Saturday prep roundup: Hartland brothers wrestle in state finals rematches
The results didn’t change as Hartland’s Abbey brothers each wrestled in a rematch of their state championship matches Saturday in the Detroit Catholic Central Invitational.
Sophomore Bodie Abbey won 9-6 over Clarkston junior Archer Anderson in the 120-pound semifinals on his way to the championship. Abbey beat Anderson in the 113 title match last season, 13-5.
Abbey was the only Hartland or Brighton wrestler to win a championship in one of the state’s toughest invitationals, winning 4-3 in overtime against Hudson’s Nicholas Sorrow in the title match. Sorrow (22-1) was the Division 4 champion at 106 last season.
Abbey is 19-0 this season and has won 52 straight high school matches.
Senior Vinnie Abbey (15-3) reached the championship match at 157, losing 13-5 to three-time state champion Darius Marines of Detroit Catholic Central. Marines beat Abbey, 11-2, in the 157 state title match last season.
Hartland’s Braydon Tougas (15-4) was second at 106 and Brighton’s Zak Knapp (16-2) was second at 165.
Finishing fourth were Dallas Korponic at 132 and Colin Jewell at 150 for Hartland and Sean O’Keefe at 215 for Brighton.
Fifth-place finishers were Brighton’s Ethan Smith at 106 and Hartland’s Jacob Pretzel at 215. Taking sixth were Brighton’s Kaden Tindall at 144 and Hartland’s James Butzier at 165.
Detroit Catholic Central won the 27-team tournament with 225.5 points. Dundee was second with 165, Hartland third with 131 and Davison fourth with 124. Brighton was 11th with 63.5.
The tournament featured 115 wrestlers ranked in their weight classes by Michigan Grappler, including 24 who were ranked first.
Eaton Rapids Duals
Brady Metz of Howell won all five of his matches, improving to 24-0.
Also winning five matches for the Highlanders were Ethan Berendt and Dylan Perkins. Connor Wallace, Will Stewart, Jake Lynn and Gavin Holbrook were 4-2 for Howell.
The Highlanders (12-4) went 3-2 as a team. They beat Eaton Rapids 69-9, Leslie 62-18 and Zeeland West 59-14. They lost 40-31 to Gaylord and 44-29 to Jackson Northwest.
Denny Brighton Invitational
Fowlerville sophomore Layne O’Neil took first place at 215 pounds, improving to 19-4 by pinning Monroe Jefferson’s Anthony Cousino in 3:22 in the title match.
Matt Jeffrey (106) and Connor Stankov (120) took second for the Gladiators.
Richard Davis pinned teammate Vincent Saunders in 1:21 in the third-place match at 175.
Also placing third for Fowlerville were Alex Loomis (106), Gavinn Stankov (113), Brayden Packer (190) and Jacob Esch (285).
Hockey
Howell 5, Flint Powers 4 (OT)
Ben Huotari’s second goal of the game with 5:31 left in the eight-minute overtime ended fifth-ranked (Division 1) Howell’s two-game losing streak.
Joel Eskola’s power-play goal for Howell (10-3-1) with 5:06 left in the third period forced overtime.
Landen Switala and Bryce Eskola scored Howell’s other goals against the defending state Division 3 champion.
Brighton 4, Calumet 1
Brighton (11-4) earned a split in its annual two-game Upper Peninsula trip after losing 5-1 to Hancock Friday.
Calumet led 1-0 after one period before Brighton’s Cam Duffany and Tim Peterson scored in the second. Zack Helminen made it 3-1 at 1:23 of the third period before Duffany scored into an empty net with 37 seconds left.
Girls basketball
Grand Ledge 46, Brighton 37
Brighton (1-6) couldn’t build on the momentum of its victory over previously unbeaten Hartland two days earlier.
Sophia Heady had 10 points and 12 rebounds, Sophia Moir had nine points and seven rebounds, and Gracyn Houck had eight points for the Bulldogs.
Girls basketball
Grand Ledge 46, Brighton 37
Brighton couldn’t build on the momentum of its victory over previously unbeaten Hartland two days earlier.
Sophia Heady had 10 points and 12 rebounds, Sophia Moir had nine points and seven rebounds, and Gracyn Houck had eight points for the Bulldogs.
Gymnastics
Hartland 141.35, Huron Valley 136.8
Hartland sophomore Abbey Griffen was second all around with a score of 35.525. She tied teammate Alexis Fundich for first in floor exercise with a 9.05, tied teammate Kate Gostlin for second on vault with a 9.25 and was second on bars with an 8.575.
Fundich won bars with a 9.05.
Emma Beres was third all around with a 34.7.
Swimming and diving
Erie Mason Invitational
Pinckney won five events, but didn’t have the depth to finish higher than fifth place with 181 points. Riverview won with 308.
Dylan Ray won the 200-yard individual medley in 2:01.45 and the 100 backstroke in 55.43 seconds, both times meeting the state Division 3 qualifying standard.
Talon Koppmann won the 100 freestyle in 51.40 and took third in the 200 freestyle in 1:57.64.
Lucas Mondro was second in the 50 freestyle in 24.00 and second in the 500 freestyle in 5:22.10.
Pinckney’s 200 freestyle relay team of Ray, Koppman, Mondro and Luke Eppler won in 1:35.59. The Pirates won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:31.19 with the team of Koppmann, Mondro, Ciaran Hess and Ray, achieving a state cut.
Bowling
Battle of the Bakers
Brighton’s boys finished third, led by seniors Johnny Saunders and Joey Coleman.
The Bulldogs’ girls were eighth, led by senior Jenna Kosin and sophomore Lillian Smiley.
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Hartland brothers wrestle in state finals rematches at DCC Invitational
