DETROIT — The season isn’t quite over yet for Novi Detroit Catholic Central’s wrestlers.
Over the weekend, the team won its third straight Division 1 state championship and an unprecedented seventh in the last decade.
The season is extended a week for 11 Shamrocks who won their district and regional tests to advance to the individual state finals Friday and Saturday, March 1-2, at Detroit’s Ford Field.
The spotlight will shine the brightest on Nebraska-bound Kevon Davenport, who will be attempting to do something that only 24 wrestlers in state history have accomplished: win a fourth consecutive individual championship.
And, he would be the first CHSL wrestler to do this, too.
He won the individual titles at three different weight classes: as a freshman in the 119 class, at 130 as a sophomore, and 145 as a junior. He’ll stay at 145 as a senior.
Senior Cameron Amine (152) is aiming for a third win, having won as a freshman and sophomore.
Looking to repeat last year’s wins are junior Joshua Edmond (135), junior Derek Gilcher (140), and senior Easton Turner (189).
Hoping to be first-time winners are freshman Anthony Walker (103), junior Caleb White (112), sophomore Camden Trupp (130), junior Manuel Rojas (160), junior Brendin Yatooma (215) and senior Steven Kolcheff (285).
It’s a rigorous schedule. Competition starts at 11:30 a.m. Friday. Winners move on to the quarterfinals at 4:15 p.m. and semifinals at 7:30 p.m.
The finals begin at 3 p.m. Saturday.
The Shamrocks defeated Brighton 34-19 for the championship. Coach Mitch Hancock’s crew steamrolled through the postseason, not giving up a team point through the district or regional, and continuing on through the quarterfinals with a 63-6 win over Clarkston and the semifinals, 56-9 over Westland John Glenn.
Catholic Central (26-1) finished the decade with seven titles and one runner-up finish. It’s a feat no Division 1 team has ever accomplished.
Hancock – coach of seven champs in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019 – is tied with legendary Mike Rodriguez, whose squads won in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1978, 1983 and 1988.
“You have to take your hats off to our guys; they work so hard,” said Hancock in post-match remarks with MHSAA officials. “It’s not about me, it really isn’t. It’s about them and how hard they work. We have a standard at Catholic Central, and that standard is high.
“When you come to Catholic Central, you better be ready to work, you better be ready to perform in the classroom, pray to God and perform on the athletic field, and those guys live up to that standard every single day.”
CC won nine of the 14 matches against Brighton: 140-pound wrestler, Logan Sanom; 145, Derek Gilcher; 152, Kevon Davenport; 160, Cameron Amine; 189, Easton Turner; 215, Brendin Yatooma; 285, Steven Kolcheff; 103, Anthony Walker; 135, Josh Edmond.
