A senior promise and a third grader?s dream are fulfilled
There has been a whole lot of local sports history rewritten the last couple of weeks. There was the Huron wrestlers making their first appearance in the state championship match in Battle Creek. The Posen basketball team made history themselves by qualifying for the final four for the first time ever. Sandwiched between the excitement generated by those respective sports programs, two young men from Rogers City reached the pinnacle of individual high school wrestling.
Senior Chris Rhode (189 pounds) and junior Dylan Centala (130) won state championships March 12 at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Endless determination and a never-quit work ethic prevailed as these young men went through the course of their seasons of greatness.
“I’ve had a lot of hardworking teams over the years, but this is by far the hardest-working group I’ve ever had from 103, all the way up to 275,” said Lamb. “There was nobody on the team that took a day off.”
Leading the way, on and off the mat, were Centala (55-3) and Rhode (57-2).
The senior got his first taste at The Palace as a sophomore, but didn’t place. His next trip down found him near the middle of the pack at sixth place. Like the Hurons’ first-ever state champ Andy Keller, Rhode stepped off the podium as a junior with a goal of not finishing lower than first the next time he got there. “He prepared himself all year, as a means to an end,” said Lamb. “The team state experience of being in front of that crowd at team state didn’t hurt matters either. It made those kids more prepared for what they needed to accomplish.”
With quickness that isn’t typical of a 189-pound wrestler, Rhode lost only one match during the regular season. The other loss came in the regional championship match when Chris had the flu. He wouldn’t lose again, dominating all four of his opponents at state. In the state championship match, anxious fans didn’t have to wait past the first period, as Rhode pinned Mike Gear of Burton Bendle in 1:38. Rhode ended up tied with Greg Pietsch and Casey Viegelahn for most wins in a season. He had 181 takedowns, 25 escapes, 26 pins, and 369 points, which is second-most in a season.
The state title match might be Chris’ last, because he will be attending Alpena Community College in the fall and there’s no wrestling program there. Nothing like going out on top.
Centala had to overcome adversity at state to become the first RCHS junior to ever take a title. Dylan injured his arm in the second period of his semifinal match. “We watched it on tape several times,” said Lamb. “Quite honestly, I don’t know how he didn’t break his arm. When you watch it on tape it just makes you cringe.” But Centala would not be denied. He finishe
While the injury bothered him more than a week after the team finals this year, it wasn’t going to ruin his focus against Lance Bice of Addison in the finals. The fact that Dylan had been so close in previous visits to state made him want it all the more. “This is a young man who has dreamed about being a state champ since he was in the third grade,” said Lamb. ” I knew that it was just a matter of time. We were hoping for a four-time state champion, but we’ll settle for two.”
Centala broke the school record of Duane Woloszyk with 379 team points this season. Woloszyk held the record of 359 since 1999. The bar has been raised pretty high in Rogers City. What will it take to rewrite history again next season? A winning attitude and more hard work. Two ingredients which are expected to spill over into next season.