APPETITE FOR WINNING
Individual regionals next as state tournament continues
Brett Stanley is almost in wrestling heaven.
Winning a state championship would surely put the De La Salle Collegiate senior there, but things are good for the multisport standout who finished fifth in the state at 160 pounds last year.
“I bumped up this year, I’m at 189, so I eat whatever I want,” Stanley said with a gleam in his eye.
“I see everyone else cutting weight, running, and I’m just eating subs every day,” Stanley continued. “It’s good, because I maintain my energy that way.”
Stanley was one of three Pilots who won Division 1 individual district championships while a school-record eight DLS wrestlers advanced to the regional round that is Saturday at Hartland.
Ken Ryder won at 171 and
Clayton Beleshi at 215.
First-year wrestlers Jeffrey Roskopp and Mike Olind advanced at heavyweight, as did 125-pounders Nathan O’Donnell and Joey Montilla, plus Dominic Ragona at 160. Roskopp was a district runner-up.
“We’ve got people wrestling in pairs,” coach David Prince said “We have to stay in small groups because of COVID, so you’ve got to keep rotations going.
“They’ve all relied on their teammates to push them to be better.”
Beleshi got hurt last season and couldn’t participate in the state tournament.
He went to the district at Sterling Heights without fanfare.
“Nobody knew who I was,” he said.
Now he heads to Hartland as a district champion — and as a senior with 22 victories and lofty aspirations.
“Going to states has been my goal,” Beleshi said. “Ever since (last year) I’ve thought, ‘I have to get there, I have to get there.’
“This season, I’ve worked really hard. I have a better mentality — 100 % better mentality. I’m way more dedicated than I was.”
Stanley, who helped De La Salle reach the state Division 2 championship football game in January, wants to add to his school career record for wrestling victories before turning his attention to baseball.
“I hope I win it,” he said of
the 189 championship. “I’m excited.”
Two regionals will be at Macomb County schools. Warren Woods-Tower hosts a Division 2 tournament and Richmond a Division 3.
Joe Haynes and Omari Embree of Warren WoodsTower
are defending state champions.
Brendan Ferretti of Dakota is a defending champ in Division 1.
State finals are April 2-3.
Team tournament
Dakota, which earlier in the week won its sixth consecutive regional championship, bowed out of Tuesday’s Division 1 quarterfinals because of COVID-19 quarantining,
coach Ed Skowneski Jr. said Friday.
“We knew going into the season that at any moment it could be over,” Skowneski said. “It’s disappointing, because the kids worked really hard. Cases are skyrocketing all over the state.”
Dakota’s individual regional qualifiers were cleared to compete Saturday, Skowneski said.
Davison is the No. 1 seed
in Division 1.
In Division 2, Warren Woods-Tower drew the No. 6 seed and faces No. 3 Goodrich at Kalamazoo on Tuesday.
In Division 3, eight-time champion Richmond is No. 4 and wrestles No. 5 Montrose.
Other No. 1 seeds are Lowell in Division 2, Dundee in Division 3 and Clinton in Division 4.