished seventh last year in their respective weight classes. With a mark of 59-2, Zach Jones is one of the favorites at 119 pounds, as is Jeremy Bommarito at 145 with a record of 59-3. Joining those five are Sean Hultberg (119), Bryce Sopko (145), Kyle Summerfield (171) and D.J. Charneski (285). Cheney thinks all of his kids have the potential to make the weekend one to remember. "I honestly think we've got an opportunity for every one of our kids to be an all-stater," he said.

To earn all-state honors a wrestlers must finish in the top eight in his respective weight class.

Fowlerville has qualified five wrestlers to compete in the Division 2 individual tournament. The Gladiators will be represented by Anthony Lee (119), Patrick Roberts (130), Wesley Schultheis (135), Brandon Burt (152) and Dillon Kern (171). All five are making their first trip to the state meet. "Most of them have been around wrestling for quite awhile," Fowlerville coach Chris Tyle said. "Now it's just a matter of taking that next step. I think they're ready."

Brighton's Kenny Richmond will be the Bulldogs representative at 119 pounds. In all, 22 Livingston County wrestlers will compete today.

For love of the mat — Howell senior's efforts rewarded on senior night

DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - By Rick Shepich – 2-28-2007

HOWELL — Troy Boal doesn't wrestle for glory, honor or fame.
He doesn't do it hoping to parlay his four-year high school career into something more. Instead, the Howell senior sacrificies his sweat on a daily basis for the simplest of reasons: Love. "It's just my number one sport of all time," Boal said.

His passion for the sport is easily proven through a single statistic. In four years of wrestling prior to this year, Boal, who was born with a chromosome disorder called Trisomy 8, had never won a match. Most would have quit. But never having his arm raised in victory at the end of a match hardly seemed like a reason to hang up the singlet to Boal, and that perseverence paid off this year. On senior night at Howell High School last month, Boal earned his first career win in a match against Brighton.

"It actually felt really, really good," Boal said. "The whole place was just going nuts. It was just the greatest feeling." The feeling wasn't limited to just Boal, however. "Seeing that, to me, was as good as seeing a kid win a regional championship," Howell wrestling coach Joe Adam said. "It was a really cool thing to see him get rewarded for all the hard work over the years." Boal is part of a seasoned senior class that has put together an impressive season for the sixth-ranked Highlanders. His teammates and classmates were just as thrilled to see him earn the win. Senior Chad Janes recounted the moments surrounding Boal's win.

"We were waiting for our second dual and were sitting there watching the last couple matches for the other two teams (at the quad)," Janes recalled. "All of the sudden the parents just started going nuts, everybody's standing up and we couldn't see what was going on.
"So we just walked over there and all you could see is Troy pinning this kid in a headlock and the ref slapping the mat. It was just amazing. Finally, the ref raises his hand and (Troy) just came over and jumped on me. The funny thing was that (coach Adam) was (holding his hand up for a high five) and (Troy) ran right past him and jumped on us." Caught up in the moment, Boal admitted he wasn't even sure what happened. "I don't even know what I did, but (my opponent) ended up on his back and I just kept him there," he said. "Everybody was screaming things to me, but it was so loud I could only hear maybe three words." It was a moment that resonated with Boal's father Tim and stepmother Gail.

"I've never seen him act like that, to be so excited," Tim said. "It was very emotional to actually see him acheive at something, as it is with any parent." The win may be a tangible validation of Boal's dedication, but it's merely a symbol of the off-the-mat success he has experienced due, at least in part, to wrestling. If Boal had never won a match, it wouldn't have dimished what wrestling has meant to him.

A trisomy is the presence of three chromosomes instead of the normal two of a particular numbered type, in Boal's case, the eighth chromosome. Tim Boal described trisomy 8 as causing a developmental delay, saying his son is probably two or three years developmentally behind his chronological age of 17. "The things that kind of come naturally to many teenagers, he struggles with," Tim said. "What most teenagers learn at 15 and 16, he's just catching up with." Tim also said that wrestling — and particularly those involved with the Howell wrestling program — have made a tremendous difference in Troy's life. "He's really come a long way, especially this year," Tim said. "I attribute a lot of it to the coaches. I would like to thank all the parents and coaching staff. They've made a lot of it happen."
Another of the symptoms of trisomy 8 is a reduction in flexibility due to calcium buildup around his bones. "Wrestling has been great for that," Tim said.

Boal began wrestling in seventh grade after being cut from the basketball team. He didn't wrestle in eighth grade, then debated trying out for the basketball team again as a freshman before deciding on wrestling. "A lot of the guys I had wrestled with in seventh grade were wrestling," Boal said of that decision, "and I had missed it so much." The fact that he is still a part of the wrestling team four years later, while saying a lot about Boal's dedication, even surprised Tim somewhat. "For Troy, I'm surprised," Tim said. "He hasn't really shown a devoted interest in a whole lot of things. Wrestling has kind of been his one savior." While there's no questioning Troy's love of the sport, it's his coaches, teammates and the Howell wrestling community that have turned it into something special for him.

"It may sound strange, but I actually love these guys," Troy said during a recent practice, pointing to his teammates and coaches. "The whole team is like a family. They care about me and I care about them." Win or lose, isn't that what the athletic experience should be all about?

County sends 22 to states — Hartland, Howell lead the way at individual wrestling regionals

DAILY PRESS & ARGUS

KENTWOOD — Livingston County will once again be well represented at the individual state wrestling tournament March 8-11 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Twenty-two county wrestlers finished in the top four at their respective regionals to advance to the state meet. Brighton, Hartland, Howell and Pinckney all competed at the East Kentwood regional, while Fowlerville competed at Eaton Rapids.

The Eagles led the way by qualifying nine wrestlers, one short of its school-record total of 10 in 2005. "It's incredible," Hartland coach Todd Cheney said. "The regional was ridiculous. It was so tough."

Right behind the Eagles was Howell, which got a school-record tying seven wrestlers through to the state meet. The Highlanders also sent seven wrestlers to the state championships in 2002. "We wrestled outstanding," Howell coach Joe Adam said. "I'm really proud of all the kids. They really stepped it up."

Fowlerville had five state qualifiers, the same number they had last season. "It's nice to equal (last year's number)," Gladiators coach Chris Tyle said. "I'm especially excited for the four-year guys. It shows the other guys that they're doing things right. It's great for them to finish their season at the Palace." The Fowlerville senior qualifiers are Wesley Schultheis and Brandon Burt. Burt was the regional champion at 152 pounds, while Schultheis was the runner-up at 135. Sophomores Dillon Kern (171) and Anthony Lee (119) finished third and fourth, respectively, and junior Patrick Roberts (130) finished fourth.

Sophomore Kenny Richmond was Brighton's lone qualifier, finishing third at 119 pounds.

Hartland had three champions in Zach Jones (112), Owen Wilkinson (135) and Jeremy Bommarito (145). Wilkinson, Hartland's lone undefeated wrestler at 57-0 this season, became the first wrestler in Hartland High School history to win four regional championships. Sean Hultberg was the Eagles only runner-up at 119 pounds and will be making his first appearance at the state meet. "Nobody expected him to win the district and now he's going to states," Cheney said of Hultberg. "He's on fire right now. It's made a big difference for him being down at 119." Jesse Bain (140), Bryce Sopko (145), Kyle Summerfield (171) and D.J. Charneski (285) all finished third. Sopko, Summerfield and Charneski are all making their first trips to the state meet. Bain, on the other hand, will now have a chance to become the first four-time all-state wrestler in Hartland history.

Matt Bain (130), who won the state championship at 119 pounds last season, finished fourth, falling to Howell's Ryan Feeley in the third-place match. The Highlanders top finishers were Mike Cushing (125) and Justin Root (160), who both finished second. Ryan Root (189) and Brad Marx (215) joined Feeley in third place, while Travis Hughes (152) and Chad Janes (171) each finished fourth. While delighted with all of his wrestlers' performances, Adam said Ryan Root stood out. "Ryan Root wrestled outstanding today," Adam said. "He knocked off the champ from our district (Robert Disbrow of Lansing Everett). I was so proud of him. That's a heck of an accomplishment for him."

Creek-bound — Eagles clinch sixth consecutive regional title

DAILY PRESS & ARGUS: By Rick Shepich – 2-22-2007

HARTLAND — Was there ever any doubt? Despite having to square off with two of the top six Division 1 wrestling teams in the state, Hartland is going back to the state finals.

The Eagles (41-1) won their sixth straight regional championship Tuesday in convincing fashion. Hartland first avenged its lone loss this season by beating No. 6 Howell 40-22 in the semifinals, then went on to down No. 4 Holt in the title match, 37-21.
The championship also earns Hartland its eighth trip to Battle Creek in the past 12 years. The Eagles will face the winner of the Saline regional in the quarterfinals at 3:15 p.m. March 2 at the Kellogg Center.
"We proved that we deserve to go back to the state finals because this thing was loaded," Hartland coach Todd Cheney said. "We've had a couple of days where we've wrestled phenomenal and tonight was one of them."
The Eagles knew it wasn't going to come easy Wednesday, but they sure made it look easy.
Hartland won eight of the first nine matches — including three by three points or less — against the Highlanders to assume a 31-6 lead. That run was capped by the Eagles' Jeremy Bommarito, who notched his 149th career win with a gutty 2-1 decision over Howell's Travis Hughes.
Bommarito went on to record career win 150 with a 10-2 win over Holt's Josh Shaw in the championship match.
"It was definitely a big thing for me," Bommarito said. "I wanted it bad."
Justin Root kept the Highlanders alive with a 14-0 win over Dakota Lauwers to make the score 31-10 with four matches to go. But the Eagles Kyle Summerfield sealed the win with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Chad Janes in the 171-pound match.
Summerfield, who is wrestling at 171 in the individual tournament, dropped down to 160 for the dual against Holt and again clinched the match in Hartland's favor. This time it came via a 6-3 win over the Rams' Corbin Boone.
"I don't pay attention to that stuff," Summerfield said. "I just had to go out and wrestle."
Matt Bain, the state champion at 119 pounds last season, delivered in a big way in what may have been one of his biggest challenges on the mat. A takedown with 16 seconds left in the second period helped him to a 3-1 win over Howell's Ryan Feeley in the semifinals. He then pinned Holt's Grant Ankney with just 37 seconds left in a match that was tied 2-2 to send Hartland and its crowd into a frenzy.
"That was sweet," Summerfield said of Bain's win. "(Ankney) is the real deal and it really got everybody going."
Bain's win gave Hartland an early 15-3 lead on the Rams and even got a reaction out of Bain himself, who is typically very even keel after wrestling. "Usually I never get pumped after my match, but I was losing (early on) and I hit a move that I've never hit before so I was really jacked," Bain said. The move, which Bain called a swing to whip headlock, resulted in Ankney essentially giving up by tapping out.
In addition to Bommarito, Summerfield and Bain, other two-match winners for Hartland included Zach Jones, Sean Hultberg, Jesse Bain, Owen Wilkinson and Bryce Sopko.

For Howell, who put together a fantastic season in its own right, the end came all too soon. "The better team won tonight," Root said of Hartland. "We had a great year, one of the best in Howell history. We definitely would have liked to have more, but we lost to a very good team. They're going to go and make the (Kensington Valley Conference) proud."

Wrestlers ready for regional drama

DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - By Rick Shepich – 2-21-2007

Though it's being held at Hartland High School, the atmosphere of tonight's Division 1 regional wrestling tournament might feel more like Battle Creek. The four-team tournament will feature the host Eagles, currently ranked No. 2 in the state behind Rockford, as well as No. 4 Holt and No. 6 Howell. Grand Ledge is the fourth team in a tournament that could rival the state finals for drama.

"It's the toughest regional I've ever seen in 24 years," Hartland coach Todd Cheney said.
The semifinal matches will begin at 5:30 p.m. The Rams will wrestle the Comets in one semifinal, while the other semifinal pits Kensington Valley Conference co-champs and county rivals Howell and Hartland against one another. The winners will square off in the championship match with a trip to the state finals on the line. Since only one can advance, the season will end for two of the top six teams in the state. While most would rather see the state's best teams meet at the finals in Battle Creek, it wouldn't be practical. Either way, Howell coach Joe Adam said, you're going to have to face these teams at some point.

"When you're competing for a championship, you always want to beat the best teams," Adam said. "We're going to have three of the top six teams in the state at our regional. You have to beat the best to get where you want to go." Adam's Highlanders have already done that once this year. In the Feb. 2 conference finale, Howell battled back after falling behind early to earn a rousing 34-27 win over Hartland. Needless to say, facing state-finals caliber teams is a challenge the Highlanders welcome. "We feel like we can compete with anybody in the state," Howell senior Brad Marx said. "Our confidence level is high." The Eagles avenged that dual meet loss to an extent with a convincing win at the KVC tournament making Howell and Hartland league co-champs. Tonight's match will settle the score for this season.

County teams shine at district — But Hartland, Howell also have team regional on their minds

DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - By Tim Robinson – 2-18-07

For at least four of the teams in Saturday's Division 1 individual district, focus was truly a matter of the here and now.
That's because Hartland, Howell, Holt and Grand Ledge, besides competing for individual glory on Saturday, will all meet again in Wednesday's team regional at Hartland.

"The mental part is a huge part of this sport," said Howell's Justin Root, who won a district championship at 160 pounds. "You have to be focused on what's directly ahead of you." Just minutes after finishing one task, the district individual tournament, he was thinking about the next, Wednesday's regional. "It's going to be a huge thing," he said. "Hartland's very good, and so are Holt and Grand Ledge. I think we can do it. It all depends on which team shows up." He was talking about his Highlanders, who downed Hartland in the Kensington Valley Conference regular-season finale, then lost to the Eagles in last week's KVC meet.

Individually, Hartland advanced 11 wrestlers, Howell eight, Brighton seven and Pinckney two. The Eagles had six district champions, Howell two and Pinckney one. "I've been coaching 15 years, and I've never seen an individual district as tough as this one," Hartland coach Todd Cheney said.

For Hartland and Howell, the ink was hardly dry on the scoresheets before both teams were thinking of Wednesday's match.
"It should be a lot of fun," Hartland's Sean Hultberg said after winning the 119-pound championship. "It should be very interesting."

Highlanders win district easily; is Hartland next?

DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - By Dan Strawser - 2-15-07

PINCKNEY — It was over before it started, but that doesn't make it any less meaningful.
The Howell wrestling team breezed to its first district title in two years on Wednesday night, helped by several voids from its opponents.

The Highlanders crushed Jackson, 67-3, in the opening match and went on to beat Pinckney, 74-0, in the championship.
That lifted Howell into next Wednesday's team regional tournament at Hartland, where the Highlanders could have a rematch in the semifinals against the Eagles.
Howell beat Hartland for the Kensington Valley Conference duals title on Feb. 2. Hartland won the league meet last Saturday, easily besting Howell.
"We only lost one match," Howell coach Joe Adam said of Wednesday's effort, "and that kid (Kyle Pillars) stepped into the varsity lineup for the first time. He went 1-1. It was a pretty good night.
"We're wrestling really well, but we know we need to keep working every day because our goal is further down the line."
Jackson had five voids and the Pirates, who had an opening-round bye, had seven, making the win that much easier for Howell (22-1).
"We're inexperienced and limited in weight classes," said Pinckney coach Don Welch. "It's hard to be competitive when you only fill seven of the 14 weight classes."
Howell senior Chad Janes earned wins in both of his matches at 171 pounds. He pinned Jackson's Ryan Spurnger in one minute, 24 seconds and beat Pinckney's Matt Blair, 16-1.
"This is just the first step to what we want to accomplish, which is the state finals," Janes said. "It means a lot to win the district, but it's only a small step toward getting to states."
The Highlanders, ranked in the top ten in Division 1, came into the district as the favorites.
"We were confident we'd win both matches," Janes said, "but we weren't overconfident or cocky. We didn't want someone to sneak up from behind us."
Howell senior Travis Hughes, at 152, was one of the Highlanders to benefit from a void on the night. He defeated Pinckney's Justin Davis, 4-3, in his second match.
"We hadn't seen Jackson, but we knew we couldn't look past them," Hughes said. "You can't look past anyone or you'll get caught."
This was the Highlanders' first match since the KVC league meet on Saturday where they earned a share of the overall title.
"Before we wrestled Hartland we had a slow couple of meets," Hughes said. "Once Hartland came around we picked it up and we've been rolling ever since."
The Highlanders lost in the district tournament to the Eagles last year.
"Winning it this year really means something," Hughes said. "Our school is going to split soon, so if we were going to do it, this would be the year."
Howell hosts the individual district tournament on Saturday, but then the Highlanders will face the winner of tonight's South Lyon team district tournament next Wednesday at Hartland in the team regional semifinals.
Brighton, South Lyon, Milford and Hartland are all at South Lyon, meaning the Highlanders could face the Eagles again.
"It's always fun when two teams of that quality wrestle together," Adam said. "That's why we wrestle, for matches like that."

Eagles win league meet — Wrestlers claim share of KVC crown with Howell

DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - By Rick Shepich 2-11-07

HARTLAND — It's no secret that the best wrestlers in the Kensington Valley Conference reside in Livingston County.
But just in case there was any question, county wrestlers proved it Saturday.

Of the 14 weight divisions at the KVC championships, county schools claimed 11 championships.
As usual, host Hartland led the way with seven champions and three runners-up to finish in first place with 237 points.
That performance catapulted the Eagles to a share of the league championship with Howell. The Highlanders beat Hartland in the final dual meet of the regular season Feb. 2 and finished second Saturday with 178 points.

It's Hartland's 11th KVC title and Howell's ninth. "We wrestled great," Cheney said. "We avenged a bunch of losses from that Howell dual, but just because we won this tournament doesn't mean we can win a dual meet. We've still got a lot of work to do." En route to their share of the title, the Eagles added a couple more names to the KVC record books. Bryce Sopko (145 pounds) and Jesse Bain (135) became just the fifth and sixth wrestlers in league history to win four conference championships.

"That was one of my big goals this year," Bain said. "High school goes fast and then you realize it's almost over, so it's great to be able look back and have four KVC titles." The duo joins Lakeland's Kevin Neuendorf and Novi's Dan Jilg and brothers Ryan and Josh Churella as the only four-time KVC champions. It was Sopko's first live action since suffering a knee injury Jan. 20 at the Hartland bracket duals and it was a fitting finish to his KVC career. "It was awesome (to be back), especially coming out for a fourth time at a KVC run," Sopko said. "(My knee) is bruised, so it's annoying, but I should be fine. I'll tough through it. It's my last year."

Senior Owen Wilkinson (140) and junior Matt Bain (130) became three-time KVC champions Saturday and Zach Jones (119), Jeremy Bommarito (152) and D.J. Charneski (285) also claimed titles.

All the individual accolades, however, were almost secondary to the fact that the team bounced back to claim a share of the league crown.

"Today we really took care of business," said Wilkinson, the Eagles' lone unbeaten wrestler. "A lot of kids stepped it up. We wrestled awesome today."

Howell had three champions of its own in Brad Marx and brothers Justin and Ryan Root. The Highlanders also had four runners-up. While all of that was nice, the end result wasn't what coach Joe Adam had hoped to see. "We got our butts kicked today," Adam said. "We got outworked in a lot of the aspects of the game. Hartland showed the true champions that they are and now it's the best of three. We got embarrassed today. They deserved it."

The two teams may have had to share the KVC championship, but the back-and-forth between these two powerhouses isn't over yet. Both Howell and Hartland will be heavy favorites to win their respective team district tournaments. If that happens, the two would have a chance to settle things in a regional semifinal at Hartland Feb. 21.

Despite Saturday's performance, Marx is still likes the Highlanders' chances in a dual meet setting. "Some of us didn't bring our 'A' game today," Marx said. "But we still think that (Hartland) can't beat us head to head."

Brighton also put forth a strong showing, finishing fourth overall with 117 points, just six points behind third-place Novi. "We wrestled tough today," Bulldogs coach Sam Amine said. "We're young and we're coming back with a whole bunch of kids next year and I think it's going to keep getting better." Allen Melick captured the championship at 125 pounds despite entering the tournament as the No. 4 seed in his weight class. He promptly pinned top seed Mike Cushing of Howell in the semifinals and No. 3 seed Robbie Yusko of Novi — whom Mellick had already lost to twice this season — in the title match. "I was disappointed when I found out I was seeded low," Melick said. "But I just had to believe that I could take it no matter what."

Howell wrestlers stun Hartland

DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - By Rick Shepich 2-4-07

NOVI — Ironically, the weight of the Kensington Valley Conference fell on the backs of the two lightest wrestlers in the dual.
With Howell clutching a 28-27 lead over Hartland Friday night, a pair of 103-pound freshmen walked on to the mat to decide which team would win the KVC.

The Highlanders' Travis Rife and the Eagles' Spencer Hellner met in the middle, shook hands and went to work. Two minutes and 42 seconds later, Rife stood with his arm raised after winning by a pin as the Highlanders and their faithful followers celebrated wildly.
Final score: No. 8-ranked Howell 34, No. 2 Hartland 27. "It felt really good," said Rife, the only freshman in Howell's varsity lineup. "(Before the match) I was pretty nervous, but I knew I had to get the job done." Rife helped the Highlanders to at least a share of their first KVC championship since 2003 and their ninth overall. Howell finished the dual-meet portion of the season a perfect 7-0 and the Highlanders are 15-1 overall.

"It's a huge stepping-stone because they're where we want to be," Howell coach Joe Adam said, referring to Hartland. "They're the bar. They set it pretty high for a long time and if you don't come to wrestle them hard every night they're going to punish you. We've learned our lessons the hard way. We've been taking our lumps and now finally, this senior-laden team gets to taste (a win)."

Rife may have hammered home the win, but it was the seniors Adam referred to that picked Howell up when it needed it most. Down 21-9 halfway through the dual, Howell won six of the last seven matches en route to the win. Four of the six were won by seniors. It all started with 152-pound senior Travis Hughes. He stemmed the tide in one what may have turned out to be as big a win as Rife's. Hughes battled his way to a pivotal 5-2 win over Hartland's Jeremey Bommarito that made the score 21-12 and got the ball rolling and the crowd riled for the Highlanders. "I've never seen anything like it," Hughes said of the atmosphere in the gym. "Everybody was really into it. The crowd really helped us through it. It was very, very intense. The adrenaline was pumping."

Senior Justin Root took it from there, earning a dramatic pin over the Eagles' Dakota Lauwers at 160 pounds. Root had Lauwers on his back and the referee signaled pin just as the clock expired on the second period, sending Howell and its fans into a frenzy. Root's pin made the score 21-18 and, just like that, the Highlanders were right back in the thick of things. "It was incredible," Root said. "It was one of the first steps in our comeback. Travis Hughes' match was huge and that just started it off for us and kept rolling from there. It was great."

Another Howell senior, Chad Janes, then fought his way to a 10-1 win over Kyle Summerfield at 171 pounds to give the Highlanders the lead for good at 22-21. Junior Ryan Root and senior Brad Marx both gutted out tough wins at 189 and 215, respectively, to give Howell a two-match lead at 28-21 with two matches remaining.

Hartland's D.J. Charneski pinned Howell's Jordan Eschelman at 285 pounds to set up the final showdown between Rife and Hellner.

"It was a great match," Hartland coach Todd Cheney said. "That kind of match is great for the sport. That's what we live for, for moments like that in the sport of wrestling. You're not always going to win all of them. We knew Howell had a good team and it could go either way." The Eagles finished 6-1 in the KVC and fell to 35-1 overall. It was the Eagles' first dual meet loss in the KVC since Howell beat them in 2003.

"Obviously, they outworked us on the mat in a couple of spots and that usually doesn't happen for us," Hartland's Owen Wilkinson said. "So, we've just got to start working harder again."

The KVC championships start at 9 a.m. Feb. 10 at Hartland. If Howell wins the tournament, it will be outright champions. If the Eagles win and the Highlanders are second, the two teams will share the league title. In a final bit of irony, it was the Highlanders' lone freshman that earned the points that gave the seven seniors in Howell's lineup their first career win over Hartland.

"You might think that a freshman wouldn't be the kid you'd want to have out there (in that situation) just because of inexperience," Justin Root said. "But if there's any freshman that I could pick it would definitely be Travis. He's a great kid. We knew it was going to be a close match, but to come up like that was just awesome."

Nearly forgotten in the drama of the final dual, Howell beat Milford 58-10 and Hartland beat Novi 57-5 in each team's first dual of the evening.

Howell pins foes — Highlanders sweep KVC quad; Brighton earns split

DAILY PRESS & ARGUS: By Rick Shepich 1-19-07

BRIGHTON — The Howell wrestling team wasn't about to overlook Brighton. As if the natural rivalry that exists between the two schools wasn't enough, the Highlanders were wary of an up-and-coming Bulldogs squad. "Definitely the rivalry had a piece in it," Howell's Brad Marx said. "But we knew Brighton just got a new coach and he's a real good coach. (Howell coach Joe Adam) told us we have to come in, keep our heads level and attack."

The Highlanders must have taken Adam's advice to heart as they beat Brighton 54-10 in the first Kensington Valley Conference quad meet of the season. "We kind of had a bad week of practice, so I didn't know how they were going to react," Adam said. "But they came out and kind of answered the call. So, I was really proud of them. They stepped up and wrestled tough tonight."

Following that match, Howell (11-1, 3-0 KVC) dismantled South Lyon 67-0 and Brighton (8-2, 1-2) beat up on Milford 61-13.
Against the Bulldogs the Highlanders never trailed, but Brighton kept it close through the first half of the match. Heavyweight Jordan Eshelman followed Brad Marx's win at 215-pounds with a pin to put Howell up 9-0 right off the bat. But Brighton came right back with a pair of wins from brothers Sam and Grant Pizzo at 103 and 112, respectively, to make the score 9-6. Two matches later, a win by the Bulldogs' Allen Melick cut Howell's lead to just two at 12-10. That was as close as it would get, however, as the Highlanders refused to lose another match. Howell ripped off eight straight wins to close the match, including four-straight pins by Mike Cushing (130), Ryan Feeley (135), Jason Leavens (140) and Mike Lewis (145). Lewis' pin clinched the match in the Highlanders' favor. "Sometimes those dual matches go that way," Howell coach Joe Adam said. "The team that gets the most momentum early kind of rolls through it."

On the other side of the mat Amine expressed some disappointment but said he knew what his young team was up against. "I was a little discouraged," Amine said. "But I've wrestled Howell for years at other schools. They've got a great program going, great leadership, great kids to work with." Adam was quick to point out that the Bulldogs seem to be headed in the right direction under co-coaches Amine, Joel Smith and Aaron Walter. "Brighton is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the next couple years here," he said. "They're a young team and their coaches are doing a heck of a job developing them."

The Bulldogs took full advantage of their chance for redemption following the loss to the Highlanders. They won 11 of 14 matches against the Mavericks and eight of those wins came via pin. "Everybody got their head where it was supposed to be and went after it," said Melick, a captain for Brighton. "I was very proud of that. We just wanted to redeem ourselves for that loss (to Howell)."

Howell recorded a half-dozen pins against the Lions, but maybe more importantly, a couple of the Highlanders' top wrestlers found a way to pull out extremely tight matches. Feeley held on to beat South Lyon's Joe Snyder 3-2 and Justin Root (160) fought his way to a 5-3 win over Joe Powell. Even with the dominant performances Friday, Marx wasn't about to declare the Highlanders a finished product. "I think we're getting where we want to be, but we're not there yet," he said. "We still have strides that we want to take. We're making our way there slow and steady and I think, by the end of the season, we'll be where we want to be, one of the best teams in the state."

Howell grapplers too much for Jenison, Sparta

The Grand Rapids Press – By Jeff Chaney - Sunday, January 14, 2007

GRAND RAPIDS -- Last year Sparta's Matt Armock and Jenison's David Johnson wrestled an epic battle in the 140-pound final at the Dave Dunneback Memorial Tournament. The two eventual state champions went toe to toe for six minutes, with Armock coming out on top, 11-8. Both were at West Catholic High School on Saturday, but this time they wrestled at different weights. Armock won the 145-pound championship with a pin of Grand Rapids Central's Deantoine Gilmore in 1 minute, 55 seconds. Johnson wrestled up a weight, winning the 152-pound title with a hard-fought 3-2 win over East Kentwood's Jake Bohn. "I was expecting to wrestle Johnson again, but he stayed at 152," said Armock, who is 24-0 on the year. "I wasn't disappointed, but my preparation the whole week was geared for him. When I knew I wasn't wrestling him, I knew it would make for an easier day, but it would have been a good one to wrestle him." Johnson thought Armock might move up to wrestle him. "I thought he was going to be at 152, but there was some miscommunication," said Johnson, who has a 25-0 record. "I'm going 152 at state, and I don't like to go down unless it's for the team. "My (win in the finals) was closer than I expected. Last season I beat Bohn by 13 points, but I injured my shoulder last week, so I took it easy at practice this week."

Jenison had three champions, as Nate Falbe won the 103-pound title and Josh Meinzer was champion at 160.

The three championships were unable to help the Wildcats win the team title. They finished second to Howell.

Howell ended up with 217.5 points, 36 points ahead of Jenison. Sparta was third with 161.5 points.

Sparta had two champions, as Armock's twin brother, Mark Armock, won the 140-pound title with a pin of Forest Hills Eastern's Ryan Dugan in 2:34.

Like Sparta, Catholic Central had a pair of champions, as Chance Coda won the 215-pound title with an 11-2 win over Sparta's Jordan Morse, and heavyweight Will Riebel needed overtime to beat Howell's Jordan Eshelman, 10-8. "That is my first overtime, and I don't want another one any time soon," Riebel said afterward.

Other champions crowned Saturday were East Kentwood's Kameron Olsen at 112, Forest Hills Eastern's Steve Lambert at 119, Northview's Adam Draves at 125, Howell's Mike Cushing at 130, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer's Brett Berson at 135 and Matt Fetterley at 171 and West Ottawa's Mike McClure at 189. Coda was named the tournament's most waluable wrestler.

Top flight — State's best meet on the mats

By Dan Strawser - DAILY PRESS & ARGUS

HARTLAND — Thrashing the competition. That's what the Hartland wrestling team has been doing thus far this season and it continued Wednesday night. Four of the top teams in the state where at a quad meet at Hartland — the Eagles, ranked No. 1 in Division 1, Clarkston, ranked No. 6 in Division 1, New Lothrup, ranked No. 3 in Division 4, and Howell, ranked No. 10 in Division 1.

The Eagles beat Clarkston, 43-25, and turned around to defeat New Lothrup, 59-13. "We wrestled outstanding," Hartland coach Todd Cheney said. "We beat Clarkston and then we beat New Lothrup real bad. Shoot, we wrestled great today."

The Highlanders didn't fare as well, topping New Lothrup, 32-27, but falling to the Wolves, 41-18. "We wrestled about as poorly as we possibly could have, from the coaches down to the wrestlers," Howell coach Joe Adam said. "We came out flat. Some guys wrestled good, but as a team we came out flat and it reflected in the score."

Several Eagles were winners in both of their matches, including Owen Wilkinson, who wrestled at 135 pounds and 140. "It was a great night," said Wilkinson, who pinned both of his opponents. "We came out fired up and wrestled tough. That's what we've got to keep doing." Wilkinson said the stiff competition is helpful. "It makes us feel good," he said. "We know we can compete against anyone. It let's us know what we can improve on against other teams, better teams." Hartland's D.J. Charneski, at 275, was also a double winner. He pinned both of his opponents. "Anytime you get a win like that it feels good, especially when the teams are wrestling hard," said Charneski after defeating his New Lothrup foe. "It helps to get back into things. It helps you get better for later in the season. It's always good to have strong competition." Cheney said it will be a relief when the team travels to the Holland Team Tournament over the weekend as the competition won't be as talented. "Everyone we've seen has been massive competition," he said. "We've beat Davison, the defending Division 1 champ, Mason, the Division II champ, and four other ranked teams. It's been a fun run. The kids are wrestling outstanding." A couple of other big wins for Hartland came from Zach Jones, who had a pair of pins, and Doug Baughman. Baughman moved up from 112 to 119 for the matches against Clarkston and New Lothrup. "I didn't mind," he said. "It will help me when I go back to wrestling smaller guys. It will make me feel bigger."

Howell got a pair of wins from junior Jason Leavens, who enjoyed wrestling against tough competition. "You've got to raise your game to match them," he said. "You've got to go hard in practice and then come with your 'A' game to do what you've got to do. It shows us how we stand up against better teams. It shows us what we've got to do to get where we want to go and become one of the better teams in the state."

Adam was pleased with the win over New Lothrup and saw the match against Clarkston as a learning experience. "It was a good learning tool," he said. "We know we need to improve to get where we want to be at the end of the season."

Howell Second at Tourney —
Wilkinson Classic draws good wrestlers from all over
By Tim Robinson - DAILY PRESS & ARGUS

HOWELL — There might not have been a whole lot of surprises, but there was plenty of competition in Saturday's Herm Wilkinson Classic wrestling tournament at Howell High School. "It's a tough tournament, a very tough tournament," Brighton co-coach Joel Smith said. "We knew coming in it would be tough. We had some upsets we weren't counting on, but we had some upsets go our way, too."

Teams from as far north as Gaylord and as far south as Clayton, Ohio (near Dayton), participated on six mats in the Howell field house.

Clarkston was first with 201, while Howell (181) was second, a development that didn't surprise Howell coach Joe Adam.
"We knew it was going to be us and Clarkston battling for the title going in," he said. "But we found ourselves looking up at them. We needed to have a good final round to beat them." Brighton, with 92 points, finished ninth, edging Novi (91).

A pair of Highlanders won individual titles. Ryan Feeley won the 130-pound title in double overtime, 7-6, and was named the outstanding wrestler of the meet in the lower weights. Travis Hughes won at 152 pounds and Justin Root finished second at 160. Team points came from the top six placers.

"There's good competition every year at the Herm," Hughes said. "I had a few good matches, but I did what I've been doing all year, and it worked for me." As it turned out, Hughes and Root met their Brighton counterparts in the final for the first of possibly three meetings this season.

Adam Damusis (152) finished second to Hughes. "This was tough," Damusis said of the tournament. "There were no easy matches. There were a lot of good wrestlers here. You couldn't slough off in any of these matches. You had to work for wins, and the guys who worked hardest and had more heart came out on top." Smith said the tournament, too, was a good preparatory meet for the Kensington Valley Conference season, which begins in four weeks. "We're in an extremely tough league, with Hartland, Howell and Novi," Smith said. "This is a good chance to educate a young team as to what's expected when we get to league matches."

Adam agreed, but only to a point. "We've got a ways to go before we can handle a Hartland or a Novi," he said. "And dual meets are another beast entirely. We have a lot of work to do to get to where we want to be."

There was plenty of opportunity to work, and not a lot of unused space in the fieldhouse. Six mats covered two of the basketball courts in the gym, with mostly full bleachers covering the third. Cafeteria tables filled the halls and entryways, laden with food for hungry wrestlers in between matches. In the fieldhouse, wrestlers milled about, cheering on teammates or sitting in the stands, listening to music over their headphones as they waited for their next matches.

"There are a lot of talented wrestlers here," Smith said. "There were three or four individual champions here today. "All in all, we had good performances. You've got to wrestle good teams to get better, and it was a good test for us today." The season is not quite two weeks old, and Hughes said that competition of any kind is important right now. "We saw Novi and Brighton here today," he said. "And you like to see how you stack up against those teams. But right now, every match is good experience."

Howell wrestlers get payback — Highlanders avenge 2005 loss to Fowlerville in season opener
By Rick Shepich - DAILY PRESS & ARGUS

HOWELL — The Howell wrestling team got the season started in just the way it had hoped. After falling to Fowlerville in their season-opening quad last year, the Highlanders evened the score Wednesday night. No. 10-ranked Howell got out to an early lead against the Gladiators, but Fowlerville fought its way back into the match before the Highlanders put the finishing touches on a 35-27 win. "A win is a win and I'm happy with that," Howell coach Joe Adam said. "But we definitely have a lot of work to do." A 48-second pin by the Gladiators' Brandon Burt at 152 pounds cut Howell's lead to 29-21 with two matches remaining. Howell senior Justin Root then clinched the match with a pin of his own at 160 pounds. "It definitely feels good," Root said. "They got us last year, so it's nice to start off with a victory this year against them. It's huge for our team considering they beat us last year."
Fowlerville coach Chris Tyle said he would have loved to have gotten his second straight win over the Highlanders, but he was pleased with the way his team performed. "We battled with all Fowlerville kids," Tyle said. "We had all Fowlerville kids in the lineup. Howell's ranked in the top ten and hat's off to them. That's what rivalries are all about. You're supposed to battle back and forth." Gladiators captain Wes Schultheis was proud of his teammates' efforts as well. "I'm sure we would have been happier with the win," Schultheis said. "But there's nothing to be upset about."
Until last season, the two teams hadn't squared off in a dual meet since 1992. Adam and Tyle wrestled simultaneously at Howell and Fowlerville, respectively, and the two schools never met on the mat during their careers. Now, however, both coaches are enjoying the recent renewal of a natural rivalry. "It's a lot of fun," Adam said. "When you get two schools this close to each other together, people know each other and there's some bragging rights. It's a good way to start it off." Tyle echoed Adam's thoughts, despite the outcome Tuesday. "We have a lot of respect for each other," Tyle said. "It's fun. We'll take a meet like that any night. Look how exciting it was." In their other matches, Fowlerville beat Pinckney 71-9 and Howell beat Perry 57-7. The Ramblers also beat the Pirates 41-24.

Wrestlers begin title quest — Nineteen county wrestlers competing in state tourney

By Rick Shepich
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - Originally published March 9, 2006

Today at the Palace of Auburn Hills, 19 Livingston County wrestlers will begin their quest for a state championship.
The days leading up to the tournament have presented different challenges to nearly all of those competing. The eight Hartland wrestlers competing will have to find a way to put a devastating one-point loss to Davison in the team state finals behind them. Hartland coach Todd Cheney doesn't think that will be a problem for his kids. "I don't think that's an issue because these kids are so self-motivated," Cheney said. "They'll be fired up and ready to go. If they're not, that's my fault." If any one of them came out flat, it would be understandable considering the emotion toll of last weekend. The Eagles' contingent heading to the individual tournament consists of Zach Jones, Matt Bain, Jesse Bain, Owen Wilkinson, Jeremy Bommarito, Shawn Steckroth, Rob Neuroth and Nick Anurak.

photo courtesy of Detroit News & Free Press

While the Eagles are left to ponder a third-straight runner-up finish, wrestlers from the four other county teams are faced with being ready to wrestle after more than two weeks off. Those involved practiced during that time, but had no competitive matches. Brighton's two qualifiers, Ross Barrett and Alex Strachan, spent their practice time working with former Brighton wrestlers. "I definitely think we've had some really good practices for them," first-year Brighton coach Aaron Walter said. "We have some really good alumni here that have donated their time to help these guys." After not sending anybody to the team state meet last season, those involved with the Bulldogs' program are pleased to see a pair of seniors make their way to the Palace. "It's a pride factor for them," said Walter of the volunteers. "They want to make sure the program goes in the right direction." Barrett and Strachan are each making their first appearance at the individual state meet.

Howell's two wrestlers, Justin Root and Kevin Clark, find themselves in much the same boat as Barrett and Strachan. The Highlanders haven't wrestled competitively since losing to Hartland in the district round over two weeks ago. "We've had a lot of guys coming in the room these last two weeks," Adam said. "They've had a good couple weeks of practice." Adam, Root and Clark traveled down to Auburn Hills Wednesday night and plan on staying through the weekend. "It's a reward for a season well-earned," said Adam of the weekend excursion.

Pinckney will be represented by Bobby Chipelewski and Cody Bartrum at the championships this weekend. Fowlerville will be represented by Andrew Taylor, Kyle Mead, Jimmy Lee, Brett Kingsley and Vinnie Tyle.

First-round matches begin today at 2:45 p.m. The tournament will continue all day Friday and champions will be crowned on Saturday afternoon.

Placers aplenty at regionals - County teams send 19 to next month's state meet

By Rick Shepich
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - Originally published February 26, 2006

CHARLOTTE — The Kensington Valley Conference wrestling machine rolls on. Twenty-eight county wrestlers descended on Charlotte High School Saturday to compete in arguably the toughest Division 1 wrestling regional tournament in the state. Six of the state's top 10 Division 1 teams sent their individuals to the regional in Charlotte. Each wrestler began the day dreaming about finishing in the top four and securing a berth in the state meet. In the end, 14 Livingston County wrestlers advanced to the Division 1 state meet and 14 others will be left behind. Five Fowlerville wrestlers also secured berths at the Division 2 state meet. All told, Livingston County will be represented by 19 wrestlers at the state meet March 9-11 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. There certainly was no shortage of compelling story lines at Saturday's Division 1 regional at Charlotte High School.

There were the three KVC heavyweights — Hartland's Nick Anurak, Brighton's Alex Strachan and Pinckney's Cody Bartrum — all qualifying. Anurak downed Bartrum in the semifinal before defeating Strachan in the championship match. It was the fourth time Anurak and Strachan met this season and Anurak's third win. Bartrum finished fourth to earn his spot. "He gives me really, really good competition," Anurak said of Strachan. "He gives me a run every single time and that just makes me such a better wrestler." Anurak boosted his record this season to 45-1, with that lone loss to Strachan. "We're all pushing each other because we want to represent the KVC in the best place possible: The state meet," Anurak said of his conference counterparts.

There was also Hartland's Shawn Steckroth, who snuck out a 4-3 victory over top-seed Jordan Richardson of Grandville. Earlier in the season, Richardson had handed Steckroth one of his three losses. On Saturday, Steckroth evened the score. "It was just amazing to beat him, honestly," Steckroth said. "It's probably the happiest I've ever been right now."

And there was Howell's Justin Root, who had lost to Hartland's Matt Carriere all three times they squared off this season, then beat him in their fourth meeting for a spot in the state meet. "I thought I had a shot (to qualify) but I knew it was going to be tough," said Root, who is making his first trip to the state meet. "To come back and beat (Carriere) now is just awesome."

Then there was a situation in which no coach or wrestler ever wants to find themselves. Hartland teammates Jesse Bain and Darek Gorring met in the consolation bracket at 130 pounds. The winner would earn a spot at the state meet. The loser's individual season would come to an end. It appeared to be an uncomfortable situation for all involved. Eagles coaches, wrestlers and fans sat silently by as Bain, a junior, earned the victory which brought the individual career of Gorring, a senior, to a close. "It's terrible," Cheney said, shaking his head. "When we double-enter, we know that could happen."

There was Brighton's Ross Barrett, who didn't even get out of the district tournament last year as a junior. That district was held at Charlotte High School and Barrett had some reservations about heading to Charlotte for the regional this year. "I was kind of nervous about coming back here," he admitted. Lightning didn't strike twice, however, and Barrett emerged as the regional champion at 189 pounds. He beat the No. 1 seed in his bracket, Nick Raimer of Jenison, 8-3 in the final to improve to 38-4 on the season. "I really wanted to win that one," Barrett said of the final match. "I was wrestling really good today, so I felt I deserved to win it."

Not to be outdone was Hartland's Owen Wilkinson. Wilkinson qualified for the state meet last season, only to suffer an injury that would not allow him to compete. "It was so hard to watch something that you should be in and be a part of," Wilkinson said of of the 2005 state meet. Saturday, Wilkinson emerged as the regional champion at 135 pounds, beating top-seed John Johnson of Rockford 12-10 in the final match to improve to 49-1 this season. "I'm just glad to go back," Wilkinson said. "And I'll be there this year, don't worry. I'll be there no matter what."

Hartland's fourth regional champion was sophomore Matt Bain, who beat top-seed John Houseman of Grand Haven 8-7 in the championship match at 119 pounds to improve his record to 45-2 this season. "My biggest goal is to be a state champ," said Bain, who earned his second regional championship in as many tries. "So, these are big matches, but they're little steps on the way to where I want to get to."

Along with Bartrum, Pinckney's Bobby Chipelewski is heading to his first state meet. He beat Rockford's Jeff Cole 6-0 in the consolation match at 152 pounds. "Honestly, I didn't come in too confident today," Chipelewski said. "I'm just happy to be at states. It's such a confidence booster and it just makes you want to go work harder."

Kevin Clark of Howell will join Root as the Highlanders' second representative at the state meet, finishing fourth at 215 pounds.

Hartland again led the way among area teams with eight state qualifiers. Even with that impressive number, Cheney couldn't help but feel for those that didn't make it. "I should be on top of the world right now but expectations are so high," Cheney said. "We had thoughts that we might be able to get 11 or more and it j just didn't work out today." Hartland's four other qualifiers are Zach Jones, Jesse Bain, Jeremy Bommarito and Rob Neuroth. Bommarito was the runner-up at 140 pounds, Neuroth placed second at 215, Jones finished third at 112 and Jesse Bain placed third at 130.

Wrestlers soar in districts — Hartland qualifies 13; Howell, Pinckney six apiece

By Dan Strawser
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - Originally published February 19, 2006

HARTLAND — Every once in a while one of those special seasons comes along and it looks to be one of those years for the Hartland wrestling team.
The Eagles set two school records at the Division 1 individual District tournament on Saturday and it left coach Todd Cheney nearly speechless.
"It's an unbelievable day," Cheney said. "You're not supposed to do things like this. We qualified 13 out of 14 wrestlers and put 12 of them in the championship match. Those are both records. That's just unbelievable.

"The kids have wrestled phenomenally the last two weeks and I hope it continues next week. I don't know what else to say." It was a banner day for the Pinckney wrestling team also, which set a school record by sending six kids onto the regionals and it's going to cost coach Don Welch where it counts — in the wallet.

"I'm going to be paying out in steak dinners," Welch said. "I promised any kid who got to regionals I'd buy them a steak dinner. I was counting on maybe one. I didn't know I'd have six." Welch said he didn't know his team had set a record until his assistants told him. "I can't take all the credit," Welch said. "It was the kids that got it that worked hard all year. I inherited them. I was fortunate to step into a good position. I had lots of kids with tenacity who wanted to be successful in their senior year."

Photo by GILLIS BENEDICT/DAILY PRESS & ARGUS

Six was the magic number for the Howell wrestlers, too. "That's a pretty good number," Howell coach Joe Adam said. "We had a couple of kids who I thought had a chance, but didn't make it. But they're young kids and I look forward to working with them in the future." Howell's Mike Lewis may have been one of the bigger surprises at 140 pounds. "He was seeded sixth and he had his work cut out for him," Adam said. "He wrestled hard and he wrestled smart. He's a kid that puts in a lot of hard work and it's nice to see it pay off." Lewis finished in fourth place, falling to Zach Shaw of Holt. The top four in each weight class move on to the individual regionals. "I felt really good," Lewis said. "I was surprised. I came in not expected to do much. In fact we talked about if we had to pick five guys who we thought would make and I wouldn't be one of them. It was a nice surprise to make it to regionals."

Brighton's Ross Barrett was a district champ at 189 pounds. "I went through a couple of guys I knew from the (Kensington Valley Conference) so I liked that," Barrett said. "We got a 1-2-3 thing going on and it's nice to get recognition for the KVC." Barrett beat Pat Zimmer of Hartland in the final and Pinckney's Elliot Roach placed third. "This was the third time I've wrestled (Zimmer) and the last time was in the KVC finals," Barrett said. "He just keeps getting better. I was glad to get a good wrestler." Brighton's Alex Strachan was second at 275 pounds and Grant Pizzo took third at 103. "It was a good day for our team," Barrett said. "I'm proud of them." Brighton coach Aaron Walter said it turned out as he expected. "I thought Kenny Richmond at 112 had a shot, but his last match didn't go very well," Walter said. "We had quite a few kids who wrestled well today and didn't make it to the regionals, but they wrestled well. I'm happy."

In the third-place match at 215 pounds, Pinckney's David McAuliffe and Howell's Kevin Clark squared off, with McAuliffe earning a 3-1 victory. "We've wrestled each other so many times, we know what we're going to do," McAuliffe said. "I ducked under into a bear hug. It was there the entire match. I just missed it." McAuliffe was thrilled when the referee put two fingers up, giving him what would be the winning points. "It made my day," he said.

Howell's Chad Janes earned a third-place finish by pinning his Lansing Eastern opponent in 31 seconds. "You can't be intimidated," Janes said. "You have to know what you do best and you have to hit what you do best. It's all mind games once you get to the finals."

With so many KVC teams at the meet, there were several all-KVC final matches, including at 140 pounds, where a pair of Hartland wrestlers battled for the title. Jeremy Bommarito defeated Bryce Sopko, 5-0. "It was intimidating and I wrestle him all the time," Bommarito said. "I wrestled him last year at 130 pounds and he beat me so I had a little motivation."

Prep wrestling: 3 Holt wrestlers take district titles; 6 others advance
Published February 19, 2006 - Lansing State Journal

HARTLAND - Holt's Grant Ankney (103 pounds), Srba Rankovic (125) and Mitch Zajac (215) each won individual wrestling district championships Saturday. Mike Churchill (152) and Pat Wright (160) of Grand Ledge also won titles, as did Jimmy Martinez (103) of Eastern.

The top four places in each weight class advanced to regionals.

103--1. Jimmy Martinez (Eastern), 4. Brandon Shafer (Grand Ledge). 112--1. Grant Ankney (Holt), 3. Kyle Hanton (H), 4. Brentt Johnson (Sexton). 119--3. Koort Leyrer (H). 125--1. Srba Rankovic (H). 2. Mark Hopkins (Charlotte), 4. Ian Bucrek (GL). 130--3. Ryan Feeley (Howell), 4. Kody Hitchcock (H). 135--2. Dan Maynard (H), 3. Justin Salazar (H). 140--3. Zach Shaw (H), 4. Mike Lewis (How.). 145--3. Chad Janes (How.), 4. Thomas Lynch (E.). 152--1. Mike Churchill (GL), 3. Travis Hughes (How.). 160--1. Pat Wright (GL), Justin Root (How.). 171--3. Robert Disbrow (Everett), 4. Brandon Gokey (GL). 189--4. Anthony Banks (East Lansing). 215--1. Mitch Zajac (H), 4. Kevin Clark (How.). 275--4. Dulles Copedge (Ev.).

Eagles soar again — Hartland wrestlers roll to sixth straight district crown

By Rick Shepich
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - Originally published February 16, 2006

HARTLAND — Hartland may have to add another trophy case just to keep up with its wrestling team. It doesn't appear that the Eagles' run is going to end any time soon. In its home gym Wednesday, the No. 1 team in Michigan improved its season record to 30-0 and earned its sixth consecutive district championship by beating a pair of Kensingston Valley Conference foes. And, as usual, the Eagles did it with ease. In the semifinal round, Hartland took care of Brighton 68-12, while Howell handled Milford 53-16.

That set up a title match between a pair of top-10 teams, as the Highlanders entered the week ranked ninth in the state in Division 1. Hartland, however, proved that it is deserving of its No. 1 ranking by cruising past Howell 58-12. The Eagles clinched the championship eight matches into the bout when senior Matt Carriere defeated Howell's Justin Root in the 160-pound match, 11-3. "Seeing it's my senior year, this is probably the most special district that I've been through," said Carriere, a senior captain. Carriere also won his match against Brighton's Robby White by pinning him in 45 seconds to boost his season record to 34-7. At that point, Hartland took a 31-6 lead and the Eagles were guaranteed another six points at 103 pounds, as the Highlanders did not have a wrestler in that weight class.

Even though no current Hartland wrestler has ever lost a team district, and the team has its sights set on bigger goals, the district championship is still a meaningful accomplishment. "It's definitely special," senior Shawn Steckroth said.

"It's my fourth team district title and it definitely feels great. And it was nice to knock off Howell again. It's always nice to beat them." Steckroth won both of his matches with second-period pins, improving his season record to 39-3. The championship wasn't just about Hartland feeling good about itself, however. It also provided the Eagles a chance to get the ball rolling in the postseason. "It's big because it's step one to get to the state finals," junior Jesse Bain said. "It's big because we're at home and just trying to keep that intensity high." Bain may have had the easiest night of any wrestler. He wrestled only against Howell, pinning Andrew Shumaker in 34 seconds.

Coach Todd Cheney often talked about his team struggling to get motivated during regular season duals, but says his squad had no trouble getting motivated for Wednesday's tournament. "We're rolling," Cheney said. "And what's nice now is that every time they wrestle, they're wrestling for something. It's a lot different than the regular season where you're just wrestling to get matches. They can look and say, 'Now we're getting somewhere.'"

Howell had an outstanding season of its own, finishing with a 17-3 mark. The Highlanders likely could have been a contender at the regional level if they were in just about any other district. Howell, however, was making no excuses, saying that wrestling the best can only make the team better. "It just pushes us to work harder because we can't make it to the state meet unless we beat the No.-1 ranked team," Howell's Ryan Feeley said. Feeley was one of three Highlanders to win against Hartland, besting Matt Richard 7-0. He also pinned Milford's Phil Acree in 3:07. Howell coach Joe Adam said his message to his team after the meet was just for them to keep their heads up. "We finished 17-3 and as a top-10 ranked team in the state," Adam said. "But you've got to know your limitations. Right now, (Hartland is) a much better team top to bottom. It's just something we've got to start working for."

Hartland's quest for the state title will now take it to Grand Ledge for the regional tournament Wednesday, Feb. 22. The Eagles will face Holt — currently ranked No. 5 in Division 1 — in the regional semifinal at 6 p.m. "We're going to have a big one on Wednesday," Cheney remarked about the regional matchup with the Rams.

After facing Hartland during the regular season, at the KVC Championships and again Wednesday night, Adam likes the Eagles' chances of winning the state championship. "I don't personally see anybody beating them, but you never know," Adam said. "They're one heck of a team and I just wish them nothing but the best of luck from here on out."

Wrestlers face tough task — Howell's mission: Beat No. 1 Hartland in team district

By Rick Shepich
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - Originally published February 15, 2006

HOWELL — The Howell wrestling team is facing a daunting task. Not only must the No. 8-ranked Highlanders defeat top-ranked Hartland to advance past the district round of the state tournament, but they're going to have to do it in the Eagles' home gym.
Howell will first need to get past a Milford team that finished third at the KVC Championships in the opening round, and Hartland will need to beat Brighton. But barring a major upset, all signs point to the Highlanders and Eagles meeting in the district championship.

Photo by ALAN WARD/DAILY PRESS & ARGUS

So, do the Highlanders even have a fighting chance? According to Howell coach Joe Adam and his captains, they do. Even Hartland coach Todd Cheney cited Howell among a group of teams that "can put seven or eight good guys on the mat and beat you." However, the Highlanders readily admit that it's going to take some fairly unique circumstances if they hope to oust the Eagles from their perch atop the Michigan high school wrestling world. "We talk to them all the time about great upsets," Adam said. "Now, we would have to have a great day and (Hartland) would have to have a terrible day, but there's always the possibility." The Eagles have handled the Highlanders in a couple instances already this season. In the conference dual meet between the two teams, Hartland ran away with a 47-15 win. However, a closer look at the score sheet shows that Howell might not be as far off as that score suggests. The Highlanders lost two matches by one point and another by just three points. Also, Hartland notched five pins, each of which earned the Eagles six points. "We lost a few matches by three or less points," said Justin Root, a junior captain wrestling at 160 pounds. "If we can turn those around, those are all six-point swings. It could potentially be a lot closer. We need to win all those close matches and we can't get pinned. That's the bottom line."

Adam agrees with Cheney that his squad can match up well with Hartland, but feels that his team must be confident in their ability to do so. "It's one of those things where you look at the score and it's not as far off as it seemed," Adam said. "That night, they came to wrestle and they kicked our butts. Sometimes you need that. If we all come to wrestle at the same time, we've got a shot, but it's going to take a lot of hard work, a lot of preparation and basically the kids just believing in themselves that they can do it. If they don't believe in themselves, they don't really have a chance." Considering how they have fared against Hartland up to this point in the season, the Highlanders might need a reminder that they too are a top-10 team in the state. "I think it's going to take some convincing because there's always guys that don't believe," said captain Pete Klebba, as to whether or not everybody on the team believes they can beat Hartland. "But if you don't believe, there's not really any point in showing up."

In addition to the regular-season meeting between the two teams, they also saw each other just this past weekend — though not in a dual-meet format — at the KVC Championships. Once again, the meet went decidedly in Hartland's favor as the Eagles set records for most wrestlers in the finals, most conference champions and most team points. Hartland finished over 100 points ahead of a frustrated Howell squad. The two teams met in head-to-head matches in six of the 14 weight divisions at the KVC meet and Hartland won five of them. But the Highlanders sy they have moved past that performance and are looking forward to another chance at competing against the best. "I don't think it affected the team that much," senior captain Kevin Clark said of the Eagles' dominance at the KVC Championships. "Hartland's a great team. We know that, but we've just got to go in and work on key things and work out the kinks." The Highlanders say it hasn't affected their confidence, and if anything, it provided them with a little extra spark and a little more focus. "I think it gave us more motivation," Root said. "We shouldn't have done as poorly and they shouldn't have done as good. We should have been a lot closer than 100 points."

Tonight, Howell will get its chance to prove to itself that they can compete with the Eagles. The semifinal matches get underway at 5:30 p.m. with the championship beginning roughly 10 minutes after the last semifinal ends.

Eagles 6-peat — No. 1-ranked Hartland rolls to 10th overall crown

By Rick Shepich
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - Originally published February 12, 2006

BRIGHTON — The Hartland wrestling team has once again raised the bar in the Kensington Valley Conference.
After steamrolling the rest of the league during the dual-meet season, the Eagles were in record-setting form at the KVC Championships Saturday. Hartland, the No. 1 ranked team in the state, set a record for most wrestlers in championship matches with 11, most individual champions with nine and most team points with 274.

Second-place Howell was more than 100 points back with 158.5 points. Pinckney finished fifth with 90.5 points, followed by Brighton in sixth with 83. The record-breaking performance earned Hartland its sixth straight KVC championship and 10th overall.

While the Eagles soared, the Highlanders and Bulldogs both left disappointed, despite decent showings. Howell put four wrestlers into championship matches, but all four finished second. Five Highlanders finished third and three finished fourth. "We knew what were coming into against Hartland," Howell coach Joe Adam said. "We knew it was an uphill battle. We got some guys in the finals that just didn't step up. This is the time of the year when they should be peaking, not taking steps back. But they wrestled hard. I wasn't disappointed in their effort."

Mike Cushing (112), Ryan Feeley (125), Travis Hughes (152) and Kevin Clark (215) all finished in second place for the Highlanders.

Pinckney also crowned one champion in Bobby Chipelewski. Howell's Hughes was the only wrestler to beat Chipelewski during the dual-meet season and that was with a takedown in overtime. Saturday, Chipelewski avenged that loss, beating Hughes 7-4 in the championship match. "I came in today really wanting to get back at him," Chipelewski said. "It's amazing to see the results of a lot of hard work."

Eagles wrestlers stay unbeaten

By Rick Shepich
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - Originally published January 29, 2006

HARTLAND — According to the state rankings, Friday's Kensington Valley Conference matchup between No. 1 Hartland and No. 8 Howell appeared to have all the makings of a classic. The Highlanders and Eagles both entered the match 4-0 in the KVC after each winning their first dual of the night Friday. Hartland handled South Lyon 77-0 and Howell downed Pinckney 64-7.

But in the nightcap, the Eagles left no doubt as to who controls the conference, dismantling Howell 47-15. Hartland won 10 of the 14 matches.
"The kids were fired up," Hartland coach Todd Cheney said. "Howell's big spread (in Monday's Daily Press & Argus) was copied all over our locker room. We highlighted the kid's quote that said (Howell) needed to win the KVC next and it fired them up."
The Eagles boosted their season record to 23-0 and have won those duals by an average margin of about 51 points, 62.2 to 11.2. Only one of Hartland's matches this season has been closer than 14 points, a 36-32 win over Montrose in the finals of the Eagles' own tournament.

"We knew that (Howell) had some good kids and that we had to be ready for them," Hartland senior Shawn Steckroth said. "But we've been ready all week. We were trying to get really motivated because they've been talking some smack and we wanted to make sure we were ready to wrestle." Steckroth, a senior captain, downed the Highlanders' Mike Layer 12-4 at 171 pounds to run his season record to 29-3.

Though Hartland didn't clinch the win until the 12th match of the dual when freshman Sean Hultberg downed Howell's Brad Morrison 8-4 at 103 pounds, the outcome was never in doubt.

The Eagles' opened with pins from Jesse Bain, Owen Wilkinson and Jeremy Bommarito in three of the first four matches to jump out to a 22-0 lead. In the lone match that was not decided by a pin, Hartland's Bryce Sopko earned a 22-10 decision. "The KVC is always the first step to the postseason," senior captain Nick Anurak said. "Everything spawns from the KVC." Anurak, who finished second in the state last season, notched a third-period pin against Howell's Jordan Eshelman at 275 pounds to run his season record to 31-0.

The Highlanders got on the board when Travis Hughes won one of the best matches of the night at 152 pounds. Hughes led 3-2 with just over a minute remaining when Hartland freshman Kyle Summerfield managed a reversal that gave him a 4-3 lead with 1 minute to go. With 37 seconds left, though, Hughes pulled off a reversal of his own to retake the lead, then had Summerfield on his back for a two-point near-fall. The 7-4 win made the score 22-3.

"Our effort was there," Howell coach Joe Adam said. "I just think right now technique-wise, experience-wise, I think (Hartland's) ahead of us. That's one of the things you have to tell them and preach to them. That's why (Hartland) is so good. They pay attention to small details."

The Highlanders' Brad Marx held on to beat Noah Ramirez 8-4 at 189 pounds and captain Kevin Clark followed that with a pin of Hartland's Rob Neuroth in 1:12 at 215 pounds. That made the score 29-12 and for a moment, it looked as though Howell had a slim chance to climb back into the match. But the Eagles put down the hammer, winning the next four matches to erase any thought the Highlanders may have had of mounting a comeback. "Everyone on our team was confident in what we were doing," Clark said. "But (Hartland's) always tough, always a powerhouse. We've just got to build on this and go to work tomorrow.

Highlanders surging on mat

By Rick Shepich
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - Originally published January 23, 2006

HOWELL — The Howell wrestling team has once again gotten off to a great start. And it all began with a loss.
Fowlerville clipped the Highlanders on opening night in the first dual between the two schools since 1992. That loss might have stoked Howell's fire, however. Since starting 1-1 that night, the Highlanders have rattled off seven consecutive dual meet wins.

But their success doesn't end there. Howell finished third at the Lansing Eastern tournament in early December, then took second at their own tournament to Division 2 power Flint Kearsley in mid-December. By December 21, the Highlanders had climbed into the top 10, appearing in the state poll as the No. 9 team in Division 1.

"At the beginning of the year, we had a lot of guys out that are in our starting lineup now," Howell coach Joe Adam said. "We've been getting guys comfortable and getting other guys to be good team members. "It just shows that we're coming together as a team. So, it really is a great testament to these guys that they're able to step up in these situations."

There may have been no better illustration of the Highlanders' developing team chemistry than late last month at the Harding Classic in Marion, Ohio. The Highlanders did not claim a single championship individually. Howver, nine wrestlers finished in the top six in their weight class and Howell walked away from a highly competitive 27-team tournament as its champion. "It was just great competition and it was good for the kids to learn how not to wrestle a team name or kid's name," Adam said. "It's one of those things where you explain to them that it's a mental sport and they just don't understand. So, this proved the theory to them." Junior Jordan Eshelman led the Highlanders with a runner-up finish in the heavyweight division. After winning the Highlander Classic at 103 pounds earlier in the month, freshman Mike Cushing finished third at 112 pounds in Ohio. Junior Chad Janes joined Cushing, finishing third at 145 pounds. "We've had some guys out in our lineup," junior captain Brad Marx said. "And the freshmen and underclassmen that have filled in have really stepped up and shown us what this team can be." Marx finished sixth in Ohio at 189 pounds. Senior Pete Klebba and junior Justin Root also finished sixth at 135 and 160 pounds, respectively. Junior Travis Hughes placed fourth at 152 pounds, while juniors Ryan Feeley and Kevin Clark took fifth at 130 and 152 pounds, respectively. "I definitely think it was a great confidence booster going to a different state and taking first," said Clark, a captain. "It just boosts the team's morale."

Adam credits his entire team for the success they are enjoying, but he gives a particular nod in the direction of his junior class and a quick-to-grow-up freshmen class. "We have freshmen that aren't acting like freshmen and a great junior class that's been stepping up big," Adam said. "That makes things a lot easier." The freshmen surge, according to team members, is due to a combination of the Howell Hurricanes, Howell's junior program, and solid leadership on the varsity squad. "The (younger wrestlers) just need to get into the program and learn how we run things here and once they do, they all fall into place," said Root, a captain. "They've been doing a pretty good job." "When I came in my freshman year, I screwed around," recalled Clark. "A lot of kids did. This year's freshmen class, a lot of them came in and have really done a good job. I think our junior program has really stepped up and it's turning the the (high school) program into a state power."

Howell has gotten off to a solid start in the Kensington Valley Conference season, downing Milford 47-26 in its first dual. With the progress they've shown to this point, it's likely the Highlanders are eyeballing bigger goals down the road. But at this point, none is bigger than the prize right in front of them. "Our next thing is just to win the KVC," Root said. "We have to beat Hartland to do that and they've always been a top competitor in the state. So, we have to win the KVC before we can do anything else." Even with the recent success they've enjoyed, Howell's not about to relax. The Highlanders have already found out what happens when you begin feeling too good about yourself. "There's always work that you've got to do,' Marx said. "I think at the beginning of the season we may have had too much confidence, maybe thinking that, 'It's just Fowlerville. Maybe we can take it easy.' But you've always got to watch out because when people know who you are, they're always coming after you."

Howell wrestlers notch KVC sweep

By Rick Shepich
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - Originally published January 22, 2006

MILFORD — As the meet neared its end, it appeared as though the Howell wrestling team might suffer its first dual meet loss since the season opener against Fowlerville. Until Highlanders' captain Brad Marx decided otherwise, that is.

Trailing 31-27 to South Lyon Friday night, Marx needed only 1 minute, 7 seconds to pin his opponent and give Howell a 33-31 win over the Lions. "I knew everybody was counting on me and I think everybody counting on you pushes you to another level and you just pick it up," said Marx, who wrestled at 189 pounds. "It feels great." Howell coach Joe Adam said he didn't want Marx to approach the deciding match any differently than he would any other match. "Deep in your mind you're thinking, 'A pin here and we win,'" Adam said. "But the last thing you want a kid to do is go out there trying to pin a kid and wrestling his way. I told (Marx) to make sure he got the win first and anything else on top of that we'll take."

The entire Howell team was on its feet throughout the match, but junior captain Justin Root said there was never a doubt that Marx would take care of business. "I felt confident," Root said. "(Marx) is a big, strong kid and he knew what he needed to do and he went out and wrestled very well." At 160 pounds, Root helped put Howell in position to win with a pin just two matches prior to Marx's match-winner. Root's pin, his second of the night, gave the Highlanders a 27-25 lead with two matches remaining. His first came during Howell's 56-13 win over Brighton.

In that match, the Bulldogs started strong, winning two of the first three matches to take a 7-6 lead. After Brighton won by void at 103 pounds, the Bulldogs led 13-6.

Ross Barrett opened the match by defeating Marx 11-7 at 189 pounds. After Howell's Kevin Clark recorded a pin in 2:54 at 215 pounds, Brighton's Alex Strachan bested Jordan Eshelman 14-2 in the 275-pound weight class.

After that, however, the Highlanders won the final 10 matches to cruise to the win. Mike Cushing, Pete Klebba, Mike Lewis, Chad Janes and Root all recorded pins for Howell during that stretch. Klebba's came13 seconds into his bout and it took Lewis just 59 seconds to notch his pin. Clark and Cushing joined Root as the only wrestlers to record two pins on the night.

"This is such a competitive league no matter who you're wrestling and if you're not careful, somebody's going to step up and sting you," Adam said. Adam was particularly pleased with a pair of freshmen who got wins in their first varsity matches.

Eric Potere won both of his matches at 125 pounds, the first coming in dramatic fashion. With the match tied 3-3 against Brighton's Alex Han, Potere pulled off a reversal with less than 30 seconds remaining to earn a 5-3 win. He won his second match 12-7. Freshman Brad Morrison also pulled out an impressive win against South Lyon. Morrison led 4-3 with time running out, but his opponent got loose, earned one point to tie the match as time expired. Morrison then got a takedown in overtime to win 6-4.

Howell finishes second at home invite, Brighton earns 11th place

By Rick Shepich
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS - Originally published December 11, 2005

HOWELL — You always want to win your own tournament and the Howell wrestling team came oh-so-close Saturday.
In the end, Flint Kearsley edged the Highlanders to win the 5th annual Herm Wilkinson Highlander Classic, 177.5 to 175.

Howell needed a win in just one of the seven fifth-place matches it had wrestlers in to sneak past the Hornets, but all seven wrestlers fell in their final match.

Brighton finished 11th out of 18 teams with 71 points.
Despite the runner-up finish, Howell coach Joe Adam was pleased with the way his team wrestled this early in the season.

"I'm very happy with the way we wrestled," Adam said. "We only had one guy in a (championship) match, but we had 11 guys in placing matches. We've still got a long way to go."

That "one guy" Adam referred to is Mike Cushing. Just a freshman, Cushing entered the meet as the sixth seed and proceeded to pin his way through the 103-pound weight division. He notched a 4-0 mark on the day to win the championship, recording a pin in each match. Despite being in just the third week of his high school wrestling career, Cushing's win didn't come as much of a surprise to Adam. "Mike's got a ton of ability," Adam said. "It usually takes freshmen awhile to get adjusted to wrestling more mature kids than them, but Mike's got a ton of experience. He's a kid that wrestles all year round and nothing he can do is going to surprise us because we expect a lot out of him." Cushing's championship may not have surprised Adam, but it did catch one person a bit off guard. "I wasn't expecting to win," Cushing said. "I had a pretty good day today, the competition was pretty tough."

After Cushing and its seven sixth-place finishers, Howell's Ryan Feeley finished third at 125 pounds, Brad Marx was third at 189 pounds and Kevin Clark took third at 215 pounds.

Glads, Howell renew rivalry
Wrestlers square off in dual for the first time since 1992

Howell's Jordan Eshelman defeated Jay DeGarmo
of Perry 8-0 and won his second match by pin in 1:33

Maybe that made Wednesday night's opening-night match all the more important.

In the end it was Fowlerville that came out on top of a back-and-forth, see-saw affair, 40-27.
"This was definitely a good one to win," Fowlerville coach Chris Tyle said. "It was huge, but really we just want to get better every week. There were a lot of close matches that could have gone both ways."

Despite not facing off in a dual meet in the last 13 years, it seemed that the rivalry picked up right where it left off. Fans erupted when their team scored a pin or crucial points. Wrestlers from both teams spent the entire match on their feet yelling encouragement to their competing teammates. It was certainly an exciting way to kick off the 2005-2006 season.

Despite not facing off in a dual meet in the last 13 years, it seemed that the rivalry picked up right where it left off. Fans erupted when their team scored a pin or crucial points. Wrestlers from both teams spent the entire match on their feet yelling encouragement to their competing teammates. It was certainly an exciting way to kick off the 2005-2006 season.

"Anytime you get two schools close to each other, it's a natural rivalry," Howell coach Joe Adam said.

Fowlerville jumped out to a 10-0 lead after two matches, but the Highlanders won the next five matches to gain a 19-10 advantage. The Gladiators won two of the next three matches to make the score 23-22, then took the lead when Brian Karmolinski pinned Howell's Rusty Losey in under a minute. Fowlerville never looked back from there, winning three of the final four matches to secure a 2-0 start to the season.

One Fowlerville wrestler in particular notched a milestone win against Howell (1-1), making the night that much sweeter. Senior Vinnie Tyle kicked off the dual with his 100th career win, beating Howell's Ryan Root 16-3. "It feels real good," Tyle said. "I've been waiting to get it since last year. And it's great to beat a big school and a great wrestling program like Howell. We're basically next-door neighbors." Tyle also recorded a pin in his first match over the Pirates' Jake Rau with 11 seconds remaining in the first period.

For the Highlanders, opening night provided a bit of an eye-opening experience. "We weren't happy with what we did tonight," Howell captain Pete Klebba said. "This team's got potential, but potential doesn't mean anything if we don't work. It's a good rivalry, but now Howell's got a lot of work to do to catch up. An early loss like this will motivate our team." Klebba won both of his matches, defeating the Gladiators' Wesley Schultheis 12-3 and recording a pin in the other.

Though the Howell-Fowlerville dual was the highlight of the night, Pinckney and Perry also joined the fray. In the first round of duals, the Gladiators topped the Pirates 63-15, while the Highlanders held on to beat the Ramblers 46-26. Perry went on to down Pinckney 46-28 in each teams' second match of the night.

Energy: Turn It on When You Need It (By Steve Fraser) April 18, 2006

Energy in competition is very important. Low energy means poor performance. Low energy can result from over-training, lack of rest, or eating poorly among other things. It is also common for athletes to have low energy when they are not challenged. Maybe they thought their opponent was going to be too easy, or on the other hand, that there is no way that they can win.

How does one turn it up when the situation calls for it? How do you get energized when you are down? How do you change from feeling low to feeling high thus getting into your “ideal competitive state” which will allow you to wrestle to your best potential?

I went to the book, The Achievement Zone, by Shane Murphy, Ph.D. for some answers.

One of the most spectacular upsets in Olympic history happened in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It was in the 10,000 meter race where the favorites were supposed to duke it out. Ron Clarke of Australia who was the world record holder, defending champion Pyotr Bolotnikov of the Soviet Union, and 5,000 meter winner Murray Halberg were the guys to watch. The American runner, Billy Mills was a complete unknown whose best time was a minute slower then Clarke’s world record. However, Billy Mills astonished the world by beating these favorites and winning the gold medal.

Half way through the race Mills thought he would have to quit. Clarke had a pattern of surging on every other lap which made it extremely difficult to keep up with him. “At one point I was going to go one more lap, take the lead, and go one more. That way, if I had to quit, it would be while I was winning,” said Mills. But at just that moment, Mills noticed Clarke looking back over his shoulder. My God! He’s worried, thought Mills. “From that point on, it was - I am here to stay.”

With less than three laps to go in the race, the clear leaders were Clarke, Mills, and another runner, Mohammed Gammoudi of Tunisia. In the backstretch of the final lap came the moment that electrified the crowd.

As they lapped some of the other runners, Mills was on the outside of Clarke, a perfect tactical position. Desperate to get space, Clarke gave Mills two nudges before shoving him out of the way, sending him sprawling to the outside. At that moment Gammoudi shouldered between both of them and sprinted into at ten-yard lead. Mills describes the closing moments.

“There were probably seventy-five thousand people sreaming in the stadium, but all I could hear was the throbbing of my heart. In my mind, in a kind-of self-hypnosis, I was reliving my training sessions at Camp Pendleton…Every day of my training, in my mind, I went by Clarke just a second before the finish, and I’d win. But this was real…I kept thinking, One more try. One more try…With about eighty yards to go they were five or six yards ahead of me, and I thought, I may never be this close again. Drive! Drive! I knew I had won. I knew I might not get to the tape first, but I knew that at that stage I was the fastest man on the track, and if I had enough time I would go past them…Then I felt the tape break across my chest. I came to a stop, and a Japanese official came running up to me and said, “Who are you? Who are you?”

With his dramatic gold medal, Billy Mills, a twenty-four-year-old man of Sioux heritage, became an American legend. He proved his win was no accident by breaking the world record the next year.

How did Billy Mills do this? How did he energize his mind and body to exceed his best performance and defeat these great runners in the most revered event ever…the Olympic Games? How can we as wrestlers do the same thing? How do we make certain that we will have plenty of energy when we need it?

First we need to learn how to give ourselves energy. We need to know how to psych our selves up at critical moments. Our thoughts and feelings, the attitudes we bring to the performance all affect our energy level.

In Billy Mills’s case, the physical training he did at Camp Pendleton was critical for his development as a runner. But his mental preparation helped him develop energizing thoughts which gave him the extra boost when he really needed it. He used these thoughts in the Olympics when he told himself One more try, one more try, and when he yelled to himself, Drive! Drive!

Energize your thinking. No matter how much you enjoy what you are doing there will be times when you need to psych yourself up. Whether it is at the end of a tough work day or it is at the end of a tough wrestling match, you are going to be tired. Your thoughts are critical in how you control your energy level. Your thoughts can either drain energy away, leaving you zapped and unable to perform, or they can give you new energy and excitement.

Energizing your thoughts is very important. Thinking positive will help you generate the energy needed to perform at your best. Thinking positive, especially in tough exhausting situations, can be difficult. But this is what separates the medalists from the rest.

Focus on energizing images. Use your creative thinking skills to visualize seeing yourself as a fine tuned machine or a powerful locomotive racing down the rail road track. Nothing can stop you!

Imagine excellence in all you do and focus on the desired result. See yourself throwing that Russian wrestler through the air right on to his back. Imagine you standing on the awards podium accepting the Olympic gold medal. Take time to really feel the moment.

Use energy cue words to ignite your performance. Using words like: Go, go! Explode! Blast off! Nothing can stop me! Here is where I take off! Watch me now! These words, or words like it, can cue you to step-up when needed. Remember what Billy Mills said to himself in the last stretch of the race.

Focus on things you can control. Low energy often is a result of feeling out of control. To combat this try focusing on the things you can change or manage. Try focusing on the great execution of your technique as opposed to winning the tournament. These are called performance goals. You can control how you execute or what tactics and strategy you use. You can’t always control the end result.

Challenge yourself! It is common to feel flat when you feel you have no chance of reaching your goal. Again focus on smaller execution type goals. Goals that when you reach them tell you that you are improving. Think big at the same time. Why settle for mediocrity when you can achieve the unbelievable?

Look energized! Remember the old adage “You look good, you feel good.” Well, the same is true for energizing. You will make yourself feel more energized when you look more energized. Walk, talk and act as if you have a lot of energy. Shoulders back, a skip in your step, increase the pace of your activity. Studies have shown that acting out strong emotion can actually cause an emotional physiological response, so act energized!

Remember a time when you had high energy. Think back on a time when you felt great and your performance was spectacular. Again use your creative thinking skills to visualize that event and try to recapture the feeling you had that helped you achieve that success.

Learn something new. Learning something new helps to stimulate your energy juices. A characteristic of high achievers is that they love doing new things and learning new skills. They are always searching for new techniques and methods to try. Learning new moves, tactics and strategies helps to make wrestling more fun which heightens our energy.

Have fun! Having fun with our sport is the key to being successful at it. Life is too short not to enjoy it every step of the way. Dr. Jerry May of the University of Nebraska, a sport psychology consultant for the U.S. sailing team, has studied hundreds of elite performers in sport and business. He finds that a characteristic shared by highly successful people is a sense of humor. So always remember to enjoy the battle!

Remember that high energy means high performance. Learn all the ways that help you bring your energy to your performance and you will wrestle to your utmost potential.

Expect to win!

Recovery Between Two Bouts in One Day (By Steve Fraser) December 20, 2005

We have probably all had those tournaments where we felt stronger each match we encountered. Where we felt like we were hitting on all cylinders and nothing could stop us. And at the end of the day we were still hungry for more. Our attitude was one of: “Bring it on!”

Like-wise… we probably have all had those tournaments where we felt tired and sluggish. Where our bodies felt brittle and stiff. And as each match was completed we got even more tired, weak and stiff. Where each match was a struggle to get up and ready for. Ugh!

On the day of a wrestling competition we all want to feel good and at our best. Of course we want this so that we can perform at our highest potential. And even if we start the day feeling good, as the day goes on we all have a tendency to get tired and sore from the grueling matches and struggles. Both mentally and physically we can start to exhaust ourselves. This is natural and expected. However, if we practice proper recovery techniques and tactics through-out the day, we can eliminate a lot of the negative and increase our potential to perform at our peak level.

Recovery between bouts on a given day of competition is very important when trying to wrestle to our best potential. How we act and what we do in between matches can often determine how well we feel through-out the entire day. Obviously the goal is to recover as much as possible from one match to the next, allowing for maximum performance in each bout.

Momir Petkovic, my assistant coach, and I recently put together a report addressing match recovery entitled: Recovery Between Two Bouts in One Day. Momir presented this report to approximately 65 international coaches at the FILA Coaches Conference which was held in Rome, Italy this past November 2005. In this months column I would like to share this report:

Recovery Between Two Bouts in One Day; A report to the FILA Coaches Conference:

This report includes techniques and tactics on how to recover in between two bouts in one day of competition.

Initial Warm Up:
First of all a good initial warm-up at the beginning of the competition day (before the first bout) is essential in properly preparing ones mind and body to compete effectively. This warm-up will help to ensure that the wrestler performs to his/her best potential throughout the entire day of competition. The warm-up can be very individual in nature depending upon the wrestler’s preferences and mentality.

An example warm-up should/could include the following:
* Slow/Light Jogging
* Stretching, Bridging (all joints and muscle groups)
* Drilling, Favorite Technique
* Sprint Wrestling /Explosion – getting hear rate up (195-205 beats/minute) (simulate match)

Good warm-ups should include the main components such as:
1. Easy progress in activity. This means starting slow and gradually increasing the intensity of the warm-up.
2. Good stretching of all muscles and joints.
3. Good squeezing and applying pressure on various body parts.
4. Stretching the lungs and cardiovascular system (heart).
5. Fast twitch muscle explosion and sprinting.

In Between Two Bouts:
In between bouts there are a variety of techniques and tactics that should be focused on to increase the potential of recovery and preparation for the next bout. We have divided those tactics into two stages. The first is the recovery stage and the second is the preparation stage. The recovery stage includes the time immediately following the end of the match… until the time when the wrestler will start to prepare for his next match. The preparation stage, of course, begins when the wrestler is starting to prepare for his/her next match… up through the actual match itself.

Here are some points to focus on in the recovery stage:

Recovery Stage:
* Relax, bring heart rate back to normal
* Stretch muscles, cool down
* Thinking about the good things from the match and do some match analysis
* Mentally relax to conserve energy before a match (focus on something other than your match before the time comes to warm-up for the next match)
* Fluid intake, replenish water, maybe a sport drink
* Food intake, light sport bars or fruit (individual preference)
* Massage, Relax, Recover muscles
* Avoid watching other matches, especially teammates, to limit stress, go elsewhere. This is optional. Some wrestlers like to watch other matches including their teammates
* It is important for athletes to sit down and cool down before they warm-up for the next match

Here are some points to focus on in the preparation stage:

Preparation Stage:
* Start focusing for the next match
* Athlete reminds them self of past successes and how they have every right/opportunity to win
* Keep mental edge, Scouting, Strategy planning
* Begin warm-up – individual focus
* Moving faster, pulse back up, pummeling
* Nice, good stretching and flexibility
* Get ready for the match mentally and physically
* The Warm-up can be less intense than initial warm-up

If there is an actual session break, where the wrestling tournament is stopped for a period of time, then here are some additional points to consider:

Session Break:
* Sleep between sessions is important (give body and mind a break from stress)
* Important for athlete to find their individual system and strategy for staying mentally relaxed, getting the right amount of rest, fluids and nutrients.

Coaches Tips:
Things coaches should think about and communicate to their wrestler during the time in between two bouts.

After the match:
* Congratulate the wrestler; using positive feedback
* Relax wrestler and let him/her cool down
* Give constructive feedback on previous match
X- Things done well, what can be improved, adjust tactics, strategy
* Then let wrestler relax. Be careful not to over-load wrestler
* Let athlete dose off to rest mind and body

Preparation for the next match:
* As the next bout draws nearer, coach should prep his wrestler for the next opponent
* Discuss strategy, etc.
* Athlete should feel positive vibe from coach about his next opponent (does not matter if opponent is a 5 time World Champion)
* Make sure athlete does light warm-up
* Keep wrestler appraised of approximate time before next bout

In summary, the recovery that can be maximized in between two bouts in one day of competition plays an important role in increasing the wrestler’s potential of performing at his highest level. By first getting a good initial warm-up at the beginning of the day (morning) and then by following proper relaxation and recovery techniques and tactics, followed by very effective preparation and warm-up activities, you will enhance the wrestler’s ability to perform at his/her greatest potential. Coaches and wrestlers both play an important role in ensuring maximum recovery and preparation in between bouts. As always…expect to win!

Make Your Opponent Quit - By Steve Fraser (October 23, 2006)

Making your opponent quit takes practice and skill. This article will focus on how you can start to build habits that will allow you to break your opponent’s mental and physical limits, thus making them quit. There are very specific tactics you can perform that will help you to make your opponent quit, both in practice and in a match.

What does “making your opponent quit” look like?

• Backing up – Your opponent or training partner starts giving ground as you attack them – back peddling.
• Stopping as soon as they get close to “out of bounds” - The moment they get close to the edge of the mat they stop wrestling.
• Takes a long time to get back to center (once they go out of bounds) – Catching their breath, adjusting kneepads, shorts, and socks are sure signs of the breaking process.
• Inactivity – Inactivity on the mat while wrestling. Stalling and not hustling.
• Showing signs of desperation - Your opponent will start making bad shots in desperation or giving up good position.
• Complaining – Complaining to the official or their coach. Showing frustration.
• Stumbling - Showing signs of physical fatigue.
• Short bursts of anger with intensity – This can mean they are stymied and desperate. It can mean they are trying to give a last-ditch effort before they break!
• Not getting off their back – When you turn them to their back they just lay there.

Pushing your opponent past their perceived limitations (physically, mentally and emotionally) will force them to lose focus. It will destroy their concentration and will break their confidence. Mentally they will start to think that you are too tough for them. They will think you are too conditioned for them. They will start to doubt whether or not they can actually beat you. Physically they will feel the pain of fatigue as they gulp for more oxygen to fill their lungs. Emotionally they will start to surrender, giving up any hope or thoughts of winning.

Pushing your opponent to this state is the key to winning. The more you do this to your wrestling partner the more you will learn to see the signs of breaking which should motivate you to experiment and expand these tactics. Understanding and developing these strategies will allow for many great options as far as offensively attacking your opponent. It will open up a whole new world of wrestling for you.

Here are 10 ways to make your opponent break in practice, thus honing and developing these skills for when you are in a match:

1. Out pummel your opponent: This means you will dictate the pace and the movement. Physically you will move faster with change in direction. You will push and pull them keeping them off balance and forcing them to move in a manner that they are not intending to move. This pummeling attack should include many tie-up changes. You should circle one way and then the other. Tie up left, then right, then two-on-one, then under-hook, then shot, then arm drag attempt. Again… tie left, right, push, pull, under-hook, circle, snap, and foot-sweep. This should be the method of attack.

This is what I call your “dance”. It is your physical wrestling movements that you have honed into your normal wrestling attack. You must create your own personal “dance” that in time becomes your natural method of attacking your opponent. This dance should be physical but at the same time should be smooth and rhythmic.

2. Make first contact: In matches, when you go out of bounds, you always hustle back to the center of the mat, eagerly waiting for your opponent to arrive, and then always make the first contact when the bout resumes.

3. Always turn them: When you take your opponent down, you turn them right away (no stopping to let them up). Most wrestlers will pause or relax after they get taken down. This is not only a chance to break them but is a great time to score as well.

4. Force them up: If there is no action on the mat after you have taken your opponent down, you don’t just let them up. You gently or forcibly push them up from behind. As they stand up you spin them around, getting right back in their face.

If you try to push them up and they do not stand up (they stay down in the referees position), then you circle out to the front of them and pull them up to their feet by cupping your hand under their chin and pulling them up, getting right back in their face… pushing, pulling and pummeling again. Or you may select to snap them right back down to the mat, going behind for another takedown.

Another tactic if your opponent will not stand up is to circle out to the front but instead of pulling them up, you push down on their head with one of your hands, then with the other hand. You continue to push their head down two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight times alternating hands until they get the picture that you will not let up on them.

5. Keep wrestling in all situations: If your opponent takes you down and then stops wrestling (maybe to let you back up to your feet), you continue to wrestle, jumping at the chance to reverse them or take them down when they pause. The idea is that you continue to wrestle in all situations.

6. Always fight off your back: If you ever get put on your back you always fight off no matter what – you never stop wrestling. If your opponent stops wrestling to let you up you come up full-force immediately attacking them. Have the attitude “How dare you just let me off my back. You just robbed me of the chance to improve on how to get off my back.”

7. Make them fight off their back: If you turn your opponent to their back and they stop wrestling… you don’t! After you pin them, you either:
A) Hold them for a time (loosely or tightly), forcing them to keep wrestling.
B) You tell them “Come on, keep fighting!”
C) You loosen your hold - allowing for them to fight off their back. Then you immediately turn them again with either the same hold or a different one. As long as you are turning your opponent and continuing to score points - you keep them down. When and if you get tired of turning them is when you pull them up getting right back in their face.

8. Wrestle after the whistle: When you go out of bounds you continue to wrestle for 2 seconds after you hear the whistle. One…this will leave an impression in the officials mind that you are more aggressive. Two…whenever your opponent stops wrestling and you don’t, it will break him a bit more.

9. Keep your opponent wrestling: When your opponent stops wrestling in the middle of your go (in practice) to tie their shoe, adjust their shorts, or fix their t-shirt…you continue to wrestle them. If you are kind enough to let them actually do this (which I don’t recommend) then at a minimum - you hover over them, just inches away from their body, eagerly anticipating continued engagement. The moment they finish tying, adjusting or fixing - you immediately engage again in the battle. The main point is you become like fly paper on them. Always in their face, always attacking, always pulling them up, pushing them down, or spinning them around. They should feel like you are on them constantly. No pauses, no breaks, no rests!

10. Fighting: If the battle ever gets heated where your opponent punches you (for whatever reason) you don’t let it faze you. You continue to attack like you hardly even noticed that they punched you. Now this doesn’t mean you can’t get more physical with your attack, but you always stay under control, never punching them back. Always just attacking them back. Remember, scoring points is the main objective and should be the ultimate payback for any un-sportsman like activity.

If they can punch you or foul you (for example, using legs in Greco) and that causes you to get mad and punch them back or complain, it is a sign that you are not focused and mentally strong enough to ignore it.

The idea is that nothing your opponent can do will take you out of your intense focused game plan of attacking. Nothing will intimidate you. Nothing will upset you. Nothing will deter your tenacious, relentless attack.

Think about it. The normal reaction to one wrestler punching another is that the wrestler getting punched will get mad. But just think what your opponent will think when they punch you and you just keep on coming. This is not the normal reaction from most wrestlers. They will think that you are an animal. They
may think you are crazy or that you are a fine tuned machine. This will break your opponent’s will to fight. Guaranteed!

Breaking your opponent where you make them quit takes an attitude that starts in practice. This attitude has to be experimented with, developed and practiced. You have to be willing to be a little rude when learning and demonstrating this tactic. I don’t care if your partners are friends or not…you have to put everything aside and force this attitude. It will sometimes feel impolite of you to stay in your wrestling partner’s face when they are kneeling down on the mat, tying their shoes, catching their breath or adjusting their shorts, but you must ignore this and stay in front of them - pushing them to keep wrestling. They may turn their back to you. Again, you must spin them around, never letting them rest.

Remember, if you master this attitude in practice it will become your method of operation in your matches too.

Get in the Wheelbarrow! By William Scherr (November 10th, 2005)

My wrestling career was successful by most measures. I won National and International Championships at almost every level. Not a single day goes by, however, that I do not look back with regret because I realize that I could have been better and done more if I would have been fully committed to my sport. Could I have won the Olympics if I was not taking graduate school classes at the same time? Should I have been living in the same city as my brother and training with him every day? Could I have been more thorough in my approach to lifting weights and nutrition? The list of questions goes on and on and the answer to most of them leaves me wondering. What could I have accomplished if I was fully committed?

What type of commitment does it take to reach your full potential? In the 19th century a French tightrope walker, Jean Francois Blondin, gained fame by walking over Niagara Falls on a 3 inch round strand of manila rope that stretched over 1100 feet and was 160 feet above the dangerous rapids below. He first crossed successfully in 1867 and made numerous trips later, each more bold. He crossed blindfolded, with a man on his back and finally pushing a wheelbarrow. As the story goes, after crossing with the wheelbarrow he asked the crowd if they believed he could push a man across in the wheelbarrow. They answered enthusiastically in the affirmative. However, they were not as enthusiastic in their belief when he asked for a volunteer to get into the wheelbarrow so he could push them across the Falls. That would have required them to commit their very lives to their belief. And that is the type of effort that it requires to fully succeed at any endeavor, especially at the highest levels of wrestling.

Are you giving your entire life—your very self in the effort? Many will not because they do not believe strongly enough that they will be successful even if they give their full effort. Others, like me, were able to rationalize their chances for success without putting forth the full effort. I firmly believe that if you make a full commitment that it will be difficult for you not to succeed. And, in the worst case, you will be able to look back when you are finished and not wonder what you might have done if you were fully engaged.

“There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you are interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit. When you are committed to do something, you accept no excuses, only results.” I am not sure who said that but it is very true for our sport. If you want to be fully committed then you will not let anything stand in your way. YOU CONTROL YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES! And that does not happen at the end of the year when you get to the NCAA Championships or World Championships. The effort has to be made now while you still have time to train. What obstacles are in your way of making a full commitment? Are you in the best training situation? Is your lifestyle conducive to proper training? Are you working with a sports psychologist and a nutritionist? Are you doing everything in your power to improve and get better? Are you placing yourself in the hands of your coach and listening to everything he or she is telling you?

How do you fully give yourself to achieving your goals? It is not that difficult as we all realize what is in our way of being our best. If you do not know what is holding you back ask your coach or a trusted advisor. Then eliminate every one of those obstacles in your way and train each and every day with full commitment. You may think your time competing is long but it really is a small portion of your life. For those in college it is a very short four years. International competitors may have five or ten years at most. Then it is behind you and you are left to wonder, “how good could I have been if…?” Get in the wheelbarrow now and eliminate all the “ifs” today and train to reach your goals. Because it is not enjoyable to look back and wonder…