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High School Links
MHSAA Wrestling Page Includes all info regarding Team & Individual District and Regional assignments
HS coaches can join and enjoy perks, click to find out more
C&G Newspapers prep wrestling section includes feature articles from an array of different southeast Michigan media outlets
Border Wars brings postseason feel to Kellogg
Youtsey, Houldsworth, McDiarmid among champs
11/8 - The high school and 13-14 divisions wrapped up yesterday at the Border Wars Nationals in Battle Creek with 5 Michigan preps bringing home Border Wars titles. The action felt more like March then November as a numerous of state champs and placers from all over the Midwest battled it out. Click more for our full recap and go to the Michigan Grappler Video Page for videos of the event.
Rizgallah wins Preseason Nationals
11/1 - 5 Michigan preps took home Preseason National All-American Honors by placing in the Top 8 in their weights last weekend in Cedar Falls, IA. John Rizgallah of Allegan won the 189lb title while Nick McDiarmid of Hartland and Matt Smith of Allegan finished runner-up at 215 and 145lbs. Click more for a full recap,
Rizgallah picks Spartans
10/29 - Michigan State coach Tom Minkel received his third verbal commitment from a Top 15 recruit in Michigan this week as Division 3 State Runner-Up John Rizgallah of Allegan committed to the Spartans. Rizgallah, who ranks as the #11 recruit in this year's senior class within Michigan, has been a multiple-time Disney Duals medallist and placed in both styles at the Western Junior Regional last spring in Las Vegas. He is projected to wrestle 184lbs for Michigan State.
Morse outguns Massa for Super 32 Title
10/24 - The 2009 Super 32 Challenge lived up to the hype with loaded weight classes and barn burner matches from start to end. For the third straight year a Championship Belt will be traveling north to Michigan, and for the second consecutive year it is strapped to the waist of Lowell's Jackson Morse. Morse downed Taylor Massa in an epic battle that was one of the highlight finals matches of the day, while Holt sophomore Freddie Rodriguez fell in overtime to Cadet National Champ Joey Dance of Virginia in the 103lb finals. Joe Rendina of Dundee, Roger Wildmo of Durand, and Nick McDiarmid of Hartland also placed in their respective weights. Click more for a full recap and check out the Michigan Grappler Video Page for videos of matches from the tournament.
Rockford duo commits to Eastern Michigan
10/6 - Rockford's senior duo of Jake Byers and Jake Johnson will be sticking together in college as the tandem informed Michigan Grappler today that they have both committed to wrestle for Eastern Michigan University. Byers (pictured right) and Johnson (pictured left) were both Division 1 state finalists last year, finishing 2nd at their respective weights. Byers is the #11 senior recruit and Johnson is #21 according to our Recruiting Rankings. Go to Recruiting Central to see all the commitments.
District/Regional Pairings released
10/5 - The MHSAA released the 2009-2010 Team and Individual Postseason
assignments last week. The team District and Regional pairings this year were slightly altered with a few big time teams changing divisions. Click more to see our breakdown of the District and Regional assignments and their implications on the 09-10 season.
Prep stars come out for EMU Smackdown
9/28 - The Border Wars EMU Eagle Smackdown attracted an array of state placers in it's high school division. Among those winning titles was Matt Smith of Allegan who knocked off D4 state champ Derrick Marry of Hudson in the 145lb finals. Click more for full recap & results.
3x state champ Suitor commits to Boston Univ.
9/27 - B.J. Suitor of Swan Valley informed Michigan Grappler today that he has verbally commited to attend and wrestle for Boston University. Suitor, who will be gunning for his 4th state championship this year, is ranked as the #7 recruit in Michigan this year. He is projected to wrestle 119lbs this year and compete at 125lbs for the Terriers. Click more to read our feature story on Suitor.
Preseason Individual Rankings Released
9/22 - Michigan Grappler's first individual high school rankings of the 2009-2010 season have been released. The rankings include the Top 5 wrestlers in each weight class among all 4 divisions. Click more to view the full rankings.
Early Preseason Team Rankings Released
9/7 - Wrestling season is just a couple months away and with that Michigan Grappler has
released our Early Preseason Team Rankings. Two returning State Champs received
the top spot in their respective rankings as reigning D1 champs Rockford and the returning D4 champs Hudson (pictured) both earned #1 rankings to start out the year. Check back later this fall for a revised edition of the Preseason Team Rankings as well as our in depth High School Team Previews.
Humes commits to Michigan State
9/2 - The 4th commitment of the fall came in today as Stevensville Lakeshore senior Nick Humes informed Michigan Grappler that he has given a verbal commitment to coach Tom Minkel and Michigan State University. Humes, who is a 3x Division 2 state placer and 2009 State Runner-Up, went undefeated last summer at the Disney Duals and is currently ranked as the #12 senior recruit in Michigan. He is the 2nd Top 15 recruit for the Spartans, who also received a verbal commitment from Nick McDiarmid (#6). Click more for thefull story on Humes.
Lowell Fair Coverage
Junior Olympics Recap
Grand River Rumble Coverage
Annapolis Wins Milan Duals
Fargo Cadet & Junior Nationals Coverage
Disney Duals Recap
Junior Freestyle Duals Recap
Cadet Freesyle Duals Recap
Michigan Elite finishes runner-up at Northern Exposure
Big wins highlight MWA Classic
Trio of Cadets win Central Regional
MI Grizzly knocks off Ohio, Jersey squads to win Challenge
The Midwest Grand Challenge attracted 19 teams from all over the Midwest to Jenison Fieldhouse this weekend for a great day of wrestling. After nearly 12 hours of wrestling action with some of the best wrestlers from Ohio, New Jersey, Illinois, and more, the 1st place trophy will not be leaving the state of Michigan. Team Grizzly stormed through their pool with three dominant wins before knocking off all-star teams from Ohio and New Jersey to win the tournament handily. Click more for a full recap and results from the semifinals and finals.
Massa, Yates, McClure, Morse ranked top 5 nationally
5/5 - InterMat's final 2009 high school national all-class rankings were recently released and 8 Michiganders earned top 20 honors, including four Michigan grapplers who were ranked in the top 5 of their respective weight classes. Taylor Massa of St. Johns and Dan Yates of Hesperia are both ranked #2 at 145 and 160lbs, respectively, while Michael McClure of Holland West Ottawa is ranked 3rd at 285lbs and Jackson Morse of Lowell is #5 at 152lbs. Click more to see all the Michigan wrestlers who are featured in the rankings.
Rought & Leyrer announce out of state plans
5/5 - Two more Top 50 recruits signed on the dotted line this week as 2x Division 3 state champ Calib Rought of Fremont and Division 1 runner up Koort Leyrer of Holt solidified their college plans and both will be heading out of state next fall. Rought, the #17 ranked recruit in Michigan, will be wrestling for NAIA Bacone College in Oklahoma while Leyrer signed with Cleveland State University. Both Rought & Leyrer wrestled 152 this season and plan on wrestling 157 in college. Read below for other recent commitments and go to Recruiting Central to see all the recruiting news.
CC Weber repeats at Body Bar with FILA Junior title
5/4 - The future of USA Women's wrestling was on display this weekend in Colorado Springs at the Body Bar FILA Cadet and Junior National Championsips. Three Michiganders came away with all-american status, including Goodrich senior and female phenom C.C. Weber, who continued her recent success by winning the FILA Junior title at 48kg. The win was Weber's 2nd in a row at the tournament as she won in the FILA Cadet division last year. Also placing was Julie Salata of Canton and Sherri Berube of Escanaba, who both earned FILA Cadet All-American honors.
Salata was runner up at 65kg while Berube finished 5th at 49kg. Click more for a full recap.
2009 DREAM TEAM UNVEILED!
4/30 - Michigan Grappler's third annual High School Dream Team has been released. Click more to read bios of the 1st team Dream Team and to view all of the Dream Team selections.
Dan Yates wins 2009 MI Grappler Wrestler of the Year
4/27 - The votes are in and it is now final - Hesperia senior Dan Yates is the 2009 Michigan Grappler High School Wrestler of the Year. Yates, who won his 3rd state title and the NHSCA Senior Nationals last month, is the third wrestler honored by Michigan Grappler.com as High School wrestler of the year. He edged fellow finalists Taylor Massa and Mike McClure for the award. Click more to read the full
story on 2009's Michigan Grappler wrestler of the year. The 09 Dream Team will be released later this week.
Massa & Rodriguez win FILA Cadet Freestyle Crowns
4/26 - Taylor Massa and Freddie Rodriguez won their final bouts today at the FILA Cadet Freestyle National Championships in Akron, OH. Massa won the 152lb title with a 6-5, 7-1 win over Kaleb Friedley of Missouri while Rodriguez scored a 7-0, 7-0 tech fall over Kevon Powell of Illinois at 101lbs. Alec Mooradian of DCC was the only other Michigander to place, finishing 5th at 119lbs. Click morefor a full recap
Rodriguez among greco placers at FILA Cadets
4/24 - The FILA Cadet and University Nationals got underway today in Akron, Ohio with Greco-Roman action. Thirteen Michiganders competed in all and three came away with all-american honors. Leading the way was Division 1 state champ and returning Cadet greco-roman all-american Freddie Rodriguez of Holt (pictured) who finished 3rd at 101.25lbs. Highland Park freshman Martaz Crutchfield finished 3rd at 275lbs while Joe Rendina of Dundee finished 6th at 127lbs. Click more for full recap of the Greco action.
Academic All-State Selections announced
4/24 - The Michigan Wrestling Association recently revealed the 2009 Acamdemic All-State teams. Leading the way with the highest team GPA was Division 2 State Champions Lowell with a 3.8 overall GPA. Click more to view the full Academic All-State Teams.
MWA Classic just over a month away! - The 2nd Annual MWA Classic is slated for June 17th in Hartland. Nominations are still being accepted to compete in the event, which is a dual meet featureing top seniors from different divisions squaring off. Go to the MWA Website for more info.
Schutt and Jeske sign on the dotted line
4/21 - Senior National All-American Andrew Schutt and 2009 Division 3 State Champion Jake Jeske of Swan Valley both signed this week. Schutt, the #13 recruit will be heading to New York to wrestle for Buffalo next fall while Jeske will be staying close to home and wrestling for the Chipps at Central Michigan.
Lake Orion State Champ picks Air Force
4/18 - Lake Orion senior Evan Gros announced his college plans this week. The Division 1 state champ and #14 recruit in Michigan has commited to attend the Air Force Academy and wrestle for the Falcons. Gros was a 4x Division 1 state placer and 2x finalist, including his state title this year. He is projected to wrestle 184 or 197 for the Air Force. Go to Michigan Grappler's Recruiting Central to stay up to date on all the recruiting news.
Massa, Thomas lead impressive Freshman class
4/17 - One of the major story lines of the 2008-09 wrestling season was the immediate impact of this year's freshman class. This year's freshmen made an unprecedented instant impact on the high school wrestling scene, including a number of state champions and nationally ranked wrestlers. Click below to view the full list of Michigan's top freshmen.
Zeerip named Dave Schultz Award Winner
4/16 - Hesperia senior and 3x state champ Brandon Zeerip was honored today as one of the 49 state winners of the prestigous Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award. Zeerip was the award recipient for the state of Michigan. The High School Excellence Award is named in honor of Olympic and World Champion Dave Schultz. Each award recipient is evaluated on excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, character, citizenship, and community service. Click more to view the full list of Award Winners.
Rendina, Youtsey, Wildmo, Pommerenke...who's #1?
4/15 - Michigan Grappler's Top Sophomore rankings for 2009 have been released. Among the top sophomores this year are Devin Pommerenke, Joe Rendina, Roger Wildmo, and Conor Youtsey (pictured above left to right). Click more to check all the Super Sophomores who made the cut.
Morse, Dorulla, Nieman among Michigan's Top Juniors4/13 - Michigan Grappler's annual lists of top wrestlers by grade are being released this week, starting with the Top Juniors in the state. 2x state champion and Super 32 champ Jackson Morse sits atop the group. The Top Juniors list is a preview of who the top senior recruits will be heading into next fall. Click more to view the full list. The top sophomore's will be coming out later this week.
Updated Top Recruits list released
4/9 - With the 2009 State Tournament and Senior Nationals in the books, the College Recruiting should begin to pick back up in the coming months. Michigan Grappler has released our updated Top Senior Recruit lists and Dan Yates of Hesperia, behind his Senior National title last weekend, has now moved to the #1 spot in the Recruiting Rankings. Go to our Recruiting Central to stay up to speed with all the recruiting news throughout the spring.
Top 100 Senior Recruits (Spring)
Rendina wins Western Junior Regional
4/10 - Joe Rendina opened some eyes this weekend in Vegas. The Dundee sophomore went a combined 12-2 in the past three days of wrestling at the Western Junior Freestyle and Greco Regionals, including a three period win in today's freestyle finals over Jesse Hillhouse of Wyoming to win the 125lb title. Three Michiganders, Conor Youtsey (119), Andrew Morse (135), and Jordan Thomas (145), fell in the finals to finish runner-up at their respective weights. Click more for a full recap.
Massa wins Western Junior Greco Title
Rendina & Osterman finish Runner-Up
4/8 - St Johns freshman Taylor Massa continued his impressive streak of wins on the national circuit today as he scored a dominant technical fall over John Thompson of Washington to win the 145lb Western Junior Greco Roman Regional Title today. 8 other Michiganders placed in the top six of their respective weights, inlcuding Joe Rendina (125) and Dan Osterman (130), who finished runners up in their weight classes. Click more for a full recap.
Lyon and Yates win Senior National Titles
8 Michiganders earn All-American leading state to 3rd place finish
4/6 - For the second year in a row a pair of Michanders are coming home from Virginia as Senior National Champions. Brenan Lyon of Ithaca and Dan Yates of
Hesperia won their final matches last night to claim titles at their respective weights. In all, there were 8 Michigan wrestlers who placed top 8 in their weight, earning all-american status, and Michigan finished 3rd overall as a state behind California and New York. Click more for a full recap.
2009 Observerland Review
3/24 - MI Grappler is pleased to publish Charles Rothwell's review of the 2009 Observerland Conference wrestling season review. Rothwell, an avid follower and fan of the conference, reviews this season while taking a glimpse at what next year has to offer for the Observland teams. Click more to read his review.
State Champions crowned in Auburn Hills
3/17 - After three days of intense wrestling action in Auburn Hills 56 high school wrestlers across 4 divisions walked away as "state champions". Michigan Grappler was there all weekend with live session notes, and now that is all over we are giving you the rundown of what happened. Click below to read our recaps of each division as well as the Palace Awards.
Champions crowned in Battle Creek
3/7 - After an action packed weekend of intense team wrestling the 2009 state champions were crowned this evening in Battle Creek. Rockford barely edged Holt in a thrilling Division 1 final 30-29 while Lowell out gunned Oxford for the D2 title, Goodrich came back against Dundee to win their 2nd straight D3 championship and Hudson upended Hesperia to win the school's first ever D4 state championship. Click below for a full recap.
Team State Finals pairings announced
3/1 - The MHSAA seeding committee released the quarterfinal pairings for next weekend's Team State Championships today. The #1 seeds were as follows: Rockford (Div 1), Lowell (Div 2), Goodrich (Div 3), Hesperia (Div 4). Click more to view the pairings.
Palace Bound! State Finals trips earned at Regionals
2/29 - In an action packed day of wrestling 896 prep grapplers across the state of Michigan stamped their tickets to compete for a state championship in two weeks at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Individual Regional Tournaments wrapped up this evening and the Individual State Brackets will be released early next week. View the Regional Results as they are posted and stay up to speed with all the happenings pertinent to the State Tournament with our special coverage section.
Lowell dethrones Greenville in thrilling Regional Final
2/26 - Top ranked returning D2 state champs Greenville suffered their only loss of the season last night to #2 ranked arch rival Lowell 33-25, ending their bid to repeat as
state champs. Along with Lowell, 31 other teams around the state kept their
championship hopes alive as well with Regional Titles. One of the bigger surprises
was unranked Eaton Rapids knocking of #5 Fowlerville and #6 Tecumseh en route to the D2 quarterfinals. Another unranked team pulling off a big upset was Westland John Glenn, who downed #5 Temperance Bedford en route the Division 1 quarterfinals. Click below for all the results.
Video Highlight of Greenville-Lowell (From Grand Rapids Press)
Greenville & Lowell put on a show; Greenville survives
2/5 - The matchup of Division 2's top two teams did not dissapoint last night as #1 Greenville and #2 Lowell went back and forth in a rollercoaster dual. The returning
state champs prevailed as Greenville won 31-28. All-state senior Nick Bogue of Greenville sealed the deal at 125lbs in the second to last match of the night with an overtime win over Lowell freshman Gabe Morse. Click below for a box score of the dual. Click the video to the right for a video recap of the dual from the Grand Rapids Press.
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