Catholic Central’s seniors cement legacy at state finals, team earns state title

NOVI — With 16 state titles, countless individual state champions, and 28 straight Catholic High School League titles to its historic collection, Detroit Catholic Central High School’s wrestling program is in a league of its own when it comes to legacy.

On top of the program’s elite-level coaching, the program is a constantly revolving door of talent, and Catholic Central head coach Mitch Hancock credits the team’s past for its continued success.

“I think they (wrestlers) have a great understanding, right,” Hancock said. “You step foot in our wrestling room, and it’s hard not to. The championship teams are on the walls. The individual champions have their photos on the walls. The banners — there’s an expectation there, and history creates that. These guys have that understanding to perform and train hard.”

At Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo Feb. 24-25, Catholic Central returned to the top of Division 1, beating Hartland 41-21 to earn the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 1 State Championship.

Catholic Central earned back-to-back runner-up finishes to Davison in 2021 and 2022, and last won a state title in 2020 during the school’s four-year state title reign from 2017 to 2020.

“It was amazing,” junior Darius Marines said. “It’s way different than being an individual champ, because as a team you all get to enjoy it. It’s way more gratifying that way than enjoying it alone.”

Marines, who wrestles in the 157-pound class, was one of eight Catholic Central wrestlers to earn a dual-meet victory during the team finals state championship against Hartland, as sophomore Connor Bercume (215), freshman Wyatt Lees (106), senior Drew Heethuis (126), junior Mason Stewart (138), senior Clayton Jones (144), senior Dylan Gilcher (150) and senior Steven Shellenberger (190) all earned wins.

Transitioning their momentum to the individual finals March 3-4 at Ford Field in Detroit, Catholic Central dominated the field, winning seven individual titles and tying the Division 1 record that Catholic Central previously set in 2019.

“That’s what we train for,” Marines said. “The result is what we prepared for. We didn’t expect much less than what we did at the finals.”

Gilcher (32-0) became a four-time champion after a win in the 150-pound class and became the second Catholic Central wrestler in school history to become a four-time champion alongside 2019 graduate Kevon Davenport.

The younger brother of former Catholic Central wrestler and three-time state champion Derek Gilcher, Dylan Gilcher has cemented his own legacy at Catholic Central in impressive fashion.

“Dylan is special — just a special talent,” Hancock said. “I guess what makes him special is his wrestling IQ. He’s been wrestling since he was a little nugget. When he came into the program, we had so many great guys, and he was just sort of overshadowed by their success, but he was quietly winning while quietly creating his brand, image and style, and to see him dominate the way he did this year was phenomenal.”

Marines (36-3) added a state title in the 157-pound class, earning his third straight state title, and senior Cameron Adams (35-4) added the third title in the 165-pound class. Jones (49-3) and Heethuis (53-1), who claimed his third straight individual state title, capped off their incredible wrestling careers with championships in their respective classes at 144 and 132. Jones earned his second straight state championship while Lees (42-10) earned his first state title in the 106-pound class.

After a tough showing his freshman year at the state finals, Bercume returned this season with vengeance on his mind and exacted just that in the 215-pound class with a state title win this year.

“Connor (Bercume) lost in the blood round as a freshman in double overtime and then just really, really, I don’t want to say turned a corner, but started to understand his ability and his competitiveness, and I give complete credit to our coaching staff and his workout partners for giving him that confidence,” Hancock said.

Stewart finished second at the state finals as the lone finalist not to bring home a title, but will play a vital role for Catholic Central in 2024 alongside Marines.

For the seniors, it’s a storybook ending for an incredible class with four-time, three-time, and two-time champions making their impact each season not just on the mat, but also for the future of Catholic Central wrestling.

“It was just a remarkable display of character, talent, work ethic, and they just continue to elevate the standard at DCC,” Hancock said. “That is something we preach often, right, is adhering to the standard and trying to elevate that standard. Those guys are just a fantastic class.”

As for Catholic Central in 2024, the return of three state title holders is a nice start for the defending state champions.

Hancock said that even before the team’s upcoming banquet to celebrate its championship, the focus has already shifted to next year.

“That’s the standard; we’ll get back to work,” Hancock said. “So, we’ll start our spring training cycle next week, and we’ll continue through the summer and just continue to get better and develop talent, develop young men, and develop a work ethic that puts us in a position to make a run at it again next year.”

Character development, family, work ethic and talent: all things that can describe Catholic Central culture.

“The one word you hear all the time is ‘brotherhood,’ so you put coaches, mentors and priests in the building that are fantastic leaders for these guys,” Hancock said. “You have your mentors, and, hopefully, the guys will see that, feel that and hear it, and then understand that we’re there for them to love them and care for them, and we expect them to share that with others.”