Wrestlers take runner-up trophy in Division 4
If it wasn’t already, Rogers City Wrestling is certainly on the map now. Propelled by a strong 42-21 win over Bangor in the quarterfinals at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek Friday, and a stunning 33-32 win in the semifinals Saturday, the Hurons made it to the state championship match for Division 4. Rogers City ended up on the short end of a 45-22 score to powerful Addison (38-1) to finish higher than any other wrestling team in school history, taking home the runner-up trophy.
“Addison has been favored all year. I think we competed with them quite well,” said Huron coach Pat Lamb. “I don’t think there is anyone in Division 4 that could have given them a run.”
IT ENDED a tremendous run for the team at 25-5 gives it time to savor its success before concentrating on next year. “I’m so proud of my kids, and so happy for the seniors. We were able to come down here and not only get past the first round but get into the finals and have the opportunity to compete with a great team like Addison.” said coach Pat Lamb. “As young as our team is, it gives us something to shoot for in the future. I want to raise the bar, as far as our expectations for Rogers City Wrestling. These kids certainly raised the bar.”
IN THE finals the Hurons got on the scoreboard when Chris Rhode took a 7-4 decision after Addison had a 4-0 lead. Rhode, back at 189-pounds after bumping up to 215 for the semis, took a 5-2 lead into the third period and stayed in control for the win. Pins of Tyler Gorlewski and Scott Kamyszek had the Hurons down 16-3 with the lighter weights on deck. Junior 103-pounder Brian Krueger flipped his man and notched a pin at 3:21 and then Tharin Wilk won in overtime to make the score 16-12, Addison. Then sophomore Brent Freel, came up with a pin at 4:34 to give the Hurons an 18-16 lead. Mike Mierzwinski (125) was pinned in the second round then junior Dylan Centala went to work. Centala, a three-time state qualifier scored an 18-7 major decision to even the team score at 22-22. He won all three of his matches at the state meet. But that would be all the scoring the Hurons could muster.
ADDISON ANSWERED with a pin over Alex Matthews (135), then an 11-4 win over Cody Wenzel (140), Tyler Schuiteman, 11-2, Jerome Gapczynski, 16-1, and technical fall over Matt Tomas to end the scoring. “I’m so pleased for our program, our town and our especially our seniors, ,” coach Lamb said. “Chris Rhode has wrestled his butt off for four years and he went up a weight class at 215. The young man has 160 career victories. He was here as a manager the last time we were down here in 2000 and he has been striving to get back ever since. Now not only did we get back but we made it to the finals.”
Lamb praised the efforts of the other seniors for working hard during their careers as well, singling out Tyler Gorlewski, Matt Tomas, and Scott Kamyszek. “I couldn’t be happier with all the underclassmen. Our team is made up mostly of freshman and sophomores,” he said with an eye on the future.
MAKING IT to the finals stopped a few hearts along the way. Bronson, fresh off a 57-18 whipping of perennial power New Lothrop, Bronson came in with a head of steam and an army of fans who made the short drive north to Kellogg Arena. The teams squared off at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, each looking to advance to the championship match later that afternoon. Coach Lamb bumped a few wrestlers up a class and the strategy seemed to work in the early going. Rhode made quick work of John Franklin at 215, pinning his man in 1:07.
Then Gorlewski, wrestling at 275 instead of his normal 215, lost 6-2 to make the team score 6-3 for RC. Krueger lost 6-2 after leading 2-0 after the first period. Wilk got the Hurons back in the win column by pinning his man as time ran out in the first period (1:55) to make the score 15-3 for the Hurons. Wins by Aaron Losinski over Freel, and Anthony Klinger over Mierzwinski, brought Bronson back to within three points at 15-12. Centala (130) took his man down, then pinned him right in front of coaches Lamb, Chad Coolman and his father Andy to make it 21-12. Matthews (135) was pinned in 3:14 but Wenzel (140) took a 4-0 lead in to the third period and held on for a 4-2 win.
LEADING 24-18 at this point, the Hurons suffered three straight losses. Schuiteman (145) lost 16-10, Gapczynski (152) lost by technical fall, and Tomas (160) was pinned at 1:04. Needing a miraculous comeback, Rogers City got exactly that. Down 32-24 with just two matches to go, the Hurons needed a pin and a win to move by Bronson, with Chase McLennan and Mark Grulke the last hopes for the Hurons. The pin points didn’t come from a traditional pin, but rather a disqualification of Bronson senior Thad Himebaugh for a dangerous head slam of McLennan to the mat, which left the Huron freshman dazed for a few moments as medical staff attended to him.
Himebaugh picked up McLennan, who wrestled up one weight class in the semifinals, and with his left arm locked around McLennan’s, threw McLennan to the mat where he landed hard on his head. McLennan, who suffered a concussion in the football season last fall, was left face down for a minute until it was determined he could not go on. The referee awarded the six points to Rogers City because of the injury-causing stoppage, much to the disagreement of a vocal Bronson contingent.
COACH LAMB said it was the only call possible in that situation. “You don’t want to win under those circumstances, but then again you have to look out for the safety of the athlete,” Lamb said. “When (McLennan’s father Scott) came there conferring with the trainer, and knowing the history of the concussion with him and the trainer recommending he doesn’t wrestle, it is a pretty easy call.” McLennan’s history had much to do with the referee’s call, Lamb said.
“I’m well aware of the concussion problems, because he started wrestling late. He didn’t play in the last five games of the (junior varsity) football season because of concussion problems and he started wrestling late and just now is coming on,” Lamb said. “I was hoping that he would never take a hit like that this year. We’ve had very few head-to-head contacts with him this year, but it is something that we are always watching for. They (Bronson) still had the opportunity to win the match at 189 and the match went into overtime.”
THAT SET UP the final match for all the marbles–a berth in the Division 4 championship match. With the score 32-30 in favor of Bronson, the winner of the 189-pound match would send his team to the finals. Mark Grulke, also wrestling up a weight class, matched up with Bronson’s Anthony Rice, who had pinned New Lothrop’s Ethan Bishop in the second round of the quarterfinal match Friday. Grulke trailed 4-0 early in the first period, then drew to 6-4 at the end of the first two minutes. In the second, the Huron junior fell behind 11-7, but closed to 11-9 as the period closed. A reversal in the third period gave him two points and sent the match to overtime with everything on the line.
Grulke came through with a takedown tin the opening seconds to win 12-11 in overtime to send the Vikings packing and the Huron faithful in to hysteria. “Mark Grulke, a 171-pounder bumped up to 189, just gave it everything he had and won it on overtime. Now he knows why we drill those take-downs in practice so hard,” Lamb said. “I’m really proud of Mark. He took the whole team on his shoulders and carried us right through to the finals.”
ALMOST LOST in the accomplishments of the team in the semifinals and finals was the win in the quarterfinal round over Bangor. Bangor took its only lead as Jesse McDonald took a 9-2 win over Alex Matthews (15-31). But that would be the last time the Hurons would trail in the match. Dylan Centala came out on the attack, leading 5-0 before pinning freshman Cody Fletcher in 1:23 as the Hurons went up 6-3. A 4-2 win by Wenzel (42-10) and a major decision by Schuiteman (27-21) gave the Hurons a 13-3 lead. Schuiteman led 10-2 when a flip twisted his shoulder, causing an injury timeout in the third period, but he continued on for the win.
Gapczynski at 152-pounds suffered a 9-6 loss to junior Nick Tomsic (19-14) to make the score 13-6. Then McLennan got six more team points
BANGOR, NOT yet out of it, came back as Gorlewski (215) and Kamyszek (275) each were pinned to make the score 28-18. Then Krueger got the momentum going again with a pin 58 seconds into the second round. Wilk followed with a 20-8 major decision and Freel rang up a 12-1 major decision to put the lead at 42-18. Mierzwinski lost a hard-fought 4-0 decision to end the scoring.
“WE WERE able to avoid major injuries all year. We did have some sickness where we had to wrestle without some of our main guys, but for the tournament they were all healthy and ready to go. I’m so pleased. It is one of the shortest weekends I’ve ever lived. It few by,” Lamb said. “Rogers City wrestling is on the map.”