On paper, it was a match between the second and third best teams in the state last week in Oxford with the No. 3 Wildcats hosting second-ranked Davison.
But paper didn’t mean too much as the Cardinals rolled past Oxford, winning 12 of 14 matches en route to a 56-9 victory.
What was not evident in the Cardinal victory and celebration were the five top Wildcat wrestlers who did not compete because of minor injuries. Had those wrestlers competed, the outcome would likely have been much closer and different.
Hopefully, for the Wildcats, the loss to Davison will mirror last season in which the Cardinals won the early season matchup only to be ousted from the state tournament by Oxford.
Oxford coach Brandon Rank made no excuses for the Wildcat loss, instead looking at it as an opportunity for younger wrestlers to gain experience.
Oxford’s winners for the evening were Rocco Borg, at 152 pounds, and Grant Krause at 285 pounds.