Meet the 2023-24 All-Livingston County wrestling team
It pretty much took an all-state performance to make the All-Livingston County wrestling first team.
Of the 15 wrestlers on the team, 14 made all-state and all 15 have been on the podium at Ford Field at least once during their careers.
The list includes four state champions and five wrestlers who have a title during their careers.
We’ve been putting one girl on the team the past few years because the county has always had at least one state champion, but we went with two since Sabrina Nauss of Brighton and Maggie Buurma of Fowlerville are dominant multi-time state champs.
Bodie Abbey
Hartland, sophomore
► Accomplishments: Abbey won his first 57 matches this season until losing in the 126-pound state final. The loss ended a 90-match winning streak for Abbey, who was the state champ at 113 as a freshman. He has a 101-4 career record.
► Coach Kyle Summerfield: “Bodie does all the right things. He almost had the perfect season. He obviously wanted to win that final match, but Bodie losing this gold medal probably just won him five or six more in his life. He’s that type of kid. That’s the truth. Losing that match will make him hungrier and more driven than anybody even understands.”
Vinnie Abbey
Hartland, senior
► Accomplishments: Abbey made all-state four times, finishing as state runner-up the last two years after placing eighth at 135 as a freshman and fourth at 135 as a sophomore. He took second at 150 this season, finishing with a 50-5 record. Abbey, who will wrestle at Indiana Tech, was 163-21 during his career.
► Coach Kyle Summerfield: “Vinnie is Hartland wrestling. He has become the new standard we expect out of all our kids. He’s elevated the program to a new level going forward. Everyone’s trying to live up to the Vinnie Abbey standard.”
James Butzier
Hartland, senior
► Accomplishments: Butzier developed into an all-state wrestler while still being the starting quarterback for Hartland and a member of the track and field team. He finished fifth in Division 1 at 165. He went 47-10 this season.
► Coach Kyle Summerfield: “He’s not just a pure wrestler. He’s a kid who worked really hard to become a good wrestler. He’s a great athlete. He’s worked really hard to get where he is. I’m proud of how he finished. Growing up, he was never a state champ, a state placer. He was just a .500 wrestler. He kept working harder and got better.”
Maggie Buurma
Fowlerville, junior
► Accomplishments: Buurma won her third state championship with an 11-2 major decision over Clarkston’s Paisley Denault, whose only two losses were to Buurma. Buurma went 24-1 against girls, her lone loss being to an Ohio wrestler. Buurma is 22-0 in the girls postseason.
► Coach Dan Coon: “Even being a three-time state champ, she still gets awfully nervous going into matches, though she controlled herself a little better this year. She’s definitely a team player. She’s always giving of herself to the team and helping them out. That helps them support her more when she needs it.”
Easton Culver
Hartland, junior
► Accomplishments: Culver has finished third in his weight class in the last two state tournaments, doing so at 138 this year. He went 29-4 this season despite missing time with an injury and is 89-22 in his career.
► Coach Kyle Summerfield: “He’s very driven, works very hard and is a good leader for us. In his mind, it’s state championship or bust for the team and individually. Kind of like the Bodie Abbey situation, he’ll come back hungrier next year.”
Easton Hardesty
Brighton, junior
► Accomplishments: Hardesty won his first 22 matches before losing to eventual state champion Dallas Korponic of Hartland in the KLAA 138-pound championship match. He didn’t advance to the state tournament after placing fifth at 126 last year.
► Coach Shawn Scott: “If he’s 100% locked in, he’ll probably be a finals contender, especially if he gets in the right weight class. During the team duals, he’s lights-out. He’s someone you can lean on to get some bonus points.”
Colin Jewell
Hartland, senior
► Accomplishments: Jewell made his second all-state podium, placing sixth at 150 in Division 1. He was fourth at 125 as a sophomore at Brighton in 2022. Jewell went 45-9 this season.
► Coach Kyle Summerfield: “He’s a kid who came to Hartland looking for a fresh start. He fell right in and became part of the family. He had everyone’s back. He was like a big brother to all the younger guys. Colin got back to who he is 24/7 and now he has a great opportunity to have a great life after this and in college.”
Zak Knapp
Brighton, senior
► Accomplishments: Knapp won the state Division 1 championship at 165 with a 13-1 major decision over unbeaten Zachary Taylor of Gibraltar Carlson. He won a regional championship over a wrestler who finished fourth in the state and had only two losses at the time. Knapp had a 50-4 record, winning his final 28 matches after losing twice to Ohio wrestlers.
► Coach Shawn Scott: “Zak finally found out how good he actually was. You could tell at the beginning of the year he was in the right weight class. He honed in on working hard, focusing on technique and gaining confidence over the season with some big wins. Last year’s result gave him more fuel for the fire coming into this season.”
Dallas Korponic
Hartland, sophomore
► Accomplishments: Korponic won the state Division 1 championship at 132 pounds after finishing third at 120 as a freshman. He won his final 38 matches after losing twice Jan. 6 in the Detroit Catholic Central Invitational. Korponic went 53-5 this season and is 96-14 in his career.
► Coach Kyle Summerfield: “He’s committed to his craft. A couple early-season losses didn’t faze Dallas. They motivated him and made him realize he needed to continue to grind. If he did, the only person who would be in his way was himself by the end of the year.”
Sabrina Nauss
Brighton, senior
► Accomplishments: Nauss is one of only three wrestlers to win four state championships in the six years a tournament has been held for girls. Nauss won the 190-pound championship with a first-period pin. She was 22-0 in her career in individual regional and state tournaments.
► Coach Shawn Scott: “She’s just dominant; no one was close. She wasn’t cocky or arrogant about it. She was very humble, stayed humble. She knew she was gonna win, but honed in on that confidence and always set an example for the other girls and even some of the guys that you can be the best, but you don’t have to act like the best. Go, do the job and get off the mat.”
Sean O'Keefe
Brighton, junior
► Accomplishments: O’Keefe finished third in Division 1 at 215 in his first trip to the state tournament. He was a regional qualifier for Brighton last year and Pinckney the previous season. O’Keefe went 43-9, winning the KLAA championship.
► Coach Shawn Scott: “When we first got Sean, his confidence level was low. Kind of like Zak, he didn’t realize how good he was. The more we worked with him, the more confidence he gained, the more maturity he got on the mat. Next year he’s going to have a really good spot to come in and win a title.”
Layne O'Neil
Fowlerville, sophomore
► Accomplishments: O’Neil finished fifth in Division 2 at 190, going 42-9. He won district and regional championships after placing third in the CAAC tournament. He was 38-19 as a freshman, qualifying for the state tournament.
► Coach Dan Coon: “Last year, being a state qualifier, he learned what it took to get up on the big stage. I still think he was a little nervous. I thought he could have done better. Being a sophomore on the big stage is a little nerve racking. He’s still a small-town farm boy. We’re trying to get him out on the big stage.”
Drake Pollins
Brighton, sophomore
► Accomplishments: Pollins finished fourth in Division 1 at 113 after winning district and regional championships. He went 35-12, boosting his career record to 61-32. He is a two-time state qualifier.
► Coach Shawn Scott: “Drake has a very unique style of wrestling. Last year, it kind of bit him a little bit with match awareness, giving up points late in periods. This year, with maturity on the mat, he ended up periods on top. Getting last-second takedowns is always good, but match awareness is something he honed in on this year.”
Jacob Pretzel
Hartland, senior
► Accomplishments: Pretzel went from being a junior varsity wrestler midway through his junior season to all-state as a senior. He finished fourth in Division 1 at 215 after winning district and regional championships. Pretzel went 45-7 as a senior.
► Coach Kyle Summerfield: “We have a lot of good kids. You might not see the lineup until your junior year. When he had his opportunity, he brought it. His personality is contagious. He’s a nice guy, a funny guy, light-hearted.”
Ethan Smith
Brighton, sophomore
► Accomplishments: Smith has made all-state his first two seasons, placing fifth at 106 last year and second in that weight class this year. He went 47-7 this season, winning KLAA, district and regional championships.
► Coach Shawn Scott: “His wrestling I.Q. is very high. He was a little bit smaller and grew into the weight class. Now he’s bigger than a year ago. Next year, he’ll go 106 again or 113. He’s gonna be dominant. I don’t think anybody’s going to be able to touch him.”
SECOND TEAM
Ty Biggert, Hartland, Jr.
Joseph Cappellano, Hartland, Soph.
Michael Cappellano, Hartland, Sr.
Xander Courneya, Brighton, Soph.
Will Darish, Hartland, Sr.
George Daniel, Fowlerville, Sr.
Brock Foster, Fowlerville, Soph.
Jake Gillespie, Hartland, Sr.
Matt Jeffrey, Fowlerville, Jr.
Ashton Jewell, Hartland, Fr.
Brady Metz, Howell, Sr.
Connor Stankov, Fowlerville, Soph.
Kaden Tindall, Brighton, Soph.
Braydon Tougas, Hartland, Fr.
HONORABLE MENTION
Brighton: Gabriel Assad (Sr.), Mason Gardner (Soph.). Fowlerville: Levi Baker (Jr.), Richard Davis (Sr.), Jacob Esch (Sr.), Waylon Lamkin (Jr.), Alex Loomis (Fr.), Brayden Packer (Soph.). Howell: Jake Lynn (Sr.), Ryker Newstead (Soph.), Dylan Perkins (Jr.), Grant Stewart (Jr.). Pinckney: Drake Hurley (Sr.), Levi Podhola (Sr.), Eli Smith (Sr.).
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Meet the 2023-24 All-Livingston County wrestling team
