- Michigan
D3 WRESTLING: Dundee downs rival Richmond for 12th state crown, third straight
KALAMAZOO — Dundee and Richmond entered yet another chapter into the annals of their wrestling rivalry Saturday night in the Division 3 finals, and for the third straight time it was Dundee which added to its championship resume.
Top-ranked Dundee captured wins in 10 of 14 weight classes and posted a 44-18 victory over No. 2 Richmond at Wings Arena.
“It never gets old. Each one is equally special ,” smiled Dundee head coach Tim Roberts.
“I got into this just because I wanted to help kids wrestle,” added Roberts. “I don’t think anyone could imagine us accomplishing all of this.”
After Richmond’s Josh Barton opened with a 4-3 decision in the 119-pound division to give the Blue Devils a brief 3-0 lead, Dundee (23-1) turned the tables with eight straight victories for 35-3 advantage and went on to capture the another crown as the top seed.
Aiden Davis (125) put Dundee up for good at 4-3 only two weight classes into the match with his 11-2 major decision, while Austin Fietz recorded a 6-4 overtime win at 130 to kickstart the run.
Dundee (23-1) not only captured its third straight crown, but 12th overall in a 25-year stretch. Dundee is now 8-7 all-time in state title matches — 5-4 against Richmond — and has reached at least the elite eight in Division 3/Class C-D 24 times in the last 25 years.
It marked the 10th straight season that either Dundee or Richmond won a state title and ninth time in 10 seasons the two rivals squared off in the title match. The only time in the past decade the two rivals did not face each other was in 2016, when Dundee defeated Remus-Chippewa Hills.
“We’ve had an incredible season. We’ve wrestled some nationally-ranked teams and we’ve beat some amazing programs,” Roberts said. “Now I won’t say that this is our best team. I’ll leave that to others to decide. But I think the kids all talk to each other who is the best and each year they want to keep our tradition going.
“In recent years, we’ve only averaged around 19-20 kids,” continued the coach. “This year we have 29 wrestlers on the team. We’ve grown. I think kids want to be a part of all of this.”
Dominick Lomazzo sat out last season after transferring over from Division 1 powerhouse Novi Detroit Catholic Central and recorded three wins over the weekend in aiding the Vikings’ effort.
“We’ve worked so hard for this,” smiled Lomazzo. “This is always the goal at this school — to win championships. We got it done (again).”
Richmond (26-5) slipped to 8-8 overall in state title matches, with all of those appearances coming since 1996, and all in Division 3.
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DUNDEE 44, RICHMOND 18
119: Josh Barton (R) d. Jacob Fenbert 5-4; 125: Aiden Davis (D) maj. dec. JD Gross 11-2; 130: Austin Fietz (D) d. Austin Kilburn 6-4 (OT); 135: Casey Swiderski (D) p. Austin Bergeon 4:23; 140: Kyle Yuhas (D maj. dec. Caleb Szlachtowiczj 13-4; 145: Christian Killion (D) maj. dec. Kevin McKiernan 9-0; 152: Tyler Swiderski (D) p. Regan Rewalt 1:13; 160: Dominick Lomazzo (D) maj. dec. Gavin Resk 10-2; 171: Stoney Buell (D) maj. dec. Wesley Peters 8-0; 189: Noah Montanari (R) d. Jaxon Guinn 4-2; 215: Luke Davis (R) p. Kaiden Hubbell 1:33; 285: Dan McKiernan (R) p. Dennis Root 1:54; 103: Braeden Davis (D) p. Noah Harris 3:15; 112: Kaden Chinavare (D) d. Hunter Keller (Richmond) Dec 6-3.
RECORDS — Dundee 23-1; Richmond 26-6
