Epic Michigan high school wrestling individual tournament brings out pride in competitors
On Friday morning, 896 boys and 224 girls walked into Ford Field with the hopes of exiting Saturday night as one of 70 wrestling state champions, in 14 different weight classes over five divisions.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association’s tournament is the largest high school wrestling championship in the United States each year. Roughly 12,000 people are in attendance keeping an eye on 25 mats covering the football field — so considering some of the kids come from the tiniest of schools and gymnasiums, walking into such a massive venue could become overwhelming.
“One mat is probably the size of our wrestling room at our school,” said Clinton sophomore Raven Aldridge, wrestling at 135 pounds in the girls’ division. “So, coming to this big environment is really cool, and while the crowd may not be cheering for you (specifically), at least you have people who can see how you do and what you’re capable of.
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“The girls, we love it. It’s an amazing opportunity and for girls worldwide, and I think our states is the coolest thing ever. We went from a couple years ago not having regionals, then having states at a tiny little place, to expanding to this huge environment, it’s just unbelievable.”
Leading the event for the MHSAA is assistant director Dan Hutcheson, who is always looking for ways to expand the experience for the athletes.
“People do love competing here,” he said. “Yes, it’s large, but at the end of the day it’s kind of like the movie 'Hoosiers,' where the coach brings the tape measure out and says ‘I think you’ll find the dimensions of this’ mat, or the hoop, ‘is the same size as back in Hickory,’ right?
“So, the mats are the same size, it’s that same experience, but with the big venue, it’s really exciting for the kids. We’ve had some great comments about it, and we try to make it better and better each year.”
Junior Jackson Porter, of Division 4 Perry, has more than 30 wins this season, but he's still awed by the chance to wrestle at Ford Field.
“I have been wrestling my entire life and it’s still hard to put this moment, going farther (in the bracket) in a place like this, where it’s all the best (wrestlers), it feels great, that’s all I can say about it.”
Porter admitted it’s easy to lose focus in such a large setting.
“You have so many thoughts going through your head going into the match,” he said. “You can be looking at who is warming up next to you, who you think you’re going to have, who is going to beat who. But as soon as you step on the mat, those thoughts just flow away, and you’ve got to wrestle.”
Clarkston coach Brian Gibbs said the setup at Ford Field, and being the largest tournament in the country, is a point of pride for kids, coaches and schools.
“Obviously, the Midwest is a great area for wrestling, with Michigan being one of the best states in the country for high school wrestling,” Gibbs said. “So, I think it’s just kind of a stick-out-our-chest-type situation, that this state is really good at wrestling and we’re showing it off in a great place like this.”
Clarkston had 10 qualifiers at Ford Field; seven were rookies at the finals.
“We try to do our best to prepare our kids for pressure situations all season long, wrestling at tough events to get them used to pressure situations and environments like this,” Gibbs said. “This is obviously an awesome venue for these guys to wrestle at, right in downtown Detroit, an experience that not many people get.”
Four for all
Four seniors came in with three state titles to their credit, going for four in a row: Josh Barr of Davison at 175 pounds in Div. 1, his Davison teammate Cade Horwath at 126 pounds, Dylan Gilcher of Novi Detroit Catholic Central at 150 pounds, and Division 3 rep Braeden Davis of Dundee at 132 pounds.
Just 31 Michigan wrestlers have gone 4-for-4 before this season.
Two seniors reached their career milestone 150th wins Friday: Rob Cann of Whitmore Lake at 165 pounds, and Trevor Swiss of Petosky at 150.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Size of Michigan high school wrestling individual finals sparks pride
