High school wrestlers to watch across metro Detroit

METRO DETROIT — It seems like with every season the sport of wrestling at the high school level continues to grow, especially on the girls’ side.

There’s tons of excitement surrounding it as the new season nears, and there’s an abundance of local talent looking to leave their mark on the mat.

Below are wrestlers to watch in the C & G Newspapers coverage area.

 

Senior Wyatt Hepner, Grosse Pointe South
He keeps on making history at Grosse Pointe South, so why stop now?

His sophomore year, he became the first Blue Devils wrestler to ever reach the state championship match. As a junior, he was the first to ever win a state title when he knocked off Utica Eisenhower senior Sam Agnello 1-0 in the 138-pound bracket.

So, becoming the first back-to-back champion ever at South is now within arm’s reach for the returning Macomb Area Conference Gold MVP and individual district and regional champion.

A star football player for the Blue Devils defense, which played a vital role in the program winning yet another MAC White league title, Hepner’s physicality on the mat is what separates him from his competitors.

The Harvard University commit, for wrestling, finished the season undefeated at 48-0 and should be viewed as a state championship contender again this season.

 

Senior Ricardo Saenz, Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice
He battled back from injury to reach the top of the podium, and he’s got all the makings to do it again.

After returning from a dislocated elbow he suffered in June of last year, Saenz finished his junior season 49-2 at the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 2 state finals by dominating the 126-pound bracket, earning a fall and outsourcing his next two opponents 23-4.

Saenz, a returning individual district and regional champion in 2024, headlined a loaded Brother Rice roster that helped the Warriors return to the team states stage for the third straight season.

This Brother Rice group, which includes Richard Davis, Owen Stropoli, Deacon MacNeill, Caleb Steele, and a plethora of other talented wrestlers, have helped revamp the wrestling program’s culture under head coach Scott Kolesky.

Brother Rice made team states for the first time in 32 seasons back in 2022, and with Saenz and company leading the charge, there’s no signs of that stopping.

Saenz is a student of the game, for he’s always watching videos and tweaking certain things he can do better, but he’s a dangerous man on the mat.

 

Senior Logan Criteser, Macomb Dakota
Now that he’s finished throwing around offensive players for Macomb Dakota’s district-winning football team, Criteser, a Macomb County dream team selection last season, will carry over his fierce competitiveness to the mat.

On the football field, his physicality and drive are some of the core reasons why he broke Dakota’s single-season sack record with 14.5 this year.

Competing in the 190-pound bracket last season, Criteser was regional runner-up after falling to the eventual state runner-up, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek graduate Adam Bazzi, while displaying his resilience in the Division 1 state finals.

Criteser dropped his first match of the tournament, but quickly rebounded with a pair of wins to set himself up for a seventh-place match, which he would win with a fall.

Criteser finished the season with a 41-6 record and played a key role in Dakota dominating the MAC Red, winning the league title, the Macomb County Invitational, and the MAC Red/White Divisional Meet.

When you see his quick hands and explosiveness on the gridiron, it’s no secret why he’s one of the top wrestlers in Macomb County.

 

Junior Wyatt Lees, Detroit Catholic Central
It can be difficult to stand out around a room full of state championship-winning wrestlers, but Lees is becoming an anchor for the Shamrocks.

A state champion at 106 in 2023, Lees returned to states in the 113-pound bracket and left nothing in his path, tallying three straight falls to become a two-time state champion.

Lees, a two-time regional champion who finished the season with a 49-5 record, was one of five DCC wrestlers to bring home Division 1 individual titles while the Shamrocks captured its second straight team state championship and 10th since 2010.

He’s quick but can wrestle with power for his weight class, making him one of the more dominant wrestlers to match up against.

Only a junior, it will be exciting to see how he finishes his final two seasons with DCC, as he is already a two-time individual and team state champion.

 

Sophomore Deacon Morgan, Rochester Adams
Wrestling is a family affair with his older brother Jace Morgan, a state qualifier and returning senior, and their father David Morgan, a former Michigan State University wrestler, all knowing what it takes to succeed on the mat.

In his first year, success would be an understatement for the freshman phenom as he captured an individual district and regional title while placing sixth at the MHSAA Division 1 state finals.

Morgan finished the season with an impressive 25-4 record and quickly made a name for himself in the 106-pound bracket, earning all-State honors with his sixth-place finish.

Morgan will be part of a talented roster the Highlanders plan to return – with aspirations of making some noise at team states.

After seeing what Morgan could already do as a freshman, it would be a surprise to no one if he’s hoisting an individual state title in due time.

 

Junior John Kaminski, Warren Mott
Warren Mott fielded seven four-year seniors – an impossible void to fill by any means.

Kaminski was one of Mott’s few underclassmen that were able to help the seniors end their high school careers at the Division 1 team state finals, but now it’s time for the Marauders to lean on Kaminski and the rest of their underclassmen from last year.

Kaminski finished the season with a 38-13 record and a regional runner-up finish to his credit, which helped Mott earn the most state qualifiers in school history with six.

States didn’t go exactly according to plan for Kaminski as he finished 1-2 in the 144-pound bracket, but he’s poised for a breakout campaign his junior year.

 

Other wrestlers to watch

• Josh Lemanski, Grosse Pointe South
2023-2024 record: 39-13

• Dom Beccari, Rochester Adams
2023-2024 record: 35-8

• Eli Thomas, Rochester Adams
2023-2024 record: 35-12

• John David Quinlan, Rochester Adams
2023-2024 record: 35-10

• Jace Morgan, Rochester Adams
2023-2024 record: 42-2

• Cameron Leone, Warren Mott
2023-2024 record: 31-10

• Logan Craft, St. Clair Shores Lakeview
2023-2024 record: 42-7

• Jay’Den Williams, Roseville
2023-2024 record: 49-1

• Lee Krueger, Detroit Catholic Central
2023-2024 record: 44-6

• Connor Bercume, Detroit Catholic Central
2023-2024 record: 43-3

• Grayson Fuchs, Detroit Catholic Central
2023-2024 record: 42-6

• Ryan Totten, Detroit Catholic Central 
2023-2024 record: 49-11

• Brady Hamby, Macomb Dakota
2023-2024 record: 38-9

• Carl Nihranz, Macomb Dakota
2023-2024 record: 46-4

• Draven McAllister, Fraser
2023-2024 record: 41-13

• Stanley Anderson, Fraser
2023-2024 record: 39-7

• Ethan Miller, Fraser
2023-2024 record: 29-23

• Jack Lower, Rochester
2023-2024 record: 38-6

• Merrick Kustarz, Utica
2023-2024 record: 36-13

• Jaxon Griffin, Ferndale
2023-2024 record: 32-10

• Joshua Golding, Warren Woods Tower
2023-2024 record: 24-10

• Dominic Gumtow, Warren Woods Tower
2023-2024 record: 47-3

• Richard Davis, Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice
2023-2024 record: 49-4