Richmond wrestling wins 25th consecutive district championship
ARMADA — On the back of the Richmond wrestling team's singlet, "TRADITION" is written in capital letters.
That word has several meanings for a program with so much history. But the most pertinent definition is renewed around this time every year.
The Blue Devils overwhelmed rival Yale, 44-26, in a Division 3 district final at Armada High School on Thursday. It was the program's 25th consecutive district championship.
"We wrestled as a team," Richmond associate coach Brett Burg said. "And that's what we've always preached, is it's always about the team and not the individual. So as a team, we wrestled great. Because we had a couple kids lose and a couple kids win. And that's what we do — we pick each other up."
Senior Joey Polio picked up one of the night's biggest wins in the 144-pound match. He beat Yale's Alex McMillin by way of a 9-4 decision. Earlier this season, Polio had dropped the first meeting against McMillin.
"That was huge for us," Burg said. "He came up big."
Polio is one of the Blue Devils' four starting seniors along with Noah Harris (120 pounds), Eddie Olson (190) and Brady St. John (215). All four were victorious in their respective matches.
"We've got a good group of coaches that've been around for a very long time," Burg said. "And we've got a great town that supports us. So, whenever we get these kids out, they buy into what we tell them."
Added Burg: "We've had this (sustained) success. So it's easier to convince people that, 'Hey, we're going to continue doing what we've always done.' "
Richmond won four of the last six matches to pull away from the Bulldogs. In doing so, the Blue Devils advanced to Wednesday's regional semifinal against Otisville LakeVille Memorial. They'll serve as the host for this stage of the tournament.
"We train the kids like crazy," Burg said. "That's the thing. We put in all our time into these kids and building relationships … it's not about technique or this or that. It's about building the relationships with the kids and parents."
When it came time to celebrate Thursday's achievement, Richmond was all business. While the Blue Devils took pictures with the trophy and congratulated each other, there was little fanfare. They have their sights set on much bigger prizes.
"We've been doing this for a long time," Burg said. "And it works."
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Richmond wrestling wins 25th consecutive district championship
