Macomb Dakota, LCN and Chippewa Valley Wrestlers Qualify For State Finals

HARRISON TOWNSHIP – Chippewa Valley High School senior Greg Dolland wasn’t going to let it happen again.

Anchor Bay’s John Bourcier beat Dolland twice this season by a single point. In a rematch on Saturday at the individual regional finals, the stakes were raised when the two wrestlers faced each other for a regional championship in the 160-pound weight class.

Dolland won the title in thrilling fashion on a 3-1 decision.  

“It feels great to come out victorious when it counts,” Dolland said, smiling.

Bourcier scored a point in the first round getting back to neutral. In the second round, Dolland was relentless. He went for a takedown again and again until he finally broke through with 21 seconds left in the round.

“I just had to get that takedown,” Dolland said.

His aggressiveness nearly backfired when Bourcier flipped him over after the takedown. If there was 10 more seconds on the clock, Bourcier might have scored two points himself. Time ran out and Dolland’s takedown was the only one of the match.

Dolland will wrestle in two weeks in the state finals at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

“I went two and out last year (at the finals), but it was a great experience to be there and have the full effect to get me ready for this year,” Dolland said.

Dolland won’t be the only Big Reds wrestler competing at The Palace. The top four wrestlers in each weight class qualified for the finals.  Senior Shaun Lee qualified in the 130-pound bracket.

He finished third, winning the consolation bracket with a 6-2 decision over Utica Ford’s Tevin Machart.

Macomb Dakota is also sending a wrestler to the state tournament. Dakota brought three wrestlers to regionals. Only Jake Johnson made it to the top four of his weight class.

Johnson lost a 4-1 decision in the 135-pound finals to Rochester’s Kaelan Richards.

“They’ve wrestled 8 or 9 times this year,” Dakota coach William Witgen said. “Kaelan has won the majority of those.”

Richards scored an early takedown on Saturday to go up 2-0. He spent the rest of the match locking up Johnson’s legs. He added to his lead in the third round with a second takedown.

Cougars junior Ken Seeyle (140) lost in the consolation bracket semifinals and junior Frank Drogosch (112) lost both his matches.

L'Anse Creuse North will send three of its wrestlers to the state tournament: Eric Maniaci (125), Gideon Gaiter (140) and LaMonte Baker (285). At regionals, Maniaci finished second, Gaiter, fourth, and Baker, third. 

Tough Competition

The L’Anse Creuse regional wasn’t lacking in top competition.

“There’s not a bad wrestler here; this is a really tough site,” Rochester High School coach Frank Lafferty said. “It might be one of the toughest (sites) in the state.”

It makes what his team and Oxford accomplished all the more impressive. The schools won more than half of the regional titles up for grabs on Saturday.

All six Falcons wrestlers made it to the regional finals in their respective weight classes. Rochester was only a takedown away from bringing home six regional championships. 

Kaelan Richards (135), Dean Vettesse (140), Aaron Morgan (145), Justin Kim (103) and Shwan Shadaia (189) all won regional titles.

In overtime, Falcons senior Cody DeVoe lost in the championship match to Utica Eisenhower’s Charlie Myers in a 3-2 decision. The 171-pound finals bout was probably the closest match of the night.

“Great day, great day, better than we expected,” Lafferty said.  “Best we’ve ever done.”

Oxford brought 11 wrestlers to the Division 1 regional and all of them are headed to the state finals. It won four regional championships.

The two undefeated wrestlers in the regional stayed that way. Oxford senior Prescott Line (42-0) won the 215-pound bracket and Stoney Creek senior Nick Gajdzik won the heavyweight division (285).

Last year in the state finals, Line and Gajdzik wrestled for the championship in 215-pound bracket.

Gajdzik moved up a weight class this year and they avoided each other in the regionals. Gajdzik’s teammate Serge Andreou wasn’t so lucky. Line pinned Andreou (1:47) in the regional finals.

Wrestling Regionals Coverage

• Four Anchor Bay Wrestlers Qualify For State Finals
• Berkley Eliminated From State Individual Wrestling Regionals
• Grosse Pointe North’s Patrick Salazar Wins Wrestling Regional Title
• No Luck For Groves Wrestlers At Individual Wrestling Regionals
• Lakeview’s Aaron Roach Eliminated At Individual Wrestling Regionals
• Lake Orion Wrestler Charlie Highlen Headed To State Finals
• Macomb Dakota and Chippewa Valley Wrestlers Qualify For State Finals
• Banner Day For Rochester At Individual Wrestling Regionals
• Royal Oak Wrestlers' Season Ends at Individual Regionals
• Utica Eisenhower, Ford Wrestlers Qualify for State Finals
• Ferndale's Chevez Farris Wins Regional Title
• Wyandotte Roosevelt's Barwig Qualifies for State Finals
• Saline's O'Sullivan Headed For the Palace

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story failed to name the three LCN wrestlers who also qualified for states. The story has been edited to reflect this addition.