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Please note: An earlier version of this article listed the incorrect matchup for the 119-pound weight class.
Detroit – The Catholic Central Shamrocks ran away with the Catholic League wrestling championship Saturday at University of Detroit Jesuit High School.
Divine Child came in second in the tournament, with De La Salle finishing a very close third and host school University of Detroit capturing fourth.
While Catholic Central’s team score of 282 nearly doubled the second-place school, it was the Falcons who mounted an exciting comeback to capture the second spot. Divine Child leapfrogged both University of Detroit and De La Salle after trailing both schools just before the final round.
Divine Child finished with 145 team points, De La Salle with 142 and University of Detroit with 141.
The Shamrocks, continuing in their dominating ways on the mats, finished No. 1 or No. 2 in 12 out of the 14 weight classes.
“We call this title time,” said Catholic Central assistant coach Kevin Griffin, who said the team is hoping the Catholic League crown sets the Shamrocks’ tone for the state competitions later in February. “This past week we began to prepare for the ultimate title, and this is the first step.”
A big first step for Catholic Central was achieved at the highest weight class, where sophomore Robert Coe pinned Divine Child’s Zach Case, just 40 seconds into the final match.
“I’m extremely excited,” Coe said after the tournament. “(My) first first-place ever. I started wrestling this year and it was a good day overall.”
The last time Coe faced off against Divine Child, he’d been defeated by Alex Davis.
“I was kind of hoping to get another shot at him,” Coe said. “I learned a couple new things getting ready for him.”
The rematch wasn’t to be, however, because a lighter Davis was disposing of his competition in the 215-pound division. There, Davis earned the gold by pinning De La Salle’s Zach Bihary just over a minute-and-a-half into the final match.
In the 189-pound weight class, Catholic Central’s Kevin Bealley took care of business quickly in the final match, pinning Divine Child’s Logan McCann less than a minute into the contest.
The 171-pound weight class was the only one in which a finalist didn’t come from either Catholic Central or Divine Child. Notre Dame Prep’s James Yanik and University of Detroit’s David Obia fought a seesaw battle in that match. But it was Yanik who scored on a takedown at the bottom of the circle with 30 seconds left in the third period to earn the 3-2 win.
Catholic Central’s Andy Erickson got the win in the 160-pound weight class after he survived being lifted and thrown to the mat by De La Salle’s Brennan Kelly in the finals.
A quick and tenacious Shon Powell from Brother Rice won the gold in the 152-pound weight class by keeping Catholic Central’s Alex Kas-Marogi off balance and eventually winning by fall.
Divine Child’s Jamie Jakes did well never to let Catholic Central’s Michael Babicz get his balance in the 145-pound weight class. Jakes topped Babicz for the gold.
The home crowd got its biggest thrill of the day when Univeristy of Detroit’s Jake Vincent took home the gold – and his 100th career match win – against Catholic Central’s Chas Schneider in the 140-pound weight class.
Among the 135-pounders, Catholic Central’s Alex Goings topped Brother Rice’s J.D. Plomin for the gold. But the Warriors got the win in the 130-pound weight class when Andrew Napieraj defeated Shamrock Andrew Thompson in the finals match.
Shamrock Tim Naubert beat out St. Mary Prep’s Eric Stock in the 125-pound weight class. After an impressive escape by Stock, Naubert caught up with his opponent and drove him hard into the mat for the victory.
Catholic Central’s Casey Hagan prevailed over Gabriel Richard's Derek Wegienka to take the top spot among the 119-pound weight class. T.J. Fagan bested his opponent from University of Detroit, Marc Wise, to win in the 112-pound weight class.
In the 103-pound weight class, Matthew Cusumano of De La Salle got the better of Catholic Central’s David Liuey for the gold.
In the overall standings, Brother Rice took the fifth spot with 116 points, St. Mary’s Prep followed with 88 points, Bishop Foley had 52, Notre Dame Prep scored 31, and Gabriel Richard earned 16 team points.
