DETROIT — One would think, after winning 12 team state championships since 2010, capturing every Catholic League title since 1995 and having three individuals earn state titles in each of their four seasons, there wouldn’t be much more that Detroit Catholic Central wrestlers could accomplish.
But senior Wyatt Lees stepped up last weekend to raise the bar even higher.
Lees capped his prep career March 7 by accomplishing something no other Shamrock had done before: attaining a state crown for the eighth time. Lees had won each of his matches all four years at the team and individual finals.
With his victory in the Division 1, 132-pound class at Detroit’s Ford Field, Lees accomplished a feat that only eight other wrestlers statewide have ever been able to achieve.
“I’m really grateful,” he said. “It’s a goal I’ve had since coming in freshman year. I always game-planned it; I had it written on a whiteboard what I wanted to achieve, and I just worked hard every day toward that goal, with the help of my coaches and my teammates.”
In the title match, Lees beat Eden Abdo of Grand Ledge, 7-1. Lees scored an early takedown to set the tone for the rest of the bout.
“I knew a little bit what he was going to do,” Lees said. “If I pressured him, he would come out fast, but I got an under-hook and got my scores right away, trusted my feet and kind of felt comfortable after that.”
The top-seeded Lees (48-3 this season) pinned his other three prior opponents leading up to Saturday night’s final. Even though he didn’t prevail on a fall in the championship, he was still more than satisfied to reach the top step of the podium.
“I would take it any way it came, but I pinned my way through my sophomore year and kind of wanted to repeat that,” he said. “I kind of gave myself the option — I didn’t want to force it if it wasn’t there. I was still super happy and grateful when it ended. That was an awesome feeling.”
“He’s the first eight-time state champ in Catholic Central history. With the tradition of our school, that’s pretty impressive to watch him do what he did,” said head coach Mitch Hancock, who was pleased with his athletes’ performances across the board through the weekend.
“It was great just watching the kids accomplish their goals, especially the first-timers,” he said. “We brought 12 — we qualified 13, but one was out due to injury, Mack Moscovic — and 10 were all-staters. We had 10 place-winners, eight semi-finalists, six finalists, five champs; that’s a good day for anyone.”
In addition to Lees, Catholic Central’s state champions included junior Jamison Gregory (at 126 pounds), junior Grayson Fuchs (150), sophomore Braxten Roche (175) and junior Caden Krueger (190). Gregory, Roche and Krueger were first-time state champs, while Fuchs will have a chance at earning a fourth straight title next season.
“For the past couple of years I’ve been chasing … I wouldn’t say a dream, but the idea of winning a state title has always been in my head, and it just feels so good to finally know that I accomplished that goal of mine,” Gregory said. “It’s a hard tournament, and I knew I was going to get some good matches, but I always knew I could win the tournament.”
In his title bout, Gregory scored an 8-0 major decision over Davison’s Steve Vaughn. But that might have been slightly anti-climactic, given that Gregory upset top-seeded Gavin Lewis of Oxford in the semifinal, 12-11.
“It’s always fun to have a close match,” Gregory said. “I didn’t want it to be that close. I was up by a few points, and sometimes you’ve got to hold down that lead.”
In the bracket’s other semi-final, Vaughn had narrowly defeated Catholic Central’s Ryan Totten, 2-1, negating the possibility of a Shamrock vs. Shamrock final match.
Krueger, meanwhile, closed out the day for CC with a 7-5 decision over Dominic Nauss of Brighton, only allowing Nauss single points on four escapes and a stall.
“Sometimes you just have to sacrifice a few (points) for the greater good. It won me the match, it kept me out of danger and helped me for the victory. It’s awesome,” Krueger said. “I needed to have some patience, just waiting for something to open. I knew he was going to come at me a little bit; he’s a strong kid. I had to wait for that perfect opportunity to open up and get my shots.”
Coach Hancock goes out on top
Krueger’s match was the grand finale for Hancock, who is stepping out of the head coaching chair to become Catholic Central’s principal next year.
“It’s been 20 years at the helm of Catholic Central; I’ve been blessed to be part of such a remarkable community that has embraced wrestling,” said Hancock, a Catholic League Hall of Famer. “God has given me many blessings in my time at CC, and for these guys to wrestle the way they did this year, and just allow me to go out with this type of experience, is remarkable.”
Assistant coach Anthony Biondo will take on the top spot next season, while Hancock promises he won’t be too far away.
“CC wrestling is in good hands,” Hancock said. “Coach Biondo will do a remarkable job taking over for us. He’s been with the program 15 years; he just does a remarkable job in creating relationships with the guys. Biondo’s the right man for the job.”
The Shamrock state champions appreciate the guidance they’ve received from Hancock.
“He’s such a good coach; he’s a father figure to a lot of us and he brings Christ into our lives and just wants what’s best for us. It’s not about winning; it’s making us the best we can be, and I think he does a phenomenal job of that,” Lees said. “He’s really helped me develop a relationship with Jesus Christ, keeping that center through the wins and through the losses, and just always thanking Him.”
“He’s really been so supportive of everybody on the team, and really built us up to be who we are,” Gregory added. “He’s obviously still going to be in the room. He’s going to be coaching us just a little bit differently, not being the head coach. I hope he knows how much we appreciate everything he’s done for us.”
CHSL nearly has first female champion
Riverview Gabriel Richard’s Rylee Nidiffer was just one step short of making Catholic League history. Nidiffer sought to become the first girl representing to the CHSL to become a state champion, but had to settle for runner-up after she was pinned in the third round of the 110-pound title match by Lowell’s Tatianna Castillo.
“I knew Tatianna was tough, so I thought, what do I have to lose? I’m a first-year freshman, and I just went out and tried my best,” she said.
Over the weekend, Nidiffer (35-5) pinned her first two opponents and advanced to the championship via a 6-4 decision in the semifinal round.
Although just a ninth-grader, Nidiffer has already been active in the sport for 10 years.
“My dad and my uncle used to wrestle in high school, and my cousin is a year older than me and he started wrestling, so then I started wrestling. I’ve made it to the state finals and my dad did not. My cousin didn’t make it to states. I’ve improved my family legacy, I should say,” said Nidiffer, with a smile.
Nidiffer wasn’t the only high-ranking medalist for the Pioneers. Sophomores Andrew Frazier (132) and A.J. Barnabei (144) were both runner-up in their respective weight classes, while junior Jordan Zambon finished third at 113, despite wrestling with a broken elbow.
