Two different local sporting events that happened on successive days in March reminded me why it’s fun covering high school sports.
The first of those was the Brandon hockey team’s appearance in the Division 3 state quarterfinals against Orchard Lake St. Mary’s March 9. This marked the Blackhawks? third straight appearance in the state quarterfinals, and Brandon fans were anxious to see if this would be the Blackhawks? year to break through.
On an admittedly selfish note, it’s a treat to watch any sort of hockey after dealing with the National Hockey League lockout situation all year.
Anyway, after being eliminated by Cranbrook the previous two years, the Blackhawks found out they would be taking on a different opponent this time around: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, which had defeated Cranbrook the previous round.
Hundreds of Brandon fans made the trip to the Troy Sports Center, decked in their blue-and-white gear, to cheer their hometown heroes.
Unfortunately for the Brandon faithful, the St. Mary’s crew overwhelmed the Blackhawks 10-0, in a game stopped due to the mercy rule, and went on to win the Division 3 state title by defeating Flint Powers on March 12.
Just the same, the fact that Brandon made it on the ‘big stage? shows how far the program has come in its five year existence. Hopefully, the Blackhawks can someday overcome the state quarterfinal hurdle and make it to the state semifinals and finals at Compuware Arena in Plymouth.
The following day, March 10, The Palace of Auburn Hills hosted the individual wrestling finals. The event always kicks off with the ‘Parade of Champions,? which allows the young men and women who qualified for the tournament to get their moment in the sun.
After that, the wrestling action kicks off in full force. It’s always amazing how they can have 12 matches going on simultaneously (three matches for each of the four divisions) and keep it going smoothly.
I took pictures of wrestlers from Goodrich High School (for The Citizen) and Oxford High School (for The Oxford Leader, one of our sister publications).
Four Goodrich wrestlers ? Mark Weber, Garrett Higdon, Jason Fischer, and Kyle Fletcher ? entered the state tournament with hopes of contending for titles in their weight classes.
While Weber started out with a bang, defeating Roscommon’s Justin Bragg in 26 seconds, the Martians? other three wrestlers suffered first-round setbacks, leaving the Goodrich hopes in the hands of Weber, a 103-lb. freshman.
Weber proved to be up to the task, winning two more matches before defeating Chesaning’s Chad Reiber by an 11-2 decision in the 103-lb. finals. This is the second straight year Goodrich has brought home a state wrestling champion ? Barrett Johnson, now at Saginaw Valley State University, won the 189-lb. title in last year’s event.
All told, it was a great two days to be a sports writer. Now that March Madness is upon us, I get to be a sports fan as well, following my predictions like everyone else and hoping my brackets don’t get messed up too badly. Stay tuned.