Every weekend will breakdown the top tournaments to watch around the state.
Our featured tournament preview is the Detroit Catholic Central Invitational. This year's field features well over 100 ranked wrestlers from four Top-50 nationally ranked programs. Read below for a weight by weight breakdown of the tournament, and click below for a preview of the other major tournaments.
OTHER TOURNAMENT PREVIEWS (click to view)
New Lothrop HOF Tourney
Dave Elliott Memorial @ Clinton
Sheriff's Invitational
Adam H Provencal @ Grand Haven
Spartan Invite @ Imlay City
103
D1 #1 Caden Horwath (Davison)
D1 #2 Quaylon Newton (Brighton)
D1 #6 Dru Martin (Clarkston)
D1 #7 Drew Heethuis (Detroit CC)
D1 #14 Jak Keller (Rockford)
D1 #16 Zack Gittens (Stoney Creek)
D2 #12 Tyler Daniel (WW Tower)
D4 #4 Dallas Pibbles(Hudson)
Notes: Solid group of lightweights led by top-ranked Horwath, who will enter as the favorite to win it. He could see a couple of D1 opponents who may be potential state finals matchups down the road, as Newton, Martin, and Heethuis are all ranked inside the top seven. Martin had a breakout tourney at Oakland County and will look to continue that momentum.
MIG Picks: 1) Horwath 2) Newton 3) Heethuis 4) Martin
112
D1 #3(103) Aden Williams (Davison)
D1 #4 Josh Mars (Westland John Glenn)
D1 #6 Aiden Smith (Brighton)
D1 #7 Auggie Anderson (Clarkston)
D1 #8 Anthony Walker (Detroit CC)
D1 #11 Orion Wilson (Macomb Dakota)
D1 #12 Elijah Bunn (Rockford)
D2 #1 Jacob Brya (St. Johns)
D2 #4 Cael Weinzweig (DeWitt)
D2 #7 Nick Korhorn (Lowell)
D4 #3 Payton Rogers (Hudson)
Notes: Six state placers, including three state finalists headline a very deep field at 112. Brya comes in as the defending CCI champ and Division 2 state champ, so he'll be favorited. Behind that should be some madness with Williams, Mars, Walker, Smith, and Korhorn as all-staters in the field. Throw in ranked freshmen Anderson, Wilson, and Bunn, plus and undefeated Weinzweig and state qualifier in Rogers and it's a loaded weight from the Round of 16 on.
MIG Picks: 1) Brya 2) Walker 3) Williams 4) Weinzweig
119
D1 #1 Andrew Hampton (Stoney Creek)
D1 #1(112) Dylan Gilcher (Detroit CC)
D1 #4 Caleb Youngblood (Romeo)
D1 #5 Owen Payne (Davison)
D1 #7 Ty Cowen (Westland John Glenn)
D1 #14 Travis Richardson (Brighton)
D2 #1 Joe Haynes (WW Tower)
D2 #4 Kiefer Kolito (DeWitt)
D2 #14 Julian Pruett (Whitehall)
D2 #16 Bryce Shingelton (Linden)
D4 #3 Bronson Marry (Hudson)
Notes: Three number-ones here, including a rematch of the Oakland County finals where Hampton knocked off Gilcher, who just won Brecksville last weekend at 113. Joe Haynes is the other top-ranked wrestler, a state finalist last season. Marry was also 2nd in the state a year ago. Youngblood and Payne are both super tough sophomores who will push the field as well. It's anybody's weight with about six kids who could walk away with a title.
MIG Picks: 1) Gilcher 2) Haynes 3) Hampton 4) Youngblood
125
OH D1 #4 Cole Skinner (LaSalle)
D1 #1 Mason Shrader (Brighton)
D1 #2 Ashton Anderson (Clarkston)
D1 #3 Jack Thompson
D1 #12(130) Kyle White (Davison)
D1 #10 James Rivers (Romeo)
D1 #12 Luke Gittens (Stoney Creek)
D1 #13 Caleb White (Detroit CC)
D1 #15 Nate Smith (Macomb Dakota)
D2 #2 Josh Howey (WW Tower)
D2 #3 Matt Foddrill (DeWitt)
D2 #11 James Link (Lowell)
D2 #15 Kyle Ferrier (Marysville)
Notes: 13 ranked wrestlers is the most of any weight in the tournament. But maybe most intriguing is that the weight features mostly guys looking to break through, and put themselves in a good spot for the second half of the year. If you're looking for a favorite, maybe lean towards Skinner of Ohio - a 3rd place finisher in Ohio's big division last year. Expect some major battles every step of the way here though.
MIG Picks: 1) Skinner 2) Shrader 3) Howey 4) Anderson
130
D1 #1 Andrew Chambal (Davison)
D1 #3 Sam Freeman (Brighton)
D1 #4 Blake Noonan (Stoney Creek)
D1 #6(125) Darren McLeod (Oxford)
D1 #7 TJ Bunn (Detroit CC)
D1 #8 Bradley Weiand (Macomb Dakota)
D2 #4 Max Brown (Whitehall)
D2 #7 Zeth Strejc (Lowell)
D2 #11 Dru Wilson (WW Tower)
Notes: Another weight with a half-dozen all-staters. Chambal and Freeman met in the GGI finals, with Chambal taking that bout. It's possible that we see Chambal at 25, but if he's at 30 expect him to be the frontrunner. Noonan and Brown are both unbeaten and capable of having big tournaments as well.
MIG Picks: 1) Chambal 2) Freeman 3) Noonan 4) Brown
135
OH D1 #2 Jake Niffenegger (LaSalle)
D1 #2(140) Eddie Homrock (Brighton)
D1 #2 Camden Trupp (Detroit CC)
D1 #6 Evan Herriman (Davison)
D1 #8 Nathan Call (Oxford)
D1 #11 Charles Kersten (Westland John Glenn)
D1 #12 Nick LaCroix (Clarkston)
D2 #4 Eli Severns (DeWitt)
D2 #5@140 Dawson Jankowski (Lowell)
D2 #5 Tyson Emmons (Allegan)
D4 #2 Caden Natale (Hudson)
Notes: Homrock is expected to debut at 135 here this weekend and will have a very tough potential opponent in Jake Niffenegger of LaSalle. Niffenegger was a runner-up in D1 in Ohio and was 4th at the 2018 Cadet Freestyle Nationals. Trupp and Natale would be next in line to make finals runs, both top-three finishers in the state tournament.
MIG Picks: 1) Homrock 2) Niffenegger 3) Trupp 4) Natale
140
OH D1 #1 Casey Wiles (LaSalle)
D1 #1 Josh Edmond (Detroit CC)
D1 #3 Zach Johnson (Brighton)
D1 #5 Trenton Wachter (Rockford)
D1 #13 Presley Pearce (Clarskton)
D1 #14 Jack Smith (Oxford)
D1 #16 Sal Tundis (Macomb Dakota)
D2 #4 Cameron Macklem (Goodrich)
D2 #8 Will Link (Lowell)
D2 #10 Marco Moore (Whitehall)
D4 #6 CJ Berro (Hudson)
Notes: Look for another Ohio hammer to impress here, with Wiles entered and ranked first in the state. He'll have to go two of the top three Michiganders ranked in D1 to take the title here, though, including Josh Edmond. This weight will also be good opportunity for guys to improve their stock on the backside of the bracket as well.
MIG Picks: 1) Edmond 2) Wiles 3) Johnson 4) Wachter
145
D1 #2 Marc Shaeffer (Detroit CC)
D1 #3 James Johnston (Davison)
D1 #8 Evan Kaser (Rockford)
D1 #9 Aiden Brown (Brighton)
D1 #10 Joey Papas (Macomb Dakota)
D2 #1 Austin Boone (Lowell)
Notes: Boone comes off a huge weekend in Ohio where he knocked off 2nd-ranked Victor Voinovich of Brecksville. He's the no-doubt favorite here, having notched a pair of wins of Shaeffer, who'll probably be the pick to make the finals opposite Boone. Johnston should be next in line if he's back in action; he sat against Brighton a couple weeks back.
MIG Picks: 1) Boone 2) Shaeffer 3) Johnston 4) Brown
152
D1 #1 Josh Barr (Davison)
D1 #2 Logan Sanom (Detroit CC)
D1 #5 Grady Castle (Clarkston)
D1 #9 Shawn Brown (Westland John Glenn)
D1 #13 David McFadden (Macomb Dakota)
D2 #2 James Fotis (Lowell)
D2 #6 Jayden Rittenbury (Linden)
D2 #13 Keegan Kinne (St. Johns)
D4 #6 Dylan Smith (Hudson)
Notes: Three ranked in the top-two of their divisions, with some familiarity in the early portion of the season as well. Barr and Sanom have picked up close decisions over Fotis, but expect all three to contend for the title. Rittenbury and Castle will be right in the mix as well, and Brown is always a tough out
MIG Picks: 1) Sanom 2) Barr 3) Fotis 4) Rittenbury
160
D1 #1 Alex Facundo/D1 #8 Max Callahan (Davison)
D1 #2 Derek Gilcher (Detroit CC)
D2 #7 Doak Dean (Lowell)
D2 #16 Kris Dowdell (Whitehall)
Notes: No official word here, but wishful thinking that Facundo will be down at 160 to take on Gilcher. Both nationally ranked, it'd be the most high profile match of the tournament, though Facundo clearly would be the pick to win the title. Although it's not the deepest weight, still expect some god matches throughout.
MIG Picks: 1) Facundo 2) Gilcher 3) Dean 4) Dowdell
171
OH D1 #7 Dillon Walker (LaSalle)
D1 #1 Jay Nivison (Davison)
D1 #2 Dane Donabedian (Brighton)
D1 #4 Manny Rojas (Detroit CC)
D2 #1 Ira Jenkins (Whitehall)
D2 #3 Jacob Lee (Lowell)
D2 #5 Tyler Brandt (DeWitt)
D2 #8 Uzziah Delgado (Linden)
D2 #11 Ryan Radvansky/Omari Embree (WW Tower)
D4 #10(189) Cameron Underwood (Hudson)
Notes: Probably the most fun weight to speculate on heading in, as five or six guys could come away with a championship here. Nivison being here depends on if Facundo is down or up. Donabedian split with Jenkins, newly ranked #1 in D2, at GFC. Rojas is on fire early in the year, most recently 3rd at Brecksville. Omari Embree is yet to wrestle but the defending state champ could shake up the weight even more. Expect fireworks from the quarters on at a minimum.
MIG Picks: 1) Jenkins 2) Donabedian 3) Rojas 4) Walker
189
D1 #2 Cole Gleason (Rockford)
D1 #10 Angleo Marino/D1 #11 Frank Davis (Clarkston)
D1 #6(171) Harley Berne (Brighton)
D1 #9 Sadiq Sheikhmeeri (Westland John Glenn)
D1 #12 John Browning (Detroit CC)
D2 #2 Kayleb Venema (Whitehall)
D2 #4 Chandler Murton (DeWitt)
D2 #7 Derek Mohr (Lowell)
D2 #9 Colton Powell (Linden)
D2 #15 Logan Gregersen (WW Tower)
D4 #4 Kyle Moll (Hudson)
Notes: Fairly open weight with three state placers but a boatload of state qualifiers. Venema was 2nd last year in D2 and Gleason was 8th in D1. Murton has placed twice in D2. Berne was 2nd at the GGI at 182 and has some big wins early in the season. I think you'll have some interesting results throughout and some new faces will emerge by the end of the tournament.
MIG Picks: 1) Berne 2) Venema 3) Murton 4) Gleason
215
D1 #1 Brendin Yatooma (Detroit CC)
D1 #2 Greyson Stevens (Brighton)
D1 #3 Jimmy Colley (Davison)
D1 #5 Jacob Jones (Clarkston)
D1 #12 Alex Lukowski (Romeo)
D2 #5 CJ Krum (St. Johns)
D2 #6 Jacob Brandt (DeWitt)
D2 #14 Jacob Hough
Notes: 1-2-3 in D1 should all be entered at 215 and a potential showdown between top-25 seniors Yatooma and Stevens is looming. Colley, Krum, and Brandt will look to knock one of them off and get into the finals. The two favorites will make for a potential state finals preview and should be close, with a high likelihood of an OT matchup.
MIG Picks: 1) Yatooma 2) Stevens 3) Colley 4) Brandt
285
OH D1 #11 Ben Blevins (LaSalle)
D1 #1 Steven Kolcheff (Detroit CC)
D1 #3 Luke Stanton (Brighton)
D1 #5 Isiah Daniels (Warren Mott)
D1 #16 Michael McVay (Westland John Glenn)
D2 #8 Keigan Nugent (Lowell)
D2 #9 Jarrean Sargent (Whitehall)
D2 #16 Conner Pochert (DeWitt)
Notes: Closing it out will be the big guys, led by Kolcheff and Stanton as the state placers in the bunch- Kolcheff a defending champ. Daniels is unbeaten on the season and ranked 5th in D1, while Nugent has been a nice surprise for the Arrows and fills in for Delooff this weekend. Blevins will also be in the mix for LaSalle.
MIG Picks: 1) Kolcheff 2) Stanton 3) Blevins 4) Daniels
