The Wildcat grapplers secured their 10th consecutive league title during the Feb. 5 OAA Red Division League Championship held at Stoney Creek .
However, this year’s title is being shared with rival Clarkston.
‘We really wanted to win both parts of it, both the dual meet and the (individual) tourney. We won the dual meet season and took second in the tournament, so we ended up being the co-champions with Clarkston,? explained Oxford Head Coach Paul McDevitt. ‘We don’t like to share.?
In the tournament, Clarkston took first place with 218.5 points. Oxford came in second with 188 followed by Rochester (131), Rochester Adams (105.5), Rochester Stoney Creek (77) and Farmington (55).
In the dual-match standings, Oxford placed first with a 5-0 record. Clarkston placed second at 4-1 followed by Rochester (3-2), Rochester Adams (2-3), Rochester Stoney Creek (1-4) and Farmington (0-5).
Oxford’s Dalton Meyers (112), Sergio Borg (130) and Alex Hrisopoulos (145) all earned first place medals. Meyers defeated Brandon Toy, of Rochester 4-2. Borg won 6-3 over Clarkston’s Harley Susalla and Hrisopoulos pinned Stoney Creek’s Keven Price in 52 seconds.
‘Sergio did really good. He wrestled a kid he had lost to early on (in the season) and he did a really nice job (coming back and beating him),? McDevitt said. ‘Alex went in and did everything he was supposed to do and had a good tournament.?
Second place finishers included Liam Hillary (103), who lost to Clarkston’s Mackenzie Hanselman 12-7; Jacob Call (119), who lost to Nate Hampton of Stoney 5-4; Byron Schlickenmeyer (215), who lost 9-8 against Farmington’s Donovan King; and heavyweight Wyatt Harden, who lost 8-2 to Nathan Troutvine, of Clarkston.
Third place finishers included Caleb Tabert (135), who pinned Clarkston’s Jake Billette in 2:29; Vinny Vackero (140), who pinned Paul Leo of Rochester in 2:24; Trent Myre (152), who won with a 15-7 major decision over Adams? Les Bleil; Trevino Devin (160), who defeated Josh Brooks, of Rochester, 7-3; Dallas Winkleman (171), who won over Stoney’s Chris Langusch 5-1; and Ethan Kerin (189), who defeated Stoney’s Tyler Koch 6-0.
McDevitt said Oxford will have to beat Clarkston one more time to make it to quarterfinals for team states. ‘Now, we’ve beaten them and they’ve beaten us,? he said.
Earlier in the week, Oxford sent their B team to Stoney Creek where they defeated both De La Salle (59-16) and Orchard Lake’s St. Mary’s (61-12) in dual matches.
‘We have a lot of really good kids who are backing up our starters and on many, many teams would be their varsity starters,? McDevitt explained. ‘We got out there and sent those kids into a couple duals, and they did a nice job and won them both.?
Ten grapplers out of a fourteen-man line went 2-0 for the evening. Three of those ten wrestlers had two pins a piece including junior Campbell Coker and freshmen Shane Moore and Thomas Wandrie. Freshman Garritt Mahoney had one Technical Decision and one pin, while three wrestlers each had one pin and one victory by void. They were sophomore Daltan Myers and freshmen Joe Vackaro and Caleb Tabert.
Freshman Austin Schlicht had one major decision and one pin, freshman Matthew Curtis had one major decision and one victory by void, and Junior Dallas Winkleman had one pin and one decision.
The boys will compete at home Thursday, Feb. 11 in the MHSAA team districts against Port Huron, then face the winner between Port Huron Northern and Romeo. ‘We’re the favorite going into that and we hope to compete well, represent and come away with a district championship,? McDevitt said.