Clarkston wins third straight regional title
Clarkston gets past Romeo, Stoney Creek to win third straight regional title
CLARKSTON » Having won backto-back regional championships, the Clarkston wrestling team knew what it was going to take to add a third straight title on Wednesday.
The 10th-ranked Wolves faced deficits in their semifinal with No. 8 Romeo and in their final with Stoney Creek, but rode their deeper weights to victories in both matches to secure a third consecutive D1 regional championship.
“Being (in this position) before really gives you a mental edge. Mindset is everything in wrestling. If you don’t have a mindset of belief knowing that your preparation is going to take you to good places, then you might as well not step out on the mat,” Clarkston coach Brian Gibbs said. “I think our guys knew what they had to do, and were willing to do what it took to get it done.”
The third straight title is a first for the Clarkston wrestling program.
“This is the first time Clarkston has been able to (win a regional) three years in a row in program history. With such a storied program — with all the All-State kids and a state championship team — it’s huge to be able to say we are the first ones to do that,” Gibbs said. “I think it is just going to be a snowball effect for our kids moving forward.”
In the semifinal with Romeo, the Bulldogs held a 28-18 lead with five weights remaining, but Clarkston managed to pick up narrow decision victories at 152, 160 and 171 to get within a point.
Collin Trevino then scored an 8-1 decision at 189 pounds to give Clarkston a 30-28 advantage. Drew Stark then closed out the semifinal with a 16-second pinfall.
“We knew Romeo was going to be tough coming in. They are a well-coached team and very athletic. We knew they were going to take it to us,” Gibbs said. “We just had to fight fire with fire. I knew that home stretch would be crucial, and we were able to take care of business.”
Romeo came in without some of their starters available due to exposure to COVID-19, but coach James Cali didn’t want to use that as an excuse.
“We are not using any of that as an excuse, because we felt we still had a shot. Realistically, we were underdogs for sure. Clarkston is a heck of a team and they proved it (Wednesday),” he said. “I am proud of our guys, though. Our guys fought hard. We were shorthanded, but not much you can do about that.”
Stoney Creek advanced to the regional final with a 46-31 win over Utica Ford.
In the final, the Cougars were able to establish an 18-11 lead after six weights. Andy Hampton had just scored a 15-0 tech fall.
Clarkston’s Ethan Lefevre would get a pinfall victory at 140 to get Clarkston within a
point and start a string of the Wolves winning five of the next six weights.
Grady Castle (152) and John Lord (160) both secured pins to give Clarkston a 29-21 lead. Hayden Payne (171) then picked up a 13-2 decision to make it 33-21.
Trevino then got the match-sealing pin in the third round of his 189-pound bout. Clarkston would then void the final two weight classes to make it 39-33.
“Every guy, regardless of the weight, was really battling hard for both teams,” Stoney Creek coach Jed Kramer said. “I commend Clarkston’s lineup for doing what they had to do to win. I am extremely proud of my wrestlers and the effort they gave. They really gave all they could and battled.”
The Cougars are in their fourth year under Kramer
as coach and having a breakout season after winning a district championship as a team last week. Stoney Creek also had six individual district champions last weekend.
“This is the best season that Stoney Creek wrestling has ever had,” Kramer said. “We have been building the program in the last four years since I got here, and these seniors have been with me the whole time. The guys really stuck with me and fought through some tough times. We improved each year and have really wrestled some tough teams over the years to get better. We have definitely set the expectations higher in the program. If the work ethic can match that, great things will happen. We will lose some great leadership, but overall we still have a relatively young team. Hopefully we can continue to build on the success.”
Romeo had nine wrestlers advance to this weekend’s individual regionals.
“This is a great group
and we still have nine guys alive individually, so we are going to keep pushing those guys,” Cali said. “Our seniors were fantastic. They were great leaders for us. We have most of the team back next season, and we are really excited about what’s to come.”
Clarkston will have eight individuals competing in regionals this weekend. The team advances to Tuesday’s Division 1 state finals at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo.
Quarterfinal action begins at 10 a.m., while the semifinals are slated for 2 p.m. and the championship is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
Clarkston will find out its seed for Tuesday’s event in the days to come.
“I think we are bringing a whole team that is going to give effort and put a fight out (on the mat) at every weight,” Gibbs said. “In wrestling, it’s a sport where anything can happen. If we can win seven weights, anything can happen.”
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