CHARLEVOIX — Like a broken record.
Benzie Central. Charlevoix.
Benzie Central. Charlevoix.
Benzie Central. Charlevoix.
On and on.
Both wrestling programs set records for the number of state finals qualifiers Saturday, with Benzie sending 13 to the individual finals at Ford Field in two weeks and the Rayders adding nine more in Division 4 individual regionals at Charlevoix.
Charlevoix regional 215-pound weight class champion Landon Swanson said the 27 Division 4 state qualifiers from area teams better be ready for the atmosphere at Ford Field in Detroit.
“It’s quite the experience when you have your first match down there,” said Swanson, who placed fifth in the state at 190 pounds last season. “It’s just electric. You don’t know how to feel. The nerves are crazy.”
The Huskies have traveled almost 3,000 miles this year while seeking out top competition. They’ll add a lot more in the next two weeks, going to the Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo next weekend for the team state finals and then Ford Field in Detroit the following weekend for the individual finals.
Benzie co-head coach Cody VanDonkelaar was honored as regional Coach of the Year, after the Huskies’ other co-coach, Josh Lovendusky, won it last year. VanDonkelaar coached at Benzie the last six seasons, with Lovendusky adding him as a co-head coach last season.
“I really can’t say enough about Josh Lovendusky as a person,” VanDonkelaar said. “He’s been here almost 20 years, and he basically let me run with things. It says a lot about a person when they can step back and say, ‘Here you go,’ and put that trust in somebody. I really could never thank Josh enough for what he’s done for me. I really can’t.”
Senior Fletcher Anderson (36-9) is Frankfort’s lone boys state final representative, taking fourth at 190 pounds. Along the way, he avenged a loss to Tawas’ Max Herrick in districts with a 57-second pin to earn a spot in the consolation finals.
Mancelona has two wrestlers going to the finals, both at the same weight class. Senior Jaymes Wildfong (39-1) won the 132-pound class, and sophomore Theodore Parzych (34-17) took third.
Inland Lakes sent two wrestlers to states, sophomore 126-pounder Wyatt Hanel and freshman 132-pounder Gus Carper. Hanel (30-4) placed second and Carper (24-12) was fourth.
Then there are the 22 qualifiers from Benzie and Charlevoix.
Benzie’s only wrestler who advanced from districts who didn’t qualify for the finals was freshman Cage Edingfield (25-12), who beat the region’s fourth-place finisher by pin in the opening round but then faced the eventual champion and third-place finisher to end 1-2 on the day.
The Huskies could have had another going to the finals as well, but 126-pounder Mason Childs is in the hospital recovering from an infection from surgery on his elbow. He would have been the regional’s No. 2 seed at 126.
“It takes more than just a coach, takes more than just the wrestler. It takes a family,” VanDonkelaar said. “Every time I look up in the stands, every parent’s there. We’ve got four crockpots sitting at the table. It says a lot about our parents. Our parents are so bought into what we’re doing here. They just are full of support and love. And not just love for their own kid; love for all the kids like we’re a family. We’re a unit.”
The Rayders produced three regional champions and the Huskies two.
Tyrone Brouillet (37-16) won an all-Huskie 157-pound finals, edging out teammate Conner Wenkel (34-15) by a tight 4-2 overtime decision. They also met in districts, with Brouillet escaping with a one-point win. Charlevoix’s Logan Wilks (30-12) took fourth at 157.
“We both knew what we’re doing, so we both had each other’s skillsets in mind,” Brouillet said. “It was really just go head to head and see who’s been putting in more work, I guess; but I can’t really say that because we both have been putting in pretty good work. If anything, he works harder than me. So at this point, I’d say it’s just luck.”
Jacob Gillison (42-7) won the 138-pound class by void after Iron Mountain’s Daniel Manier withdrew from the tournament due to illness after the semifinals. The Huskies’ Joe Morse (30-14) took third and Charlevoix’s Anthony Wise (20-16) fourth at 138.
Charlevoix won three of the four titles in the top weight classes, with 175-pound junior Brady Jess improving to 48-1 with a 6-1 championship decision over Rogers City’s Isaac Paull.
Swanson (43-2) won the 215-pound title with a 3:36 pin of Benzie sophomore Lane Sanchez (36-12) in a matchup of the division’s overall No. 1 and No. 4-ranked wrestlers.
Sophomore Sawyer Blasczyk (38-8) rounded out the Rayders’ top-heavy list of champions by taking a 4-1 decision against Benzie senior Ryan Kincaid (35-14) in the final. Charlevoix had a second entrant at 285, with senior Adam Streeter (23-8) taking third with a 2-1 consolation final victory.
Ben Matter (23-7) added to the Rayder medal haul with a third-place finish at 215, as did Trevor Streeter (39-6) at 190, giving Charlevoix five state qualifiers in the top three weights.
Matter was caught in a numbers game at Charlevoix, which was loaded in the upper weights the last few years. Getting his shot this postseason, he’s headed to states, taking third place with a 7-5 decision against Manistique’s Michael Bouche.
“He’s kind of been a backup for years, and he managed to make it to states this year as a second for us at 215, so that’s phenomenal,” Charlevoix head coach Mike Hinkle said. “His sister Kate came out for the team as a freshman, and she’s going to be wrestling tomorrow in Cadillac to try to get to state. I’m hoping we get both there. That’d be pretty cool.”
Charlevoix sophomore Jackson Fry (30-13) took second at 106 pounds.
Benzie’s other state qualifiers included sophomore Dayne Gillison (35-8, second at 113); junior Ben ReDidder (35-9, second at 120); junior Nathan Higgins (18-8, second at 132); senior Owen Cruden (40-10, second at 144), senior Dalton Geetings (34-15, third at 150); and senior Danny Wallington (19-10, fourth at 175).
Wallington, already an all-state athlete in baseball and football, now qualifies for states in wrestling in just his second year in the sport after winning a district crown last week.
“Two years in wrestling, he’s still learning every day, still learning the rules of wrestling,” VanDonkelaar said. “That says a lot about that kid right there.”
The Rayders set records each of the last three years for getting kids out of districts with nine, then, 10, now 11.
“Now we know we have to go for the medals,” Hinkle said.
The program’s previous record for state qualifiers was five, almost 10 years ago.