TRAVERSE CITY — Ty Bensinger isn’t feeling the pressure.
The Gaylord senior wrestler breezed through the Big North Conference championships Saturday at Traverse City Central, putting in less than a minute’s work to earn a title.
Bensinger recorded two first-period pins — in 25 and 30 seconds — to stay undefeated for the season and claim the 190-pound BNC crown.
Ranked third in the state at 190 regardless of division, Bensinger said there’s no pressure to win a state championship — even though that’s the goal.
“I haven’t really felt a ton of pressure,” Bensinger said. “The whole team is pretty good. I’m just trying to have fun hanging out with my teammates, hanging out with my coaches. Just enjoy one last wrestling season.”
He can take it easy and enjoy the success because wrestling might not even be his best sport. He’s playing football at Northwood University next fall.
“Just having fun with my teammates and going out with a boom for my senior year,” Bensinger said. “(A state title) has been one of my goals since I was a little kid.”
The two-time all-state wrestler is 28-0 this season, with the Blue Devils heading to Petoskey for team districts Wednesday and hosting individual districts Saturday. He placed fourth as a sophomore at 160 pounds and third last year at 190, where he’ll return this time around.
“He’s able to react in ways that most wrestlers don’t,” Gaylord assistant coach Dan Cornish said. “He feels things that a lot of other wrestlers don’t in the moment, and he’s able to take full advantage of that. He goes from zero to 100, not afraid to pull the trigger on any move, and he takes full advantage of it.”
Gaylord extended its impressive streak to 16 consecutive Big North Conference championships. The Blue Devils target their 15th district and seventh regional title in a row.
The Blue Devils won six of the 14 weight classes, with Central and West each taking three and Cadillac two.
“This is fantastic,” Cornish said. “We’ve got a good, young group of guys, and it’s great for these guys to see some success, experience it and carry that momentum forward into the postseason.”
Cadillac led the tourney with 14 wins by pin, while West and Central each posted nine, Gaylord eight, and Petoskey six.
Gaylord won the tournament with 168 points, followed closely by runner-up Cadillac (160), TC West (152), TC Central (130), Petoskey (117) and Alpena (28).
Blue Devils sophomore Zane Willobee won the 157-pound class to also stay undefeated at 20-0. He won by 55-second pin and then a 5-3 final decision over Petoskey senior Jaden Vanderwall.
Kieren Beach (28-7) took the 132-pound title for Gaylord with a 4-0 decision over West’s Caleb Thomas. Jaron Bensinger improved to 28-1 with a 3:04 pin in the 126 final against West’s Alex Reynolds. Freshman Jason Cranick won at 120 by 18-2 technical fall against Central’s Michael Risinger to go to 25-7 on the season, and senior Caden Sides (29-4) won a 6-0 championship decision against Petoskey junior Adam Goodwin.
West’s championships came from junior Brady Vaughan along with freshmen Matthew Quigley and Finn O’Brien.
Vaughan (37-4) won two matches, one by first-period pin and a 5-0 decision over Cadillac’s Parker Rood in the 215-pound final. Quigley, who is ranked No. 10 in the state regardless of division, stayed undefeated at 113 pounds with a pair of second-period pins to improve to 38-0. O’Brien won with 34 seconds left in his match against Cadillac freshman Charlie Schafer, flipping out of a nearfall situation directly to a pin.
“Finn did well at 106. Matthew obviously at 113, and then Brady,” West head coach Berard Priante said. “We had a couple of really good performances with second-place kids with Caleb (Thomas), Alex (Reynolds) and Trapper (Holmes). They all lost (in the finals) to good quality kids.”
TC Central’s champs included senior 165-pounder Jesus Montelongo, who won three matches on his way to the crown, including a 16-8 decision against Gaylord senior Dylan Boucher in the finals. Sophomore 150-pounder Grady Rousse won with a pin and then a 13-4 final decision over West’s Holmes, and senior Brady Slocum claimed the 138-pound title with a 6-2 decision over Petoskey junior Robert Patrick.
Cadillac freshman Payton Sampson won the 144-pound class with a 2-0 record to move to 36-5 on the season. He came away with an 8-2 decision against Petoskey senior Ryan Cook in the finals. Fellow Viking Luke Phillips bumped up a weight class to 175 and still won the championship, earning a 10-3 decision against Petoskey sophomore Mitchell Gregory. Gaylord freshman Leland Korona won his third-place match at 175 in double overtime.
“We finished a lot closer behind Gaylord than I thought we would have,” Cadillac fourth-year head coach Eli Hoffert said. “We didn’t have the 138 spot filled, which would have helped, but that’s what it is. We did good with what we had. It was a good finish for us.”
Cadillac heads to team districts in Mount Pleasant and individuals at Gaylord. West hosts team districts, with Central facing Midland Dow in the opening round and the winner moving on to take on West. The Titans and Trojans go to individual districts Saturday at Saginaw Heritage.