Abbey sparks Hartland past Clarkston to another regional title
There was definitely a momentum switch for the Hartland wrestlers at Wednesday night’s team regional.
Or perhaps better put, a spark of sorts.
Junior Vinnie Abbey, one of the state’s top wrestlers at 157 pounds, pinned West Bloomfield senior Jason Onwenu, another highly-ranked wrestler, in their semifinal match. The Eagles went on to win their last seven matches to earn a berth in the regional final.
In his next match, against Clarkston, Abbey again picked up a key victory, pinning the Wolves’ Trey Setter in the first period to give his team its first lead of the match, 16-15. The Eagles would go on to win the next six matches, all by fall, to roll to a 52-27 win over Clarkston.
“Vinnie got that win over (Onwenu), a top five wrestler, in our semifinal. That was huge,” Hartland head coach Kyle Summerfield said. “And once he got that fall at 157 against Clarkston, the train started running. He really got us going.”
James Butzkier followed Abbey’s fall with a first-period pin at 165 pounds. Nick Rochowiak then needed just 1:01 to get his pin at 175 pounds The Eagles kept things rolling, with Brayden Bobo eking out a late fall over Clarkston senior Brock Trevino at 190 pounds. The match was tied when Bobo turned Trevino and got the fall. Jacob Pretzel (215 pounds), Vincent Cox (285) and Dane Dunbar (106) put the match out of reach, all picking up first-period pins to give their team a 52-15 lead.
“We’ve got a tough team, top to bottom,” said Summerfield, who has 12 ranked wrestlers in his lineup. “I will say, we are well versed up top. We’ve got guys who have been leaders for quite a while. When we get into those upper weights, we usually run away from most teams in duals.”
Clarkston knew it had to make its move early. The Wolves opened the match with a Brady Vogt pin at 126 pounds. Hartland answered with a fall by Easton Culver at 132 pounds before Clarkston countered with wins at 138 and 144 pounds. Seniors Auggie Anderson (tech fall) and Cayden Strong (major decision) gave their team a 15-6 lead four matches in.
Gabe Cappellano picked up a 12-2 major decision victory over Clarkston’s Ethan LeFevre at 150 pounds to pull his Eagles to within five points at 15-10. That set the stage for Abbey’s matchchanging bout.
“We knew from 106 to 150, we had to make some things happen,” Clarkston head coach Brian Gibbs said. “To beat a team like (Hartland), where there are 14 good guys, it comes down to the fact that everything needs to be clicking. You can’t
give up bonus points and we gave up too many bonus points up top.
“Hats off to Hartland. They’ve got a lineup full of killers and people that can go out there and pin you, regardless of how the match is going. That’s the kind of thing that makes a team great.”
Sophomores Archer Anderson (fall) and Preston LeFevre (void) finished with Clarkston’s other victories on the night.
“Clarkston has a very good team down low and they’re also very good in the middle,” Summerfield said. “Kudos to them. They are scrappers, every one of their kids top to bottom.”
Clarkston beat Birmingham Seaholm, 57-19, in its semifinal match. Preston LeFevre, Nate Carter, Auggie Anderson, Strong, Ethan LeFevre, Trevino and Camden Neumann won by fall for the Wolves. Matt Windsor and Jack Salyer had pins for the Maples.
Hartland defeated the host Lakers in the semifinal round, 66-6. Dallas Korponic, Liam Wiitanen, Abbey, Rochowiak, Pretzel and Cox all won by fall for the Eagles. Anthony Coleman and Seth Weissman picked up wins for West Bloomfield. The regional championship is the 22nd straight for Hartland, a state semifinalist in 2022. The Eagles won the 2016 Division 1 state championship.
“It’s always a privilege to make it to the state meet, but in our mind, it’s kind of become the standard,” Summerfield said. “Getting into the top eight is no longer our goal. Our goal is to try and win championships.”