MAPLE CITY/MANCELONA — Benzie Central and Mancelona have a date set for Valentine’s Day as both varsity wrestling programs won Division 4 district championships Thursday to advance to the regional.
The Huskies and Ironmen square off on the mat in the regional semifinals Wednesday, Feb. 14, with the victor taking on either Roscommon or Whittemore-Prescott in the finals for a chance to advance to the state quarters.
Thursday’s action saw Glen Lake knock off Frankfort, 40-24, in the district semis to advance to the finals against Benzie. The Huskies then won their second straight district title, beating the Lakers by a 69-12 final.
“It’s pretty amazing,” Benzie head coach Josh Lovendusky said. “The kids have worked really hard to go back to back with district championships. I’m just super proud of them, and this is definitely just the start. This is not the finish line.”
Lovendusky was complimentary of the Glen Lake program, which started up again this year under the direction of head coach Luke Moeggenberg.
“Luke was part of helping our youth program here for the last four years,” Lovendusky said. “We’ve been helping develop their program because we want to grow wrestling in northern Michigan. … And if this is what success feels like, I’ll take it.”
The Ironmen hosted their district tourney, beating Houghton Lake 78-6 in the semis and taking down Manton for a district title by a final score of 57-24. Sophomore Aaron McQueen bumped up a weight class to wrestle in the 126-pound bracket and faced two of his most difficult duals this season.
The regional semis between Benzie and Mancelona will take place Wednesday, but no time or location has been set as of yet. Follow the Record-Eagle for schedule updates.
The last time the Huskies and Ironmen battled on the mat was two weeks ago, and Benzie won rather convincingly with a 72-3 victory.
“I feel pretty all right about it,” Lovendusky said when asked about the regional semis matchup. “We’re not overlooking anybody, but we definitely have our vision set on the state finals.”
The Huskies made the state finals bracket last year and fell a match short of advancing to the second day. Lovendusky and his wrestlers want more in 2024.
“Honestly, top four is decent, but we want to see ourselves in the finals,” Lovendusky said. “The team has worked hard enough that I know we’re a good enough team to be in the finals.”
BOYS HOOPS
TC St. Francis 66
Grayling 47
Traverse City St. Francis: Max Ogden 21 points; Isaiah Millward 10 points, 9 rebounds; Max King 9 points; Luke Gorman 8 points.
UP NEXT: The Gladiators (9-7, 8-4 Lake Michigan) host Glen Lake in the Northern Michigan Showcase on Saturday. The Vikings (6-11, 2-9 Lake Michigan) host East Jordan on Monday.
TC Central 87
Gaylord 69
Traverse City Central: Anthony Ribel 29 points, 10 assists; Owen Ribel 20 points, 6 rebounds; Brendan Slack 22 points, 6 rebounds; Aden Moorhead 8 points, 8 rebounds.
UP NEXT: The Trojans (4-13, 3-5 Big North) face Detroit Cass Tech in the Northern Michigan Showcase at Traverse City St. Francis on Saturday. The Blue Devils (7-11, 3-5 Big North) host Boyne City on Tuesday.
TC West 72
Alpena 51
Traverse City West: Lincoln Lockhart 15 points, 5 rebounds; Ben Habers 13 points, 5 assists; Winslow Robinson 10 points; Caden Stoops 9 points; Gunnar Canty 8 points, 5 rebounds.
UP NEXT: The Titans (13-5, 6-2 Big North) host Big Rapids on Monday.
Cadillac 60
Petoskey 37
Cadillac: Gavin Goetz 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists; Charlie Howell 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks; Kyle McGowan 10 points, 5 rebounds; Grant Williams 10 points, 3 rebounds.
UP NEXT: The Vikings (15-1, 8-0 Big North) face Wayne Memorial in the Northern Michigan Showcase at Traverse City St. Francis on Saturday. The Northmen (10-7, 4-4 Big North) host Ludington on Saturday.
Benzie Central 66
Leland 27
Benzie Central: Miles Pritchett 15 points; Andrew Gray 15 points; Jaxon Childers 9 points; Christien Westcott 8 points.
Leland: Ryan Grinage 10 points.
UP NEXT: The Huskies (15-2, 10-0 Northwest) host Petoskey on Monday. The Comets (3-14, 0-11 Northwest) host Frankfort on Tuesday.
Elk Rapids 55
Charlevoix 41
Elk Rapids: Haven Somers 17 points; Max Ward 7 points; Keegan Cotterman 7 points; Owen Spencer 7 points.
Charlevoix: Hudson Vollmer 12 points; Joe Gaffney 11 points; Ryan Pearl 6 points.
UP NEXT: The Elks (12-7, 11-2 Lake Michigan) host Lake Leelanau St Mary on Tuesday. The Rayders (14-4, 8-4 Lake Michigan) travel to Bellaire on Monday.
Boyne City 53
East Jordan 37
East Jordan: Korbyn Russell 16 points, 3 assists; Ryder Malpass 11 points.
UP NEXT: The Ramblers (12-7, 8-5 Lake Michigan) travel to Gaylord on Tuesday. The Red Devils (6-11, 2-9 Lake Michigan) travel to Grayling on Monday.
Frankfort 51
Kingsley 41
Frankfort: Carter Kerby 11 points; Colton Bates 10 points; Eli Leitaert 8 points.
Kingsley: Eli Graves 20 points.
UP NEXT: The Panthers (11-7, 7-5 Northwest) travel to Leland on Tuesday. The Stags (8-10, 5-7 Northwest) travel to Glen Lake on Tuesday.
Boyne Falls 77
Alba 7
Boyne Falls: Keaton Matelski 37 points; Bryce Tonsor 13 points; JT Greenier 12 points.
Alba: Brinley Beagle 5 points.
UP NEXT: The Loggers (4-12, 0-10 Northern Lakes) travel to Petoskey St. Michael on Friday. The Wildcats (0-7) host Burt Lake Northern Michigan Christian on Tuesday.
Baldwin 61
Mesick 48
Mesick: Tyler Hall 15 points, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks, 4 steals, 3 assists; Jaeden Simpson 6 points, 5 rebounds.
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs (7-12, 7-8 West Michigan D) travel to Marion on Tuesday.
Pentwater 64
Manistee CC 31
UP NEXT: The Sabers (4-14, 3-12 West Michigan D) host Walkerville on Tuesday.
Manistee 59
Muskegon OV 31
UP NEXT: The Mariners (9-9, 2-7 West Michigan Lakes) travel to Whitehall on Tuesday.
Brethren 55
Bear Lake 39
Bear Lake: Grady Harless 16 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals; Myles Harless 8 points, 16 rebounds; Caleb Forward 6 points; Easton Nowak 5 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists.
UP NEXT: The Bobcats (13-5,11-3 West Michigan D) travel to Baldwin on Tuesday. The Lakers (5-13, 4-10 West Michigan D) travel to Baldwin on Thursday.
GIRLS HOOPS
Mancelona 46
Gaylord SM 35
Mancelona: Mancelona’s first conference victory over the Snowbirds since 1995; held St. Mary to one point in third quarter. Alyssa Kiel 15 points; Emily Anger 10 points; Ella Schram 10 points; Ella Jones 8 points.
Gaylord St. Mary: Payton Glasby 12 points; Kaylee Jeffers 10 points.
UP NEXT: Mancelona (10-7, 7-4 Ski Valley) hosts Inland Lakes on Wednesday. The Snowbirds (11-5, 10-2 Ski Valley) travel to Charlevoix on Monday.
Ellsworth 62
Alanson 22
Ellsworth: Ruby Pletcher 16 points; Hannah Essenberg 13 points; Isabella Essenberg 9 points; Kerri DeYoung 8 points.
UP NEXT: The Lancers (10-5, 8-2 Northern Lakes) travel to Burt Lake NMC on Feb 16.
Bellaire 33
Central Lake 25
Bellaire: Brooklynn Stevens 16 points, 6 steals; Alayna Elandt 12 steals; Alex Dawson 8 points; Addyson Patton 9 rebounds.
UP NEXT: The Eagles (8-8, 5-6 Ski Valley) travel to Pellston on Wednesday. The Trojans (2-13, 2-9 Ski Valley) host Forest Area on Wednesday.