Andy Waterman battles his Lawton opponent in the finals at 160 pounds.
(Photo by Wes Morgan)
The last stop before Auburn Hills for eight Constantine wrestlers was Saturday’s Division 4 individual regional tournament at Climax-Scotts. With the level of competition ratcheted up, the Falcons still managed to advance three grapplers to the state finals.
Wrestlers placing in the top four in each weight class secured spots in the state finals field. Click here for full list of local results.
It took four years, but Constantine senior Andres Montoya’s patience paid off Saturday with a regional title.
(Photo by Wes Morgan)
The lone championship out of St. Joseph County (including Division 2) belonged to senior Andres Montoya, who heads to the Palace of Auburn Hills with an unblemished record and ranked No. 7 in the state in D4 by MichiganGrappler.com at 140 pounds. Montoya improved to 44-0 after a pair of pins and a major decision.
Video interview with Montoya minutes after his 140-pound title.
Junior Andy Waterman, who is wrapping up his wrestling career because he’ll be too old to compete as a senior, reached the 152-pound finals, where he lost a 7-0 decision to Lawton’s Chris O’Donnell. Waterman entered the tourney ranked No. 5 in the state in his weight class, while O’Donnell was tabbed sixth. Waterman heads to the Palace with a 37-7 record.
Sophomore Daniel Waterman (41-8), an honorable mention at 160 pounds, won his first two matches in the championship bracket before fifth-ranked Steven Rantz (Schoolcraft) delivered a 7-5 defeat.
Daniel Waterman finished second at 160 pounds.
(Photo by Wes Morgan)
This year marks the third state finals berth for Montoya and second for Andy Waterman.
“We knew Montoya’s chances were great,” Constantine coach Steve Wilson said. “Daniel had to wrestle well and he absolutely wrestled well today. Those three have worked hard all year long, and so have the other guys that were here.”
Senior Cole Vance lost his first two matches and was eliminated at 152 pounds, as did junior Randy Waterman at 171. Senior heavyweight Andrew Cocanower bowed out against Decatur’s Ausitn Kennedy in the blood round by pin.
In a rematch of the district finals, 285-pound senior Alex Miller, who was searching for his first trip to the state finals, again fell to Mendon’s Cole Harrison. Both wrestlers moved up to heavyweight for the postseason. This time, a result both camps admitted was a bit controversial, he pinned himself in the blood round.
Up 2-0 late in the second round, Miller rolled to his back while trying to make an adjustment and a quick pin was called. Everyone involved, including Harrison, was confused as to why the match was over. Miller handled the defeat with class and immediately congratulated Miller and the Mendon coaches.
Miller finished a solid senior campaign with a 24-13 record, mostly at 215 pounds.