The results say Detroit Catholic Central had five champions at the individual wrestling state finals on March 7, but the sport isn’t always that black and white.
On paper, the Shamrocks appeared dominant. In reality, each champion is at a different stage. Some are capping four years of steady growth. Others are breaking through and reaching the podium for the first time. And some are still refining their technique to become the best at their weight classes.
That holds true for their latest champions: Wyatt Lees, Grayson Fuchs, Jamison Gregory, Braxten Roche and Caden Krueger.
Since 1969, CC has won 19 team state titles and produced 145 individual state champions. But each path is different, which is why Hometown Life recently sat down with four Shamrocks to discuss how challenging it is to be the last wrestler standing on championship Saturday at Ford Field.
Here are four of their stories:
Lees joins the MHSAA’s 4-for-4 club
Lees beat Grand Ledge’s Eben Abdo 7-1 by decision to win the 132-pound state championship and become just the sixth wrestler in Michigan High School Athletic Association history to finish a career with four team state titles and four individual state championships.
He is also the first grappler from CC to do so, notable for a program that has sent many wrestlers to compete at the next level, both in the NCAA and internationally.
“It was kind of a relief,” the senior said. “I was mostly just excited to complete what I had set out to accomplish since my freshman year.”
That goal wouldn’t have been possible had the Shamrocks not beaten Hartland 43-16 on Feb. 28 at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, securing a fourth straight team championship while navigating a tough bracket.
Lees had already won individual titles at 106, 113 and 120 pounds the past three seasons, but he entered the individual finals with three losses from the regular season. The Four-for-Four honor was far from guaranteed. He definitely had to work for it.
“I just had to take it match by match, position by position,” he said. “I just focused on what was in front of me at the moment.”
Can Fuchs join the 4-for-4-for-4 club?
After edging Brother Rice’s Deacon MacNeill 8-6 by decision to win the 150-pound state title, Fuchs is chasing his own personal milestone: the Four-for-Four-for-Four club.
That means four team state championships, four individual state titles and four black eyes during the state finals.
“I get a black eye every single tournament,” the junior said, sporting a black-and-yellow shiner under his right eye.
This one was worth it. It came against MacNeill, a Catholic League rival who landed a clean shot that forced Fuchs to lock in and finish the two-point victory.
“At the end of the first period, he shot a blast double, and it was a pretty clean blast double,” Fuchs said. “I blocked it with my face.”
Aside from that close call, Fuchs is one season away from joining Lees among the state’s most successful wrestlers. He entered the winter with titles at 126 and 144 pounds as an underclassman.
This run wasn’t easy. Opponents knew Fuchs and how good he was. They came prepared, as they will going forward. Who wouldn’t want to take down someone with that kind of record?
“The challenge this time was really staying away from the big moves that guys were going to throw at me to take me out since I got a few state titles under me,” Fuchs said. “I just had to stay in a good position and be grateful before I wrestled — be grateful for the moment, be grateful that I was already a two-time state champion and that I got the opportunity to compete for another one.”
3rd time’s a charm for Gregory
Gregory made his third state finals appearance and finally broke through, beating Davison’s Steve Vaughn 8-0 by major decision in the 126-pound championship match.
His previous best finishes were fifth at 126 pounds as a sophomore and third at 113 as a freshman, showing steady growth each season.
For the junior to go all the way, it took determination, something he has developed over the past three years. He had to trust his work would pay off.
“I’ve learned that I really like to win, and that it sucks to lose,” Gregory said. “So, I was pretty happy not to lose this time.”
A lot goes into that. Time in the training room. Time learning how to win tough matches, move by move. Time on the mat, learning from losses.
“I could definitely see a difference in the way I’ve been wrestling, and I’m just always getting better,” Gregory said.
That’s why he entered the finals against Vaughn with a calm demeanor. The work was done. He relied on his training and took it one move at a time to win his first state title.
“I just went into the match knowing that if I wrestled my best that I would win it,” he said. “I was completely ready to wrestle my best. In that match, I felt that flow state. I felt like I had prepared well and, mentally, I just where I wanted to be.”
Roche battles back
Roche beat Temperance Bedford’s Zach Miracle 23-11 to win his first state championship at 175 pounds, but it was far from easy.
The sophomore trailed 7-0 in the first period and battled back, recording an escape, a takedown and a nearfall in the final 1:07 to cut the deficit to one entering the second.
In the second period, a reversal and two nearfalls put him ahead for a decisive third, where he added two takedowns and an escape to close out the win.
“I was down 7-1, so from there, I just kept going for points,” Roche said. “I was like, ‘I need to score,’ so I just kept trying to get to my positions and kept focusing on my match, just doing my moves. I just kept scoring, attacking and staying on offense. That’s all I was thinking.”
It was Roche’s first state championship match, so he didn’t have past experience to draw on. What he did have was the work ethic coach Mitch Hancock instilled over the past two seasons, especially in the third period.
“We train so hard for a match that we’re always in better condition,” Roche said. “The third period is always our best friend, is what Coach Hancock always says in the room. We like the third period. We strive to be in the third period and always try to score points in the third.”
That mentality helped Roche go from a fifth-place finish at 157 pounds as a freshman to a state champion in only his second season.
“I’ve put in a lot of work in the wrestling room, and Coach Hancock puts us through a good program that keeps pushing us forward and keeps us in great shape,” Roche said. “It’s a lot of work not to lose, and we train so hard for match. But we’re always going to be in better condition.”
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on his new X.com account at @folsomwrites.
This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: Catching up with Detroit Catholic Central’s wrestling state champions
Reporting by Brandon Folsom, Hometownlife.com / Hometownlife.com
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
