Constantine wrestling ends season in state semifinals
KALAMAZOO - The Constantine wrestling program got a chance to see what the top of the mountain looks like. They've been to Wings Event Center before as a final eight participant on the wrestling mats and now the Falcons have grown accustomed to spending time there in late February.
On Saturday, Constantine had its season ended in the Division 3 state semifinals. The Falcons once again faced off with Dundee, which is regarded as the premier program in Division 3 for Michigan. Dundee won the contest officially, 49-22.
"I'm so proud of these kids and the way they fought all year," Constantine coach Dale Davidhizar said following the team's loss in Kalamazoo. "This dual proved to the kids that we're getting closer to being able to hang with the top dogs."
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Constantine now has back-to-back Final Four appearance at Wings.
With the loss, the Falcons end the team season with a record of 27-3.
"I am so proud of the way they responded all year," Davidhizar said. "The kids put endless hours in during the summer, spring and fall. We do everything possible to give the kids the opportunities and they're starting to really grasp it."
The match started at 165 pounds. There, Carter Godfrey of Constantine earned a pinfall win over Rocco Redmon at 4:42. It gave the Falcons an early 6-0 lead in the match.
Dundee answered with a win by Kole Katschor over Dathan Smith at 175, 11-3. It was a major decision and four points.
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Gregg Reed responded for Constantine with a pinfall win over Cooper Buhl in 40 seconds of the opening period at 190. Dundee would get a win at 215 with Landon King over Greg Crawford at 215 by a decision.
Bennett VandenBerg then won by major decision, 9-0, over Aiden Massingill at 285. This put four points on the board for Constantine, which led 16-7 at that point.
But, unfortunately for the Falcons, Dundee's strength came at the lower weights. It picked up wins at 106, 113, 120, 126 and 132 to gain a lead at 34-16.
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Constantine got a solid win at 138 pounds. There, Koltin Gross pinned Jeremy Amrhein at 2:34 of the bout. It was the final win of the match for the Falcons as Dundee won at 144, 150 and 157.
Even in defeat, the Falcons still had a positive experience. Constantine strives for qualifying to compete at Wings each year and this year was obviously no exception.
"It's where we want to be. We want to put the kids on a pedestal and want them to be shown to everybody for their hard work," Davidhizar said. "We have nothing but upside."
Contact Sports Editor Brandon Watson at watson@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as twitter, @BwatsonSJ.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Constantine season comes to an end to Dundee at Wings Event Center
