In review: A look at the MHSAA Wrestling State Finals
Blue Water Area wrestlers packed the podium at this year’s MHSAA State Finals.
Of the 35 athletes to qualify for the tournament, 16 earned all-state honors, including three runners-up and one state champion.
As defending champ in the Girls Division, Algonac’s Sky Langewicz (110-lbs) kept her crown with a dominant performance: an 18-3 tech fall followed by two pins to secure her spot in the finals. In the final round, she won over Gaylord’s Sunni LaFond by a 5-3 decision. The sophomore finished her season at 46-5, helping her team to its first BWAC and Regional titles along the way.
Cros-Lex’s Joey Scaramuzzino and St. Clair’s Cristian Haslem each finished as a runner-up in Division 2, and Richmond’s Noah Harris did the same in Division 3.
Harris, a 120-lbs senior, wrapped up his impressive career with his highest finish at the State Finals after having placed seventh or eighth the previous three years. He went 2-1 in the tournament and was 41-6 on the season.
As for Haslem, his career is just beginning. The 106-lbs freshman picked up only his second loss of the season in the finals. He went 3-1 in the tournament and was 46-2 overall.
And Scaramuzzino’s runner-up finish wasn’t the junior’s only excitement over the weekend. He also earned his 100th career win, finishing his season 51-4.
Imlay City senior Anthony D’Ambrosio (150-lbs) finished his career with a third-place finish at the Finals. In his last match, he edged his opponent by a narrow 3-2 decision, guaranteeing himself a 50-win season as he finished the year 50-7 overall. Yale junior Jeremy Griffith placed fifth in the same weight class, finishing the year at 46-11.
Algonac sophomore Lucky Gartin (120-lbs) also captured third-place by a pin, finishing the year 52-7 overall.
Yale’s Landon Sopha (106-lbs), a sophomore, returned to the Finals as last year’s runner-up. This season he finished fourth after two incredibly close losses, one by a 2-0 sudden victory and another by a 4-3 tiebreaker. He was 45-9 overall on the year.
Teammates Josh Kasner (175-lbs) and Reid Hiltunen (190-lbs) each finished fifth for Algonac. Kasner, a junior, won his final match by a 12-6 decision, finishing the year 51-2. His only two losses came at the state tournament. He defeated conference foe Zac Dykes, a sophomore from Armada, in the final match.
As for Hiltunen, a sophomore, his final match was decided by just a point, 2-1, and he finished the year at 45-5.
Heading into the tournament, Imlay City junior Dominic D’Ambrosio (132-lbs) was tied with the school record for the number of pins in a season. After picking up three more on the weekend, he etched his name in the books with 41 total pins. He finished fifth in the state with a 56-5 overall record.
Algonac sophomore Chris Campbell (113-lbs), Imlay City sophomore Christopher Galiana (120-lbs), and Richmond junior Matthew Misch (285-lbs) each finished sixth in their respective weight classes. Campbell and Galiana end with 50-plus-win seasons, while Misch completes the year at 38-10 overall.
Junior David Clemons (138-lbs) rounded out Algonac’s all-state placers when he finished eighth with a 51-8 season record, and Imlay City senior Latham Perry ends his career not only as an all-state wrestler after placing eighth, but he also joined the 100-win club by adding two more wins to his record last weekend.
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