Lapeer West and Linden beware! The Wildcat varsity wrestlers are on their way and they are hungry for a Flint Metro League title after winning their last eight match ups in a row.
The Oxford grapplers began their winning week on Jan. 24 when the team split to compete in two different tournaments. Five of the team’s starters traveled to the Detroit Catholic Central competition, one of the toughest in the state, while the rest of the team settled down at the Imlay City Tournament.
At DCC, Ron Mantel took the lead with a second place finish at 125. He was followed closely by teammates Kyle Rowley, third place at 189; Shawn Gall, fourth place at 135; and Kyle Oliver, fifth place at 215. Mike Potter also traveled to the tournament, but did not place.
At Imlay City, the Wildcats waltzed away with a surprise second place finish. Host Imlay City won the 14-team tournament, but Oxford was hot on their heals. Kyle Nieporte came out on top as tournament champion for 152. Taking second place finishes were Nathan Musgrove, 112; Mike May, 119; Matt Duncan, 130; Scott Hyder, 140 and John Logan, 152. Claiming the only third place finish for Oxford was Bryant Vielhaber at 125.
“I was very pleased with the way we performed at both tournaments,” said Coach Paul McDevitt. “The CC tournament is one of the toughest around, bringing the best wrestlers in the state together. It is a good measuring stick to see if we are ready for the upcoming regional and state tournament. The four kids that placed showed that they are pretty close to being ready.”
“Up at Imlay City, I was very proud to come home with a second place finish, it was kind of unexpected. I didn’t know how we would do without five of our best guys. However, the young guys stepped up and showed that we have a lot to look forward to next year – we will be returning nearly that entire lineup next season.”
On Jan. 21, the Wildcats continued their success with wins at the dual-meet against Imlay City and Flint Central.
Oxford defeated Flint Central 75-5, which included several void match ups. Scoring for the Cats were Matt Duncan, 125; Gall, 135; Potter, 152; Nieporte, 160; Rowley, 189; Oliver, 215; and Dan Tincknell, 275.
The competition was a bit tougher between the Cats and Imlay City, but Oxford pulled the win 45-21. Scoring for Oxford were Nate Musgrove, 112; Mike May, 119; Duncan, 125; Mantel, 130; Gall, 135; Potter, 152; Rowley, 189; Oliver, 215; and Tincknell, 275.
Despite a highly successful week, not everything has gone smoothly for the Oxford grapplers recently. The Wildcats lost starting wrestler Kam Mueller, 171, for the season with a broken elbow.
“It was a pretty big blow to our team to lose Kam for the season, especially with the difficulty and importance of our upcoming league match ups,” said McDevitt. “We need some new guys to step into the lineup and pick up where Kam left off.”
However, the Wildcats will move closer toward regional competition as they travel to Lapeer West to take on the Panthers and Eagles tonight (Wednesday). This Saturday, the team returns home to host the 8-team Oxford Duals. The tournament begins at 9 a.m. and will continue throughout the day.