The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
OH SO CLOSE
Dutchmen make first trip to finals, but are stopped by Hesperia
By Ed Patino, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: March 6, 2008
The dream season came to an end in an unwanted fashion for the Manchester varsity wrestling team.
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The Flying Dutchmen's bid for their first-ever state wrestling championship fell one win short with a 48-24 loss to the Hesperia Panthers in the Division 4 team state finals March 1 at Battle Creek's Kellogg Arena.
Manchester (32-6) set several team and individual records throughout the season. After winning the Cascades Conference championship, their first league title since 1973, the Dutchmen advanced to the team state finals for the first time in school history after routing Springport 45-25 in the semifinals.
They met their match in the form of Hesperia (31-1), which entered the weekend ranked No. 1 in the state's Division 4 state polls. Manchester hung with the Panthers early in the dual, but Hesperia won nine of the 14 matches to claim the state championship.
Hesperia was two years removed from its heartbreaking 36-25 loss to Addison in the 2006 Division 4 team state finals.
"We wrestled well, but just didn't have enough firepower," Manchester coach Steve Vlcek said. "They have seven regional champions on their team, and they reached the finals for a reason. They deserved it."
The teams exchanged pinfalls to open the dual. Hesperia senior Jake Whelen drew first blood for the Panthers by pinning Will Rickert in 2:24 during the 189-pound match, but Kyler Ritter (215) answered for Manchester by pinning Andy Murphy in 1:20 after a two-point takedown and cradle for the fall. Rudy Spalding gave Hesperia a 12-6 lead after scoring a fall in 1:56 over Tyler King in the heavyweight match.
The Panthers gradually extended their lead over the next two matches. Collin Zeerip (103) raced to a 14-4 lead after two periods and scored a 20-5 technical fall over Manchester freshman Ryan Abrigo. In the 112-pound match, Jimmy Hamilton pulled into a 4-4 tie with an escape early in the third period, but Hesperia's Jordan Bosma pulled out a 6-5 decision victory, giving the Panthers a 19-6 lead.
"Jimmy wrestled well in his match," Vlcek said. "(Hesperia) is very strong between 103 and 130, and any of those matches were a toss up."
Junior Cevin Walker and senior Scott Conway got Manchester back into the dual. Walker outlasted Jon Hern for a 7-4 decision in the 119-pound match, then Conway pinned Jake Evans in 2:19 in the 125-pound bout, pulling the Dutchmen to within 19-15.
"The guys were bouncing around and feeding off the energy, and we didn't lay down for them," Vlcek said.
Hesperia took over the dual after that, however. Jordan Bates (130) scored a critical 17-2 technical fall over Manchester's Johnny Woolams, then sophomore Malcolm Martin pinned Mike Garrison in 3:31 during the 135-pound match, giving the Panthers a 30-15 lead.
Adam Wiseman (145) gave Hesperia another pin, scoring the fall in 3:31 over Matt Layher. That forced the Dutchmen to win the remaining four matches and score 21 points to force a tiebreaker. Hesperia junior Brandon Zeerip had other ideas in the 145-pound match and pinned Steve Sheler in 1:12, giving the Panthers a 42-15 lead to clinch the state championship.
"We're disappointed, but it was a huge step for us to get here," Vlcek said.
Seniors Bill Cloke and Jason Alber helped the Dutchmen win two of the final three matches. Cloke (152) defeated Mike Hamilton by an injury disqualification. After Dan Yates (160) pinned Isaac Miller in 1:12, Alber closed out the dual with a 10-3 decision over Lee Maynard in the 171-pound match.
Manchester came out firing in the semifinals against Springport, winning six of the first seven matches. A decision victory by Alber in the 160-pound match got the dual started, then Rickert gave the Dutchmen an 8-0 lead by scoring a technical fall over Springport's Philipp Cannons.
Cody Longon answered for the Spartans in the 189-pound match by pinning Cody Sroufe in 1:49, but Manchester scored victories in the four matches.
Ritter (215) pinned Cody Southwell in 54 seconds, then King (285) defeated Landon Longon by an injury disqualification. Abrigo (103) pinned Taylor Moubray in 1:01, then Hamilton pinned Josh Raymond in 53 seconds in the 112-pound match, giving the Dutchmen a 32-6 lead.
"We were really strong up top and got some big wins," Vlcek said. "Our lightweights carried us through and set the tone for the weekend."
Manchester graduates seven seniors in Conway, Garrison, Lannom, Cloke, Alber, King and Ritter. While they lose several starters, the Dutchmen have a deep core of underclassmen returning
"The seniors have really stamped their legacy with the program," Vlcek said. "Over the last three or four years, they've been part of winning the districts, regionals and were league champs."
The season is not over for nine Manchester wrestlers, who will compete this weekend in the Division 4 individual state tournament. The event begins today and runs through Saturday at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Walker, Alber, Ritter, Hamilton, Abrigo, Conway, Cloke, King and Rickert will represent the Dutchmen this weekend.
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