The Varsity Wrestling team couldn’t hold off the Shamrocks during their 35-25 semi-final loss to Detroit Catholic Central on Saturday, Feb. 27.
The entire crowd at the Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek saw Oxford take a 25-3 lead over the DCC with seven matches to go.
Oxford Head Coach Scott Couch knew they were heading into DCC’s strongest part of their line-up, and was hoping if they could hold on, they would have a shot.
‘We started out in a good spot in our lineup at 140 lbs, but we knew we were heading into the heart of their lineup,? he said. ‘It was one of those things that we knew that we were going to have to hold and hold and hold with our lead that we had.?
The tide started to turn at the Heavyweight division, when Nick Hadorn was pinned by DCC’s Mike Kinville.
Over the next six matches, Oxford saw their wrestlers get pinned twice, have two major decisions go against them, and lose two matches by a single point.
This was after the Wildcats went on a 25 point run to open the match.
Dakota Peasley (145) pinned his opponent to give the Wildcats a 6-3 lead.
He was followed by Matt Frisch’s (152) major decision, a pin by AJ Logan (160) and victories by Jack Barrie (171), Matt Anger (189) and Prescott Line (215).
‘It ended up coming down to the last couple of matches, and we knew that was how it was going to be,? said Couch. ‘We fell a little short, but we wrestled great. These guys really stepped up and were ready to go. They never took DCC for granted.?
Couch congratulated DCC for winning the state championship, saying that they gave them some of their best meets of the season.
‘With DCC, the last time we saw them it came down to the last couple of matches,? he added.
The loss capped off a season where the varsity team finished 30-4 on the season in dual meets.
In the quarterfinal match against Holt High School, the Wildcats pulled out a 31-27 victory in a tightly contested meet that came down to the last match.
‘To beat those guys to get to the state semi’s was an accomplishment,? said Couch. ‘Every match was back and forth, and I don’t know if there was two matches that we won back to back. Every single match was close and every single match mattered.
Holding onto a one point lead entering the final match, Anger stepped onto the mat and delivered a decisive 9-3 decision to seal the victory for Oxford.
The Wildcats have one more chance to capture some state hardware as they send eight wrestlers to the individual state finals, which will be held at the Palace of Auburn Hills March 4-6.
‘I think that we have an opportunity for eight qualifiers to become state placers. The guys that have qualified have worked hard all year long, and are not going to back down at this point of the season,? Couch said.