Spartans send three, Raiders one on to Div. 3 wrestling state finals
TRI-CITY AREA — Imlay City qualified three grapplers and Almont one to the upcoming Division 3 individual state finals scheduled for March 1-2 at Ford Field in Detroit.
They advanced on the strength of top-four weight class finishes last Saturday at a regional hosted by Richmond High School,
Wesley Hampton headlined for Imlay City that day, earning a first. Hampton reached the title clash at 135 pounds where he picked up a 3-2 win against Algonac’s Mark Langewicz.
Hunter Mullins provided Imlay City with a second. Mullins made it to the 160-pound championship bout where he dropped a 7-3 verdict to Caro’s DJ Daniels.
Imlay City’s Wesley Hampton (R) battles with a 135-pound foe in regional final action Saturday. photo by Randy Jorgensen.
Joe Harper saw to it that he would secure a state-qualifying spot as well, contributing a third. Harper concluded his run at 285 pounds with a 3-1 victory over Richmond’s Dan McKiernan.
Dakota Sandzik (112) and Cristian Rojas (125) also tested their respective mat skills for Imlay City at regionals. They finished 1-2 each, just a win shy of advancing to states.
Mathew Dwyer will represent Almont in the 135-pound weight class at the upcoming state finals, thanks to a fourth. Dwyer closed out his regional stint with an injury default loss to Algonac’s Jake Kasner.
Dallas Stanton was the other Almont grappler who saw action at regionals. The 103-pounder went 1-2 on the day, just one win away from qualifying for states.
Robbie Battani, a 189-pounder, was also slated to compete for Almont at regionals but did not participate due to an injury sustained earlier that week in practice.
Kevin Kissane has been covering high school sports for the Tri-City Times since 1985. When not standing on a field or court with his camera and notepad, he enjoys golf, travel and family. Kevin is a 1980 graduate of Capac High School, and is also a grad of St. Clair Community College and earned a degree in journalism from Central Michigan University.
