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Top 15 Wrestling teams a first for State Champs – Lowell our first No. 1
Grand Rapids – Like every sport in the state of Michigan, tradition plays a huge part in putting a great team together every year.
Once you get that tradition, athletes at a young age want to be part of winning, so they come up through systems to help. And that feeder system works no matter what sport is competed.
The sport of wrestling in the state of Michigan is a true indicator of this, as every the top of rankings are your traditional powers.
This year is no different, as State Champ Sports unveils its initial Power 15 teams in the state.
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Lowell – The Red Arrows, the reigning state champs in Division 2 are under new leadership this year, as former assistant coach R.J. Boudro moves into the head coaching position to take over for Dave Dean. One good thing for Boudro is that Dean left a full cupboard, led by three state champs in Lucas Hall, Max Dean and Josh Colegrove.
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St. Johns – Last year Lowell knocked off the Redwings in the state finals in an epic final, one that came down to a tiebreaker. The loss ended a streak of four straight state titles for St. Johns. This year is shaping up for another collision course for St. Johns and Lowell.
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Brighton – This may be a bit of a surprise to many, but coach Tony Greathouse has a great lineup, as the Bulldogs try to muscle their way into the elites of Division 1. One key reason this will happen is that Brighton did not lose one wrestler from last year.
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Dundee – Dundee, a long-time traditional power in the state, won its second straight Division 3 championship last year, and coach Tim Roberts has a loaded lineup this year to try and make it three straight. And in that loaded lineup is four great freshman in Zac Bellaire, Tylor Orrison, Kyle Motylinski and Brandon Whitman.
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Richmond – Like Dundee, the Blue Devils are a regular visitor to the state finals and the championship match. Before Dundee’s two state titles, Richmond won three straight, and these two teams look primed to make it to the finals again. Led by three-time state champion Devin Skatzka, this is great lineup.
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Davison – Coach Roy Hall always coaches for late February and the state finals. And always has his team ready to go in Battle Creek. This team should be no different, led by three-time state champion Lincoln Olson.
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New Lothrop – New Lothrop stopped one of the great runs in Michigan high school wrestling history last year. It ended Hudson’s state title streak at five in Division 4 with an impressive win over the Tigers in the championship match. Look for New Lothrop to defend its title with a lineup that has few holes.
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Hudson – Coach Scott Marry has it rolling at the school, and look for the Tigers to get back to the finals and try and recapture their crown with a team led by a pair of state champions in Roddy Hamdin and Kyle Johnson.
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Grandville – The Bulldogs made believers of a lot of wrestling people across the state when they beat Niles and Grand Rapids Catholic Central during an opening-night triangular of ranked teams.
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Detroit Catholic Central – Coach Mitch Hancock lost a lot of talent from last year’s state championship team, including four state champions, but never count the Shamrocks out.
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New Baltimore Anchor Bay – A big win over Hartland during the opening night pushes this team into the spotlight.
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Hartland – Coach Todd Cheney and his staff are trying to mold a young team in an attempt to try and make it to the state finals for 14 straight years.
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Niles – A scrappy group, the problem Niles has is that it’s in the same division as two greats in Lowell and St. Johns. But an appearance in the semifinals is a definite possibility.
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Grand Rapids Catholic Central – Coach B.J. Schroder has some holes to fill, but it is nice when you have returning state champions Devin Schroder, Nate Limmex and Foster Karmon to build around.
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Remus Chippewa Hills – Chippewa Hills is young, with an expected eight freshmen and sophomores in the lineup this year. But this team is use to making deep runs.
