Local grapplers take home All-State medals from The Palace

By Brad D. Bates
C & G Sports Writer

AUBURN HILLS — After 15 weeks of preparation for one night, the top high school grapplers in Michigan were honored March 6 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

As the individual state championships were decided on the mat, the All-State honorees were recognized in front of a record crowd that totaled 44,132 for the three-day event from March 4, the first round, to the finals.

“The fact that all eyes are on you,” Roseville High junior 215-pounder Chris Nash said of wrestling in a state-title match versus other rounds at The Palace.

“You look up in the crowd and people are filling up the upper decks, and when you get called out, you hear people cheer you. It’s a nerve-wracking experience, but it’s something to build on.”

Nash was one of five wrestlers from C & G Newspapers’ Oakland, Macomb and Wayne county coverage areas to wrestle for individual state championships, and while none came away with the ultimate prize, they — like all the competitors — left with a sense of accomplishment.

“Wrestle as hard as you can, and anything can happen,” said Macomb Dakota junior 130-pounder Greg Day of his experience at the finals after placing eighth in Division 1.

“I wasn’t supposed to place at this tournament, but I wrestled as hard as I could. When I wrestled the kid I wrestled first, I wasn’t supposed to beat that kid at all. After I beat him, I knew I could place.”

Below is a list of the wrestlers from our coverage area who earned All-State honors by placing among the top eight grapplers in their weight class.

The honorees are listed along with their grade, the schools they represent, their record, and their finishes at the individual final, regional and district meets, respectively

Division 1
103 pounds
Josh Wood, freshman, Rochester High, 36-6 (2,1,1)
112 pounds
Kaelan Richards, freshman, Rochester, 43-13 (7,1,2)

119 pounds
Kirk Wawrzyniak, sophomore, Roseville, 44-12 (7,1,2)

130 pounds
Greg Day, junior, Macomb Dakota, 53-11 (8,3,1)
Jeremy Stoian, senior, Troy Athens, 42-5 (5,1,1)

145 pounds
George Abro, senior, Athens, 47-9 (6,3,1)
Kevin Nash, senior, Roseville, 48-8 (3,2,2)
160 pounds
Josh Roberts, senior, Roseville, 51-7 (5,1,1)

171 pounds
Matt Hart, senior, Rochester Adams, 52-5 (4,2,1)

189 pounds
Nick Ditomaso, senior, Utica Eisenhower, 34-7  (8,3,1)
Chris Heald, senior, West Bloomfield High, 55-1 (3,1,1)
Marco Smallman, senior, Walled Lake Northern, 48-8 (6,3,2)

215 pounds
Nick Gajdzik, sophomore, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek, 43-9 (7,2,1)
Chris Nash, junior, Roseville, 53-3 (2,1,1)
Willie Stewart, senior, Lake Orion, 50-14 (6,3,3)

285 pounds
Mikhail Prince, senior, Royal Oak High, 44-11 (8,2,2)

Division 2
119 pounds
Chris Aiken, senior, Warren Woods Tower, 36-10 (4,2,3)

125 pounds
Shane Dutton, senior, Lamphere, 48-6 (5,1,1)

130 pounds
Victor Vettese, junior, Avondale, 41-3 (2,1,1)

145 pounds
Ryan Watts, senior, Ferndale, 41-3 (2,1,1)

160 pounds
Kevin Beazley, sophomore, Farmington Hills Harrison, 53-7 (7,3,2)

171 pounds
Chevez Farris, sophomore, Ferndale, 33-8 (6,1,1)

189 pounds
Nick Gattes, senior, Madison Heights Lamphere, 50-8 (3,3,1)
Jackson Lewis, junior, Lamphere, 45-7 (2,1,2)

215 pounds
Kody Crocker, senior, Ferndale, 31-12 (8,2,1)

285 pounds
Michael Hooper, junior, Warren Lincoln, 36-8 (6,2,1)
Keith Williams, senior, Ferndale, 25-7 (5,4,3)

You can reach Sports Writer Brad D. Bates at bbates@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1029.