Wichlacz finishes fourth, makes podium at Division 3 wrestling finals

DETROIT – It’s been a spectacular senior wrestling campaign for Cheboygan's Devihn Wichlacz.

On Friday and Saturday, Wichlacz got to cap off his remarkable career by competing at the MHSAA Division 3 individual wrestling state finals at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions.

While Wichlacz’s dream of winning a state title came up a little short, he ended his career by earning a spot on the podium after a fourth-place finish in the 285-pound weight division on Saturday.

After a pair of pinfall victories over Hillsdale's Wyatt Wahtola and Central Montcalm's Waylon Lingeman in his opening two matches on Friday, Wichlacz advanced to Saturday morning’s semifinals. However, Wichlacz suffered his first defeat of the tournament after dropping a 3-1 decision to Birch Run’s Landon Roe.

“Devihn's opponent (Roe) was very good,” said Cheboygan coach Josh Groce. “In the heavyweight decision, you get people that are all shapes and sizes. When you’re in lower weights, you get a lot of kids that look alike, they’re built alike, but in the heavyweights, you get people that are shorter and bigger, that are taller and smaller. Devihn’s opponent, he was very tall, very strong, and Devihn went toe to toe with him. Honestly, in the end, it came down to who wanted it more, and as much as Devihn wanted it, it wasn’t his time.”

Even though Wichlacz (47-3) was pinned by Grayling’s Logan Malonen in the third-place bout, he still earned a medal after a hard-fought effort on the biggest stage in high school wrestling.

“Being his senior year, especially after taking a loss there, (Cheboygan coach Nick Comps) and I really conveyed to Devihn to take it all in,” Groce said. “This is going to be the last time he’s going to be at Ford Field for high school wrestling, so we wanted him to go out on the mat, look up, see the lights, see all the spectators and just take it in. Regardless of where he wound up, we wanted him to have fun. Even taking a fourth place and a loss to (Logan) Malonen, he came off with a smile, enjoying his last match, and ultimately, you can’t ask for more with that.”

Also wrestling was Wichlacz’s senior teammate, Robert LaPointe, who earned a third-round pinfall victory over Birch Run’s Owen Natzel in his first match. Unfortunately for LaPointe (42-7), he suffered two losses by decision in his next two matches, which ended his tournament.

“I think the 215-pound (Division 3) bracket was the hardest bracket in all of our D3 competition, which is a complete change from the last couple years,” Groce said. “I think Robert fought well, but it just didn’t come down to being his time. Our goal with both Robert and Devihn was just to get to states, and then anything after that is just the cherry on top of the pie. He was happy, I was happy, Coach Comps was happy, but he fought hard. He didn’t go out and give up at all, he fought right down to the last seconds and tried to pick up a win. It just wasn’t in the cards for him, but he is an amazing wrestler, and to go toe to toe with some of those kids in that bracket and to come out the way he did is just an absolute testament to how hard he works.”

Groce said the Ford Field experience was something the two senior grapplers won’t forget anytime soon.

“We really tried to make this a spectacle for them,” Groce said. “Regardless of any results that we hoped to get, we wanted it to be a good experience that they’ll be able to look back on. I think, given with those two kids and given with some of our other wrestlers that didn’t make it to states but went with us, it was very awe-inspiring to them. Going in, seeing this level of competition, seeing the bright lights and spectators cheering everybody on, I think it pumped them up a lot going into it. Getting to see those bright-eyed kids, you don’t see that a lot anymore, especially with Robert and Devihn.

“The older they’re getting, and they’re starting to see the real world that’s out there, you don’t get the bright-eyed kid moments anymore, and to see those guys walk into Ford Field and see the expressions on their faces as they walked in, see the happiness, that they get to achieve something that a lot of wrestlers don’t get to achieve. It’s very inspiring as a coach.”

Both Wichlacz and LaPointe exit the program as two of Cheboygan’s all-time greats.

Groce said the impact both made on the program goes well beyond the many victories they earned in their careers.

“Those two, especially being our captains, they not only helped develop some of these newer wrestlers that we’ve had this year and the year before, but they also made friendships with them,” Groce said. “At the end of the day, we all love wrestling, but it’s just a sport. I watched these kids with Robert and Devihn not only discipline themselves and learn further discipline from the sport, but they also helped give that to these younger generations that are growing up, and we’re starting to see some of these younger kids be more mature with wrestling than Devihn and Robert were at that age.”

Onaway’s Decker takes eighth in D4 finals; Pellston’s Kline also competes

It was also a solid weekend for Onaway senior Hudson Decker, who earned a spot on the podium and medaled after an eighth-place finish in the Division 4 finals.

After losing his first 120-pound match of the tournament, Decker recovered by capturing a pinfall victory over Bronson’s Owen Kimmons and then earning a 6-4 decision over St. Louis’ Genaro Soto, which gave him a chance to reach the third-place match. However, Decker fell short after losing by pinfall to Hesperia’s Blake Sayer. Decker’s tournament came to a close after being pinned by Mio’s Trennen Smith in the seventh-place match.

Meanwhile, Pellston senior Will Kline became the first-ever Hornet to compete in a state meet. Kline suffered losses in the two 165-pound bouts he wrestled in.

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Wichlacz finishes fourth, makes podium at Division 3 wrestling finals