By Dan Robelen / WLD
The Dreadnaught wrestlers took on the rest of the SEC in both a junior varsity and a varsity tournament last weekend.
The conference is so tight that a one-point loss by Dexter to Chelsea is the only thing that prevented a three-way tie between Dexter, Chelsea, and Tecumseh for the SEC White. The individual tournament, however, brought in the other side of the SEC, including schools like Monroe and powerhouse Bedford.
Dexter started the varsity tournament strong on wins by Colby Clark, Eli Yount, and Brendon Valerio. Freshman Daniel Delduca came in as a four seed and brawled his way to a strong win in his first match.
As the day went on, every Dexter wrestler won at least one match, no mean feat in such a challenging conference, especially considering that several of the Dexter varsity were sophomores and freshmen.
Delduca fell in the semis to a national Greco-Roman place-winner, then lost a double overtime heartbreaker. He placed fifth in the tournament. Jacob Joyce also lost to the number two seed, then fell in the next round as well. He wrestled his way back to take fifth. Jasper Howell lost in the semifinals, and after a 2-1 loss in a tight final placed fourth.
Freshman Kyle Scafasci placed sixth, as did Kevin Blanchard.
After a strong showing in his first matches, Mark Young lost a hard-fought battle in the final as well, placing second in the tournament.
Dylan Lorincz was Dexter’s sole number one seed, and he justified his position by strolling to the final and winning confidently there. He only gave up a single point over the course of the tournament, an escape in the first period of his first match (in which he pinned his opponent in less than a minute).
As a team, Dexter wound up in sixth place, just 1.5 points behind the fifthplace team.
Dexter brought five wrestlers to the JV side of the tournament on Friday night, and they made the future look bright.
Although several Dexter wrestlers faced tough pools, stacked with quality wrestlers from schools like Bedford and Tecumseh, the junior varsity performed well. Justin Kril went 4-1, with a hard-fought loss on points in his final match. Brock Komaromi also went 4-1, including one void.
Dexter now prepares for the district team and individual tournaments this week. The Dreadnaughts are the presumptive favorites for the district team championship, but the individual tournament at Lincoln High in Ypsilanti on Saturday will provide a stern test for those looking to advance to regionals and state.
MAIN PHOTO: Dylan Lorincz works to finish a shot on his way to victory in the final. Photo by Dan Robelen
