Team-by-team look at Washtenaw County wrestling teams
AnnArbor.com's fourth in a series of six winter high school sport previews focuses on Washtenaw County's wrestling teams.
Dakota Cooley (sr.), Chelsea: A three-time state qualifier, the Central Michigan-bound wrestler was third at 140 pounds in last season’s Division 2 state finals. Coach Kerry Kargel thinks this could be his year to stand atop the podium.
Austin Deacons (jr.), Manchester: His fourth-place finish at 119 pounds at last year’s Division 4 state finals was the top performance out of three Flying Dutchmen returning state medalists. Ryan Abrigo (fourth at 119) and Jimmy Hamilton (seventh at 130) are the others.
CHELSEA BULLDOGS While Southeastern Conference wrestling bragging rights tend to live outside Washtenaw County (Tecumseh knocked Temperance Bedford out of first place last season for the first time since they joined the league in 2000-01), Chelsea had the county’s best finish last year. Without an individual champion, the Bulldogs finished in third place. Coach Kerry Kargel thinks this year’s squad will be right back in that upper-echelon mix.
Coach: Kerry Kargel (27th year)
Last season: Finished second in Southeastern Conference White Division and third overall in the SEC.
Key returners: Dakota Cooley (sr., 140/145), Travis Ostrowski (sr., 189), Steve Buss (sr., 119/125), Vince Kause (so., 125/130), Andrew Nold (jr., 135), Brandon French (sr., 145), Brandon Seagraves (sr., 171), Tim Shoemaker (sr., 215).
Key newcomer: Joey Newland (jr., 152).
Strength: Experience. Close to half of the Bulldog roster are seniors, led by three-time state qualifier Cooley and returning state qualifier Ostrowski.
Weakness: Kargel says the Bulldogs need to improve their endurance.
Outlook: Chelsea will once again need to overcome a tough Tecumseh team to achieve its goals of winning the SEC White and a Division 2 team district. Individually, Kargel says Cooley is gearing up for a state championship bid. “He’s paid his dues and knocked on the door. I think he now has enough experience and wisdom to win it.”
Coach Kerry Kargel says: “Having mature, varsity letter winners can be a key issue for us. For the first time in five or so years I don’t have to put five freshmen in the starting varsity lineup.”
DEXTER DREADNAUGHTS Dan Flowers, the defending Southeastern Conference champion and Division 2 state runner-up at 112 pounds, is back to lead a Dreadnaught team that has shown steady improvement under coach Shane Rodriguez.
Coach: Shane Rodriguez (3rd year)
Last season: 22-14 in dual meets, third in the SEC White and fourth overall.
Key returners: Dan Flowers (sr., 119/125), Drew Barnes (so., 145/152), Gabe Altomare (sr., 119), Alex Sloan (jr. 130), Anthony Chisolm (jr., 140), Chase Stevens (sr., 160).
Key newcomers: Josh Cash (jr., 275), Shawn Chamberlain (so., 215).
Strength: The practice room. Rodriguez says its “filled with kids that are really motivated to accomplish their goals.”
Weakness: There are some lower weight classes where the Dreadnaughts will be counting on inexperienced wrestlers to quickly become varsity wrestlers.
Outlook: Just like rival Chelsea, Dexter’s goals are to win an SEC White title and a Division 2 district team title. And just like Chelsea, the Dreadnaughts will have to upset Tecumseh to get there.
Coach Shane Rodriguez says: “We have a solid lineup with experienced wrestlers and I’m excited to see them in action. It should be a really fun year.”
HURON RIVER RATS First-year coach Jim Taraskiewicz, who has coached several individual state champions in his previous stints at Flat Rock and Carleton Airport, takes over a struggling Huron team. His first task was to hit the hallways and start recruiting athletes to the wrestling program.
Coach: Jim Taraskiewicz (1st year).
Last season: The last-place team in the SEC.
Key returners: Adam London (sr., 140), Aaron London (so., 130), Zak Hilfinger (jr., 189), Andy Samuri (sr., 135).
Key newcomer: Too early to tell, though there are plenty of freshmen and sophomores to fill that role.
Strength: Numbers. The River Rats have 40 wrestlers on their roster, led by Adam London who finished third in the SEC at 130 last year.
Weakness: Fundamentals. Of those 40, only half have wrestled previously.
Outlook: Taraskiewicz says the ultimate goal for this season, along with advancing a few of his experienced individuals to the state meet, is getting plenty of mat time for the less experienced.
Coach Jim Taraskiewicz says: “I think in a couple years we’ll be competitive. We’re the underdog now, but in a few years that will be a different story.”
LINCOLN RAILSPLITTERS After six years of running a personal wrestling training program, former Milan coach Mike Betts is back in the high school ranks with the Railsplitters. He has trained some of the Lincoln wrestlers, including sophomore Dillon Farrell, who Betts says “has a good shot at being a state champion if he sticks with it.” Brandon Farrell is the reigning SEC champion at 145 pounds.
Coach: Mike Betts (1st year)
Last season: Fifth in the SEC White and eighth overall.
Key returners: Brandon Farrell (sr., 145/152), Jarret Lilyhorn (sr., 119), Dillon Farrell (so., 140), Adam Barber (jr., 145/152), Cory Sanders (sr., 189), Eddie Nuttall (so., 130).
Key newcomer: Chad Colwell (sr., 171).
Strength: Lilyhorn and the Farrells were each regional qualifiers last year (Brandon Farrell qualified for states) and are at the forefront of Betts’ goal of building “a close-knit, family-type team.”
Weakness: Strength and technique. “I have good kids,” Betts says. “They just have to be taught something.”
Outlook: While Betts works on developing the depth needed to win at the team level, he’s hoping to see “more than just one state qualifier (from Lincoln). I’d like to see four or five and see someone on the podium.”
Coach Mike Betts says: “I’m old-school and more or less teaching the old-school stuff. There are a lot of great athletes at Lincoln, but hard-working kids are hard to come by these days. You have to be hard-working to succeed in wrestling.”
MANCHESTER FLYING DUTCHMEN With three state medalists (Ryan Abrigo, Austin Deacons and Jimmy Hamilton) returning from a team that reached the Division 4 state finals for the third consecutive season, the Flying Dutchmen look poised to once again be the Washtenaw County team with the longest post-season run. Of course, that post-season became more challenging when defending state champion Hudson moved into Manchester’s team regional.
Coach: Steve Vlcek (19th year)
Last season: 32-4 dual meet record, Cascades Conference champions and a Division 4 state semifinalist.
Key returners: Ryan Abrigo (jr., 112), Austin Deacons (jr., 119/125), Johnny Woollams (jr., 140/145), Jimmy Hamilton (sr., 140/145), Dylan Neff (jr., 285). Key newcomer: Nate Fischer (fr., 103), Chris Margraves (jr., 171), Isaac Miller (jr., 171).
Strength: Balance. Vlcek believes he has 10 to 12 wrestlers that could win more than 30 matches this season. That group is led by returning state medalists Abrigo (fifth at 103), Deacons (fourth at 119) and Hamilton (seventh at 130); along with Woollams and Neff, who were one regional win shy of a state berth last season.
Weakness: Lack of upper-class leadership. Just two members of the Manchester roster are seniors. Some young wrestlers need to pick up the slack of five graduated state qualifiers.
Outlook: Just five years ago, the Manchester program was languishing with eight wrestlers. Today, there are 34 members looking for a repeat league championship and another long post-season run. Addison should give the Flying Dutchmen a good run in the Cascades Conference.
Coach Steve Vlcek says: “We have a lot of kids coming back that have seen a lot of mat time. We should be pretty solid. We’re definitely capable (of a fourth straight trip to the state finals.”
MILAN BIG REDS The Big Reds made some history last season, winning the program’s first Huron League championship and its first team district title. Six key wrestlers graduated from that team and heavyweight Thom Box will be slowed by an injury early this season. But three individual state qualifiers return to try to build on last year’s success. Coach: Gary Jonseck (6th year)
Last season: 30-10 dual meet record, won Huron League title and a team district title.
Key returners: Cody O’Keefe (sr., 140), Sean Domas (sr., 215/285), David Wilson (sr., 152/160), Aaris Gruber (sr., 103/112), Warren Losee (sr., 189/215), Tim Sims (jr., 145), Matt Schultz (jr., 189/215).
Key newcomer: Ben Fick (fr., 130).
Strength: Returning talent. O’Keefe, Domas and Wilson are returning state qualifiers while Losee and Schultz participated in an individual regional tournament.
Weakness: Inexperience elsewhere. Those six spots vacated by graduated seniors will all be filled by wrestlers with little or no varsity experience.
Outlook: Jonseck thinks having three Huron League matches before the holiday break is a big obstacle in his developing team’s attempt to defend its title.
Coach Gary Jonseck says: “I don’t expect our lineup to be in full swing until the second week in January. I don’t know if we can make a push (for the regular season title), but there’s a strong possibility we’ll be pretty good when we get down to the league tournament and team tournaments. We want to be our best by mid-February.” PIONEER PIONEERS Coach Bill Petoskey thinks he has the type of senior class that can carry the Pioneers to success with their talent and leadership. That group is led by defending 135-pound SEC champion Tommy Brosnahan and Will Jackson, a regional qualifier as a sophomore that was hobbled by injuries last year.
Coach: Bill Petoskey (6th year)
Last season: 13-22 in dual meets, third in SEC Red, seventh overall.
Key returners: Tommy Brosnahan (sr., 140), Will Jackson (sr., 135), Alex Goldfard (sr., 112), Chris Biggs (sr., 285), George Petropoulos (sr., 215), Justin Bose (sr., 160/171).
Key newcomer: Dajaun Drewery (jr., 152).
Strength: Petoskey says his six seniors “will lead us and, through their leadership, will pull the rest of the young kids along.”
Weakness: Inexperience in lower weights.
Outlook: The Southeastern Conference isn’t an easy place for a building program to find quick success, but Petoskey says he thinks his team has a chance to flip-flop its 2009 dual meet record of 13-22 to around 22-13 this year.
Coach Bill Petoskey says: “I think after the first month we should get a determination of whether we can fight for a district championship or not.”
SALINE HORNETS Saline didn’t lose many starters to graduation, but those that left (SEC champion Jake Feldkamp and state qualifier Matt Price among them) will be difficult to replace. But with four-year starter Ryan O’Sullivan leading a pack of solid returners, the Hornets should once again be the SEC Red’s best chance of knocking Temperance Bedford from its lofty perch.
Coach: Scott Marvin (5th year)
Last season: Finished second in SEC Red, fourth overall, won a Division 1 team district title before losing to eventual D1 runner-up Holt in a regional championship.
Key returners: Ryan O’Sullivan (sr., 103), Nick O’Neill (sr., 112), Nick Pataro (sr., 135), Sam Hepler (jr., 140), Brent Clink (sr., 152), Chris Endicott (sr., 160).
Key newcomer: Too early to tell.
Strength: Lower weights. Marvin said the Hornets are solid from 103 to 160. Endicott, Hepler, Pataro and O’Neill are all returning regional qualifiers.
Weakness: Inexperience in upper weights.
Outlook: The goal of winning another district championship would be played out on Saline’s own mats when Huron, Belleville and Lincoln pay a visit. First up, however, is the Hornets’ attempt to change history.
Coach Scott Marvin says: “We’ve never beaten Bedford since they joined the SEC, and the goal is to get that win and win the SEC Red.”
WILLOW RUN FLYERS With a roster jump from six to 12 wrestlers, the Flyers will come closer to filling out a lineup card and have a chance to compete for some dual meet wins. Competing as an independent, Willow Run was also able to schedule some smaller schools after competing against larger programs in the now-defunct Michigan Mega Conference.
Coach: Marvin Jones (5th year)
Last season: With only six wrestlers, the Flyers were winless in dual matches.
Key returners: Brandon Pritchard (so., 189), Anthony Johnson (sr., 285), Matthew Phillpotts (sr., 140), LeSean Holmes (jr., 152).
Key newcomer: Kendrick St. Amie (fr., 285), Andrew Schenkel (fr., 119).
Strength: A willingness to work hard. “They don’t have a lot of moves, but over time that will come,” Jones said.
Weakness: Lacking experience.
Outlook: Jones says a growing middle school program is producing promising wrestlers. He’s excited for this year’s varsity team to gain valuable experience and be supplemented by those youngsters down the road.
Coach Marvin Jones says: “This year our goal is to compete at team districts. That’s exciting because we haven’t had enough kids to even compete in the past.”
YPSILANTI PHOENIX Ypsilanti joins the Southeastern Conference, where it will compete head-to-head against local teams it has seen frequently at tournaments over the years. “We’re excited to wrestle in a pretty strong conference,” says coach Dale Ruffin, whose team finished fourth in its final season in the Michigan Mega Conference White Division.
Coach: Dale Ruffin (8th year)
Last season: Third at the Michigan Mega Conference White Division tournament, fourth overall.
Key returners: Lewis Anderson (sr., 160), Alex Lilie (sr., 119), Cody Watts (sr., 140), Dan Korte (sr., 215), Greg Cheatum (sr., 171), Michael Nestorak (sr., 145), Devonte Asher-Brown (jr., 145/152).
Key newcomers: James Andrews (so., .125), Anthony Simmons (so., 119)
Strength: Conditioning and senior leadership, including regional qualifier Anderson.
Weakness: “We want to improve something every day,” Ruffin says. “There’s always something you need to work on.”
Outlook: Despite its new surroundings, Ruffin says his team enters the season like it does every season … with the goal of striving for excellence and winning a conference championship.
Coach Dale Ruffin says: “One thing I preach is teamwork. If you have good teammates, good practice partners, it allows you to become a better wrestler. Seeing other teammates working hard brings everybody’s level up.”