The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Nine Dutchmen march on to state tournament
Record number of wrestlers set for battle at The Palace March 6
By Ed Patino, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: February 28, 2008
Four days after the Flying Dutchmen clinched its second straight regional championship, the varsity boys wrestling team had nine wrestlers earn berths to the state tournament in the Division 4 individual regional tournament Feb. 23 at Manchester High School.
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Manchester crowned three regional champions in Cevin Walker, Jason Alber and Kyler Ritter. Jimmy Hamilton earned a second-place finish, while Ryan Abrigo, Scott Conway, Bill Cloke and Tyler King each placed third. Will Rickert placed fourth in his weight class to become another state qualifier for Manchester.
The nine state qualifiers sets a new school record. The previous high was eight, which the Dutchmen set last year.
The individual state wrestling tournament will take place March 6-8 at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Dutchmen will also compete in the Division 4 team state tournament this weekend in Battle Creek, facing Leroy Pine River in the quarterfinals Friday.
"I think we're still riding the wave from last year," Manchester coach Steve Vlcek said. "This wasn't expected at the beginning of the season, but we knew we had a lot of talent back. Again, our senior leadership has been great and the young guys have caught on, and the guys expect to win now."
Each of Manchester's regional champions won their respective titles for the first time in their careers. Walker went undefeated on the day and clinched the 119-pound regional title with an 11-0 major decision over Harper Woods' Anthony Burris. For the year, Walker has compiled a 50-3 record.
Alber (160) also swept through his division en route to a regional championship. An 8-2 decision over Chase Weber (Pittsford) in the finals secured Alber his 180th career victory and a trip to The Palace.
Ritter faced a familiar rival in the finals of the 215-pound weight class in Blissfield's Mike Rueda. The two met for the fifth time this season, and Ritter clinched a regional title with a 7-1 decision victory.
Ritter has won four of the five matches against Rueda this year.
Hamilton (112) earned some payback on his way to a second-place finish. In the semifinals, Hamilton defeated Jonesville's Andrew Barrett, who scored three victories over Hamilton last year. The victory was his 34th of the season. Hamilton was stopped, however, in the finals with a narrow 3-2 decision loss to Hudson's Zeb Hilyard.
"Jimmy beating the kid from Jonesville was a big win for him," Vlcek said.
Abrigo, Conway, Cloke and King all went 3-1 on the day to earn third-place finishes and berths to the state meet for the Dutchmen.
Abrigo scored his 39th victory over the season by posting a 5-3 decision over Tyler Foley (South Lyon East) in the consolation match of the 103-pound division. Conway (125) became a state qualifier for the first time by placing third after a 16-1 technical fall victory over Union City's Ethan Wareham. Conway now has 45 victories on the year.
"It's nice for Scott to earn his first trip to states as a senior," Vlcek said.
Cloke (152) battled his way to a third-place finish for Manchester. After dropping an 11-8 decision to an undefeated wrestler from Reading, Cloke rebounded with a 4-1 decision over Jonesville's Payden Armstrong in the consolation match. The win gave Cloke 48 on the season.
"Billy had to go through a very balanced weight class," Vlcek said.
King (215) was defeated in the opening match of the tournament, but fought back with three straight wins to secure third place and a trip to the state meet. The senior finished the day with a 3-1 decision over Austin Spieth (Reading).
"There were seven or eight kids with 25 or more wins in Tyler's weight class," Vlcek said. "He had to work hard to come back and place."
Rickert finished 2-2 on the day to place fourth in the 171-pound division. The junior moved his win total to 40 on the season and clinched his first trip to The Palace.
Four other wrestlers also compete for the Dutchmen. Austin Deacons, Johnny Woolams and Mike Garrison each fell one win short of earning a berth to states, while Ryan Lannom also competed for Manchester.
"Ryan wrestled hard and had a tough road," Vlcek said. "Garrison was one match away from returning to states, so that was tough for him to take."
The opening rounds of the individual state tournament will take place March 6. The event will run until semifinals and finals March 8.
Walker, Alber, Ritter, Hamilton and Cloke were part of Manchester's contingent of wrestlers that competed at The Palace last year, with Cloke winning the Division 4 state title at 152-pounds.
"With them being there once before, maybe the nerves won't be as heavy, and that will help the first timers get through it," Vlcek said. "I've seen the experienced kids step up each week, and the freshmen and sophomores have a chance to gain great experience and see what they're capable of doing."
As for the this weekend's team state tournament, the Dutchmen know they have a challenging road ahead of them and are not buying into the hype that their side of the bracket, with Leroy Pine River, Springport and Rogers City is an easier road than the other side, which features Hudson, Hesperia, New Lathrop and Bronson.
"Leroy Pine River has experienced kids and qualified eight for the state meet," Vlcek said. "We expect that dual to come down to one or two matches, so we need to be on top of our game. But it's nice to know you can rely on 14 kids."
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