By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
DETROIT — A total of 25 local wrestlers competed in the MHSAA Individual Wrestling State Finals this weekend at Ford Field in Detroit, with the majority of them having solid performances.
Out of those 25, 15 ended up placing in the top eight in their respective weight classes, with three finishing in second place after falling in the championship matches Saturday evening. Wrestlers that finish in the top eight are considered All-State wrestlers.
The local performances were led this weekend by the three runner-up finishers, Lola Barkby of Sturgis, Brody Jones of Constantine, and Chaz Underwood of White Pigeon.
Barkby, who was the defending state champion at 120 pounds, wrestled at 125 pounds in the girls’ division this year. After winning her first three matches by pin to make it to Saturday evening, Barkby was pinned by Mason’s Cecelia Williams in 2:54 in the championship bout. The loss wraps up what has been a stellar career for the senior, who finished second at 120 pounds in 2022, fourth at 125 pounds in 2023 and the state title at 120 last season.
Jones wrestled in the Division 3 tournament at 157 pounds, winning by pin in the first round and by decisions in the next two rounds to make it to the championship. However, in the finals, Jones lost to Dundee’s Jeremy Amrheim in 1:17 to finish in second place.
Underwood made his second straight appearance in the 285-pound title bout in Division 4 to wrap up the evening, after notching two pins and a decision victory to make it to the final match of the night. He would lose a 3-1 decision to Leslie’s Tanner Craft, who he had lost to 4-0 earlier this season, in the championship bout to finish as runner-up for the second consecutive year.
Other local wrestling teams had solid performances throughout the weekend for their individual wrestlers. Centreville’s lone representative, 126-pounder Rockne Hamilton, lost his first match of the Division 4 tournament by an 8-7 decision, but rebounded to win the next two by technical fall and decision to guarantee himself a placement before losing by major decision to put him in the seventh-place match. In that bout, he would go on to lose by 11-2 major decision to Capac’s Samuel Schneider to finish in eighth place, but earn All-State recognition.
Outside of Jones, Constantine had one other Division 3 state placer in their lineup, 138-pounder Bear Geibe, who finished in fifth place after beating Chesaning’s Quinton Everett in the fifth-place bout Saturday by a 13-0 major decision. At 106, the Falcons’ Greysin Hopp went 1-2 on the weekend, with his lone win coming over Grand Rapids Catholic Central’s Peter Vu by pin in the first consolation round, and at 215, Evan Davidhizar won his first match by pin but lost his next two by sudden victory and major decision respectively to bow out at 1-2.
Marcellus sent four wrestlers – two boys and two girls – to the state finals, with three ending up placing in Division 4. On the girls’ side, 170-pounder Carlee Osborn took seventh place by pinning Whittemore-Prescott’s London Crossley in the second period to take home All-State recognition, and 125-pounder Madisyn Harrison finished in eighth place after falling by pin to Warren Mott’s Makayla Perdue-Daniels in the seventh-place bout.
For the boys, Brock Woodhouse was the Wildcats’ lone placer, winning seventh place at heavyweight after pinning Solomon Fisher of Mayville in 2:10 in the seventh-place bout. Marvin Jones Jr. competed at 215 pounds, but fell just shy of the placing rounds with a 1-2 record.
Both wrestlers Mendon sent earned All-State honors in Division 4. Ash Staffen at 106 pounds placed sixth, while at 190, J.T. Lux took home seventh place with a major decision over Ethan Wakefield of Saginaw Michigan Lutheran.
Sturgis sent one other wrestler to the girls’ tournament, 110-pounder Geovanna Cruz. Cruz went 0-2 on the day, losing by pin and major decision to fall short of the placing rounds.
Out of the six wrestlers Three Rivers sent, the most in the local area, two finished as Division 2 All-Staters. Louis Smith at 175 pounds finished in fifth place after pinning Detroit Martin Luther King’s Don Spillers in 31 seconds in the fifth-place bout, while at 215 pounds, Jaxon Smith took home a win in the seventh-place bout, defeating Joshua Golding of Warren Woods-Tower by pin in 1:39.
Also competing for Three Rivers were Gaven Babcock at 132 pounds, who went 0-2; Ethan Moreland at 138, who went 1-2 with a consolation-bracket major decision victory; Ayden Keller at 144, who won his first match by pin but lost his next two by tech fall and decision; and Braylon Faile at 165, who won an 18-10 major decision but lost the next two to fall short of placing.
Vicksburg went 1-for-1 in All-State placers, as Sawyer Stevenson finished sixth place at 113 pounds in the Division 2 tournament. He won his first match by pin, lost in the second round, but went 2-1 afterward with wins by tech fall and pin to make it to the fifth-place bout, where he lost a major decision to Bay City John Glenn’s Ruben Rivera.
Outside of Underwood, White Pigeon had two other Division 4 All-Staters. At 138 pounds Hunter Pant finished sixth, while at 132 pounds, Mazzy Lambert finished in eighth place. David Lane and Jesse Fielis also competed at 113 pounds and 150 pounds respectively, but ended up short of the placing rounds.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
