Wrestlers had MVP, quick pin artist in Marquette
It might be considered ?The Greatest Wrestling Show? in Michigan.
With its Jumbo Tron, spotlights, and dramatic special effects, the Marquette Invitational is a treat for high school athletes.
Rogers City crowned two champions at the extremely tough tournament, which attracts wrestlers from as far away as the western upper Peninsula and Wisconsin.
Dylan Centala (125 pounds, 16-0) and Josh Christ (275 pounds, 14-0) stole some of the spotlight by earning special awards for their perfect day.
Centala was named the most valuable wrestler of the tournament (all weight classifications), while Christ had the most pins in the least amount of time.
IT?S THE SECOND year in a row Centala has earned a tournament championship in Marquette. He was 4-0, with two pins, a technical fall, and a major decision.
The technical fall, which is a victory of 15 points or more, was a 19-4 win. The major decision (a win of eight to 14 points) was by a score of 18-5.
Centala pinned an opponent from Ispheming in 20 seconds, and in the finals, he defeated Alex Lardinos of Bay Port, Wisconsin with a pin in 1:55. So far this season, he has pinned 14 of 16 opponents.
All four of Christ?s victories came by pin, with the quickest coming in only 15 seconds, which is nine seconds off the Huron record of six seconds.
The total time of his matches was 4:21. The other pins came in 47 seconds, 2:19, and in the finals against Bryce Erickson of Pine River, the match lasted one minute.
Taking first was Grandville, followed by Merrill, New Lothrop, and Pine River.
Rogers City was seven points behind fifth place Munising, but the Hurons only had nine varsity wrestlers compete. Rogers City finished ahead of Munising, while taking first at St. Ignace the week before.
Other placers included Cody Wenzel, fourth (145 pounds, 1-2); Chris Rhode, fifth (189 pounds, 3-1); and Tyler Gorlewski, sixth (215 pounds, 2-2).
Every Huron came home with a victory. Finishing with 1-2 records were Brian Krueger (103 pounds), Brent Freel (112 pounds), Austin Fairbanks (140 pounds), and Tyler Schuiteman (152 pounds).
THE WRESTLERS were at Cheboygan last Thursday taking on the host school and Oscoda.
Rogers City won
Winning two matches were Freel, Mike Mierzwinski (119 pounds), Centala, Fairbanks, Rhode, Gorlewski, and Christ. Single winners were Justin Kelley (135 pounds) and Wenzel.
Winning JV matches at Cheboygan were Matt Tomas (140 pounds), Scott Kamyszek (275 pounds), and Charlie Wickersham (103 pounds).
The day before the Marquette Invitational, some of the JV wrestlers participated in action at Westwood High School in Ispheming, 18 miles from Marquette.
Taking first was Charlie Wickersham at 103 pounds, while Mierzwinski and Tomas earned a second.
Trent Holmes and Kamyszek both placed third.