Dundee begins quest for seventh straight state wrestling championship
Logan Ritchie is tired of watching Jefferson celebrate.
In each of his first two seasons as New Boston Huron’s wrestling coach, Ritchie has watched Jefferson come out on top in a Team District tournament that included Huron.
He hopes to flip that script this year.
More: Jefferson, Dundee, Bedford, Carlson capture wrestling league titles
“There is no animosity, but they took away our goal,” Ritchie said.
The 12 Monroe County Region wrestling teams will participate in six Districts tonight and Thursday.
Division 1 at Bedford
Monroe and Bedford appear destined to meet in the finals.
Both have semifinal matches to take care of first. Monroe is scheduled to face Ypsilanti Lincoln and Bedford will take on Saline at 5:30. There has been talk that Lincoln may forfeit its match. Bedford thrashed Saline 61-12 a few weeks ago.
Bedford is 17-4 and ranked No. 3 in Division 1. Monroe is 20-5 in dual meets, but one of its losses was a 62-12 setback against Bedford.
“We are excited to host Team Districts at Bedford,” said Bedford coach Kevin Vogel, whose team owns four tournament championships this season. “Bedford should be the favored but are not overlooking Saline or Monroe."
Division 1 at Wyandotte
Gibraltar Carlson, 23-7 and the Downriver League champion, moves up to Division 1 this year.
The Marauders open by taking on Downriver League rival Wyandotte Roosevelt at 5 p.m. Woodhaven – another Downriver team – takes on Belleville in the other semifinal.
The winners will meet for the title at 6:30.
Carlson beat Wyandotte by 21 points and Woodhaven by 50.
“I think we are sitting in good shape to make a nice post season run,” Carlson coach Lance Hassell said. “Our young team is really putting it together. Our kids are hungry and excited to try to win the first Division 1 District title for our school. They also know that if we win our District, we will have the opportunity to host team Regionals.”
Division 2 at Airport
Jefferson, 25-0 and ranked No. 5 in the state, is the favorite heading in this District, but Bears coach Ryan Nadeau says his team can’t afford to be complacent.
“"Wrestling is a funny game,” he said. “Anything can happen. As far as favorites to win goes, we will be there and ready compete."
The action begins a 5 p.m. with Airport (20-4) battling Huron. The winner will meet Jefferson for the District title.
“Jefferson is currently the favorite right now, but I know us and Huron are very good squads ourselves,” Airport coach Jon Morris said. “Our guys have been working hard, if we can turn two or three matches around we could have a shot at winning this. Whoever wins this Team District Thursday, will go to team states.”
Ritchie draws hope from Saturday’s Huron League Tournament where his team had six champions to four for Jefferson.
“This is what we’ve been working for all year,” he said. “We have a game plan and we’re ready to go.”
Division 3 at Dundee
Dundee’s quest for a seven straight state title begins at home.
The Vikings, ranked No. 1 in the state, take on Ida at 5:30 p.m. while Milan and Erie Mason meet in the other semifinal at the same time.
Dundee (11-5) has wrestled one of the toughest schedules in the state to get ready.
“We’re excited to get to start our postseason run,” said Garrett Stevens, co-coach of Dundee with Nate Hall. “Our kids are starting to come together and compete up to their potential. This part of the season is all about fine tuning some small technical things, managing their diets, and, most importantly, having fun competing.”
Ida brings a 13-17 record into the District.
“We will compete hard and continue to try to get a little better every day, but at end of the day, Dundee is the favorite in our Team District,” said Bryan Schaffer, co-coach of Ida with Dennis Gerth. “They have a very strong team.”
Division 3 at Grosse Ile
Flat Rock opens postseason competition with a 5:30 p.m. semifinal against Summit Academy.
The other semifinal at the same time pits Grosse Ile against Romulus.
The winners clash for the District title at 7 p.m.
“The Flat Rock Rams team may be small this year, but our wrestlers are fierce and will fight to the end,” Flat Rock coach Rogelio Aguilera said.
Division 4 at SMCC
St. Mary Catholic Central hosts a District for the first time since 2021.
The Falcons (14-10) got a tough draw, taking on No. 6 Manchester in the semifinals at 5:30 p.m. The winner moves on to face Sand Creek in the finals.
“We are super excited to host the District this year,” SMCC coach Nick Eby said. “We are excited to get out there and compete to the best of our abilities. We will be squaring off with Manchester in the semifinals and they always have a tough squad. We look forward to seeing how we match up against them and leaving everything on the mat for the team.”
DIVISION 1 AT BEDFORD
Wednesday’s Semifinals
Monroe vs. Ypsilanti Lincoln, 5:30 p.m.
Bedford vs. Saline, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday’s Finals
7 p.m.
DIVISION 1 AT WYANDOTTE
Wednesday’s Semifinals
Gibraltar Carlson vs. Wyandotte Roosevelt, 5 p.m.
Woodhaven vs. Belleville, 5 p.m.
Wednesday’s Finals
6:30 p.m.
DIVISION 2 AT AIRPORT
Thursday’s Semifinals
Airport vs. New Boston Huron, 5 p.m.
Thursday’s Finals
Jefferson vs. Airport-Huron winner, 7 p.m.
DIVISION 3 AT DUNDEE
Wednesday’s Semifinals
Milan vs. Erie Mason, 5:30 p.m.
Dundee vs. Ida, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday’s Finals
7 p.m.
DIVISION 3 AT GROSSE ILE
Wednesday’s Semifinals
Flat Rock vs. Summit Academy, 5:30 p.m.
Grosse Ile vs. Romulus, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday’s Finals
7 p.m.
DIVISION 4 AT SMCC
Thursday’s Semifinals
SMCC vs. Manchester, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday’s Finals
Sand Creek vs. SMCC-Manchester winner, 6:45 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Prep Wrestling: Quests for state titles begin with Team Districts
