Dundee makes it to State semi-final
Dundee’s wrestling team made it to the semi-finals in the Division III State Team Tournament in Battle Creek, but fell to an intense Montrose team with a score of 33-31. They don’t come any closer than this.

The outcome of the dual came down to the final pairing. Dundee lost with a decision, putting Montrose on top and in the finals. Montrose eventually defeated Richmond with a score of 62-15 for the State Championship.

Montrose (then 38-4) and Dundee (31-3) seemed evenly matched, but Montrose wrestlers came out and competed more intensely. Still, Dundee had plenty to be proud of in its performance at the State Team Tournament. Dundee ended the season with a 31-4 record.

Cosell Beavers upped his season win record to 55-0 with wins in both the semi-and quarter-final matches. Mike Kohlman came out in high-pressure situations and came through for Dundee in both matches.

Other double winners for Dundee were: Adam Rowe, Jacob Costello, Zac Donofrio and Martin Rusek who picked up two forfeits— no one wanted to wrestle against him.

Semi-final details
The semi-final dual started at the 130-pound weight division. Dundee was pinned, putting the team score at 0-6. At 135, Adam Rowe had a major decision, to put Dundee at 4-6.
At 140 pounds. Dundee lost a technical fall, so the score was 4-11.

Mark Kohlman had a tough match, which resulted in him winning a 12-2 major decision, to put Dundee at 8-11.

Against Montrose, Mike Kohlman at 152, had a major decision over Mikey Stiles, with a score of 19-7. It was a key victory for Dundee, and brought the Vikings from being behind 8-11 in team points, to being ahead 12-11.

Mike Kohlman exhibited an amazing amount of cool under pressure, both in the semi-final and quarter-final matches.

Montrose elected not to wrestle Martin Rusek, at 160 pounds, and forfeited six points. The score stood at 18-11 with Dundee in the lead.

The Vikings were pinned at 171 pounds, so the score went to 18-17. Dundee pulled farther ahead when Jake Costello pinned A.J. Dowd with only seconds remaining in the match. It would be Dundee’s only pin. The score improved to 24-17.

Dundee lost at 215, moving the score to 24-20. Cosell Beavers came through with a major decision at 275, bringing the score to 28-20.

The Vikings got their biggest lead for the day when Zac Donofrio came from behind 5-1 to earn a decision with a score of 8-5 and brought the team score to 31-24.

Dundee got pinned at 119 pounds, however and the score moved to 31-30, with only a one-point lead for the Vikings. It all came down to the last pairing.

At 125 pounds, Dundee lost a decision, giving Montrose the vital points it needed to win at 33-31 and advance to the finals.

Wrestlers’ reactions
The Viking team was obviously disappointed after the meet with Montrose in Battle Creek. The Independent caught up with some of the wrestlers on Monday, March 8.

“We should’ve beat Montrose,” said Jake Costello. “It would have been nice to win it after four months of practice. It’s a big let-down.”

Costello, who weighed in at 163 pounds, found out he would be wrestling 189 against Montrose.
“I had to gain seven pounds in a half-hour,” said Costello, who said he made weight by drinking five Gatorades and eating four peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It was a marked contrast to most wrestlers at State, who were running around trying to lose weight.

Despite being outsized, Costello managed Dundee’s only pin in the semi-final. “Coach Roberts told me I could beat that kid before the match, and he kept saying to me during the match, ‘Hit your head and arm,’ and I always listen to my coach,” said Costello, of how he managed to pin his opponent in the last seconds.

“I can’t wait until next year,” said Costello, who is a junior. “We’ll have a real good team next year, with a good group of seniors coming back. This was my first year wrestling at State; next year I won’t be nervous.”

Joining him will be this year’s juniors Martin Rusek, Adam Rowe, Adam MacIver and Zac Donofrio, all formidable wrestlers.

Martin Rusek accepted two, six-point forfeits in the State tournament. No one wanted to wrestle him.

“It was kind of weird,” said Rusek. “I’ve wrestled both teams before. I wrestled Putnam last year, but they moved away from me. People are wondering why they didn’t want to wrestle me. I’m not known for hurting them— I just pin them really quick.”

He said that although he would have preferred to wrestle in the State meet, it was kind of an ego boost.

If Dundee had a hero in the State meet, it was Mike Kohlman, who came through for the team twice in key situations. He approached each match with extreme cool and calm.

In the quarter-final with Caro, Kohlman earned a decision over Brandon Putnam, the wrestler who avoided meeting Rusek.

“I wasn’t nervous against Putnam. I new I could hang with him. I didn’t think I could beat him,” said Kohlman.

Kohlman, a senior, said he felt himself getting better as the season went on, mainly due to conditioning.

“Plus it’s your senior year,” said Kohlman, “so I just went for it. I had nothing to lose.”
He added, “The best thing about the State meet was beating Caro, and avenging a loss from last year.”

Quarter-final victory
In the quarter-finals on Friday, March 5, Dundee (then, 30-3) defeated Caro (32-0) with a score of 32-25. As the match ended, the Dundee coach, team and fans exploded with excitement.

Dundee’s only pin came from Cosell Beavers (275), who took down Randy Dennis in 12 seconds. His record for a fast pin is four seconds, set earlier this season.

Major decisions came from Jacob Costello, 171 with a score of 19-8; Zac Donofrio, 119, score of 12-4; and Nick Salenbien, 145, score of 13-2.

Other wins for Dundee came from Justin Heisler, 125; Adam Rowe, 135.

The team score had Caro ahead, 25-23, and Caro had won the toss. That means, Caro sent its wrestlers out after the Dundee wrestler had gone on the mat, so they knew who they’d be up against.
At 152 pounds, Caro decided to forfeit six points rather than wrestle against Martin Rusek. That put Dundee ahead, 29-25.

It was a calculated gamble for Caro, since the team saved its undefeated 50-0 wrestler for the less-threatening Viking, Mike Kohlman. A major decision would tie up the dual; a technical fall or pin would win it for Caro.

But it was a gamble that didn’t pay off. In the last match of the day, Mike Kohlman, 160 pounds, defeated his previously undefeated opponent, Brandon Putman— in overtime. It was Kohlman’s third victory over an undefeated opponent in a week, and gave the Vikings a sense of validation in their win over a tough Caro team with a final 32-25 score.

Dundee previously had a team point deducted for unsportsmanlike behavior when a Viking wrestler made an unfortunate remark to an official after losing his match, but it did not affect the contest’s final outcome.

Following the quarter-final match, Coach Tim Roberts said he had a few moments in the middle weight matches when he thought the final outcome was in jeopardy.

“Mike Kohlman stepped up big for us,” said Coach Roberts. “He picked the right time to pick it up, he’s beat a couple of guys with over 40 wins.”

He said the semi-final would be no cake-walk, despite Dundee having beaten the team earlier in the season. “Montrose is huge. Huge,” said Coach Roberts. “It will not be the same dual at all.”

Also in the quarter-finals, Montrose defeated Roscommon with a score of 74-2.

Many wrestling watchers have expressed a wish that the Michigan High School Athletic Association will begin to seed the teams in the State Tournament, so the best teams will meet in the final, and not in the quarter-final or semi-final matches.

Dundee won the Division III Regional team tournament at Hanover-Horton on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Dundee defeated New Boston Huron in the final with a score of 52-11. The Vikings defeated Napoleon in the semi-final, 48-18.

Two wins apiece for Dundee came from Zac Donofrio, Justin Heisler, Nick Salenbien, Mike Kohman, Jacob Costello, Adam MacIver, Scott Hawks and Cosell Beavers.