Bronson wrestling boasts 7 all state honors; Lake takes 2nd at 126, Webster third at girls 140

DETROIT, MI. - Nearly 2,000 of the best wrestlers in the state of Michigan descended on the home of the Detroit Lions this past weekend, making the trip to Ford Field to compete on the biggest stage for high school wrestling in the state, the MHSAA Individual State Wrestling Finals.

An impressive total of 23 wrestlers from the Branch County coverage area earned the right to wear their school colors at the state finals, with 14 from Bronson, two from Quincy and seven from Union City making the trip. In all, seven Vikings, five Chargers and two Orioles earned All-State honors, a number that includes two state champions and one runner-up finish.

In an effort to give each school their fair amount of coverage the results from each individual school will appear in their own story. This story contains the results for the Bronson Vikings and their state runner-up, along with their six All State wrestlers.

Bronson saw six of their 14 wrestlers advance on to the medal round, with their effort bolstered by senior Perry Lake who parlayed his first ever trip to Ford Field into a runner-up finish at 126 pounds.

Lake (47-7) put together a run for the ages at Ford Field, beating some of the very best the state has to offer on his way to the second-place finish. To kick off his tournament run Lake met a familiar face in Hunter Dewey of Reading, a match that Lake would claim via a 4-2 decision. In the quarterfinals Lake took down Jericho Holmes of Pine River Area via a hard fought 2-0 decision, setting up a semifinal matchup with last year’s state runner-up at 119 pounds in Tyler Winch of Iron Mountain. Lake dominated the match, winning by a 5-0 decision to earn his trip to the MHSAA state finals where he would face returning 119-pound state champion Shawn McGuire of Iron Mountain (40-1).

“Before the match I was nervous because I knew my opponent was a returning state champion,” said Lake. “But I tried to keep that out of my head and I had one of my practice partners come down to the field to help me out in warming up. Going into the tunnel before the match was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in wrestling and knowing that I’m one of the best in the state is amazing.”

Perry battled hard but the skill of McGuire eventually took over, as the defending champ defeated Lake via the 12-3 major decision.

“During the match I was excited even though I lost,” said Lake. “It was very fun to be able to scrap with one of the best wrestlers in the state.”

Lake now leaves Bronson wrestling with a state runner-up finish, his first All State honor, and as a member of the 150 win club.

“Perry (Lake) had a great weekend and has always been an extremely talented wrestler, I’m so glad he got to showcase his skill on the biggest stage of high school wrestling,” said Bronson head coach Chad Butters. “What a great honor to make it to the finals.”

Six other Vikings also earned All-State honors this season, led by freshman Mackenna Webster who took third place at 140 pounds in the girls' tournament. Also earning All-State honors for Bronson was Carson Norton, fourth place at 157 pounds; Jacob Britten, fourth place at 175 pounds; Matthew Blankenship, fourth place at 215 pounds; Layne Knisely, fifth place at 138 pounds; and Jacob Dixon, eighth place at 190 pounds.

Webster (23-2) made a tremendous run in the 140-pound girls division, bringing home a third-place finish in her rookie season. Webster kicked off her run to the bronze medal with a first-round pin fall win over Mya Terranova of East Lansing in 2:45, followed by a 19-4 Technical Fall win over Brynna Alwell of Allen Park. Webster dropped her first and only match of the tournament in the semifinals, falling to eventual state champion Ryen Allen of Goodrich via a 11-0 Major Decision. Webster bounced back with two straight wins to claim the bronze, winning her consolation semifinal via a 6-1 decision over Emma Pendell of Montague to set up a rematch with Alwell for third place. Again, Webster dominated, this time winning via pin fall in :51 seconds to earn all-state honors.

At 157 pounds it was Carson Norton (50-9) earning fourth place honors on the big stage. Norton kicked off his day with a first-round win over Nolan Rowley of Bath via pin fall in 3:24, followed by his first loss of the tournament in the quarterfinals as Norton fell to David Hill of Muskegon Catholic Central via a 11-1 Major Decision. Norton bounced back with three straight wins, defeating Aaron Mazurek of Lakeview via pin fall in 4:27, followed by a 10-5 decision over Gunner Carson of Manchester. In the consolation semifinals Norton defeated Ryan Ling of Schoolcraft via a 4-1 decision to set up a rematch with Hill for third place. This time Hill was able to turn Norton for the pin in 2:42, giving the Viking grappler fourth place all state honors.

At 175 pounds it was junior Jacob Britten (52-7) taking fourth place after fighting his way through the consolation bracket. Britten started off his day with a heart-breaking loss, falling to Colton Symons of New Lothrop via a 5-4 decision, sending the Viking to the consolation bracket. There Britten won his next four matches to assure himself all-state honors, starting with a pin fall win over Logan Hurkmans of Ishpeming in 4:23, followed by a pin fall win over CJ Copeland of Lakeview in 3:54. In the third round of consolation action Britten defeated Ben Gautz of Manchester via a 7-2 decision, followed by a semifinal win over Joey Calhoun of Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard via a 4-1 decision, setting up a third-place match with Brady Jess of Charlevoix. Britten dropped another absolute heartbreaker, falling via a 4-3 decision to earn fourth place honors.

At 215 pounds it was senior Matthew Blankenship earning fourth place honors and earning his first All State nod. Blankenship kicked off his run with a first-round decision win over Nathan Fletcher of Manchester by the score of 12-5, followed up by one of the most exciting matches of the entire tournament as he toed the line versus Trevor Streeter of Charlevoix. Three periods were not enough to decide this match and neither was sudden victory, meaning the two would head to the Ultimate Tie Breaker. Blankenship took the exciting 3-2 win in UTB, punching his ticket to the semifinals. In the semifinals Blankenship fell to Daxton Looney of Montrose via a 7-1 decision, sending the Viking senior to the consolation bracket. There Blankenship defeated Andrew Baldwin of Pine River via pin fall in 2:18, setting up a rematch with Streeter of Charlevoix in the third-place match. This time it was Streeter taking the win, defeating Blankenship via a 5-1 decision, giving the Bronson grappler fourth place overall.

Blankenship also reached a career milestone in his state finals run, securing career win 100 on the mats at Ford Field.

At 190 pounds it was senior Jacob Dixon (45-11) earning all-state honors with his eighth-place finish after finishing 2-3 for the tournament. Dixon kicked off his day with a 4-3 decision win over Landon Swanson of Charlevoix, followed by a quarterfinal loss to Logan Sallows of Hudson via an 8-0 major decision. Dixon then defeated Gaven Teller of Hanover Horton via pin fall in 1:46, assuring himself All State honors. In the third round of the consolation bracket Dixon fell to Eli DeYoung of Gobles by a 6-0 decision, sending the Bronson senior to the seventh-place match. There Dixon dropped a tough pin fall loss to Justin Onstott of St. Louis in 3:52, giving the Bronson senior eighth place in the state.

Bronson’s final all state honor came at 138 pounds as freshman Layne Knisely (47-11) capped off a stellar rookie season with a fifth-place finish. Knisely kicked off his run to the podium with a first-round pin fall win over Jacob Gillison of Benzie Central in 2:27, followed by a quarterfinal pin fall win over Grason Weber of Leslie in 2:26. In the semifinals Knisely fell to Manchester’s Blake Sloan via a 6-1 decision, sending the Bronson rookie to the consolation bracket. There Knisely dropped a tough match with Austin Marry of Hudson by pin fall in 2:31, setting up his fifth-place matchup with Caleb Sharp of New Lothrop. Knisely went on to take the pin fall win in 1:45, giving the rookie fifth place honors.

Also making the trip to compete at Ford Field for Bronson at the MHSAA State Finals was Drew Seekman who finished 1-2 at 150 pounds. Seekman's single win at the state finals was just enough to put him at the century mark in career wins, giving him 100 over the four year span. Also wrestling for Bronson at the finals was Mason Lindsey who went 0-2 at 157 pounds; Aiden Fill who went 1-2 at 113 pounds; Owen Kimmons who finished 0-2 at 120 pounds; Logan Long who went 1-2 at 126 pounds; and Zoay Herbert who went 1-2 at 235 pounds in the girl's division.

One other Bronson wrestler qualified for the MHSAA State Finals, as freshman Gabe Erwin won a regional title at 144 pounds. Erwin injured his finger prior to the Team State Finals and was forced to bow out of the individual state finals due to the injury.

“It is a testament to these young men and women and their commitment to improve every day and get better throughout the season to see them here,” said Butters. “Sometimes the pressure of the big stage can get the best of us, that’s why we try to emphasize smiling and having fun out on the mat no matter how big the stage is. That’s why these kids wrestled their hearts out this weekend, so whether they made it on the podium or not, I’m equally proud of them.”

To cap off a tremendous 2022-23 wrestling season that included a Big 8 conference championship, a District and Regional Team title, and a trip to the state finals, the Bronson wrestling program saw their head coach Chad Butters named the Division Four Head Coach of the Year.

“I have to give much of the credit to the great assistant coaches I have around me,” said Butters. “These guys make me look really good. Add to that the great support from the parents and community, without any of that this would not be possible.”

Bronson wrestling will return a ton of talent next season but must replace five seniors with extensive experience, including three who earned All-State honors. Congratulations to Bronson wrestling on a truly amazing year.

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Bronson wrestling boasts 7 all state honors