Pinning touch: Oxford wins first OAA-Red wrestling crown
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
OXFORD — New conference, same old result for Oxford’s wrestling team.
The Wildcats, ranked third in the state in Division 1, captured their fifth straight conference crown and sixth in 12 years by winning the OAA Red Division tournament crown Friday on their home mats.
Oxford, 7-0 in league duals, collected 266 points to put the finishing touches on the OAA-Red crown in its first season in the league. Oxford had competed in the Flint Metro League for the past 27 school years.
“I am very pleased with how we have wrestled,” said Oxford first-year head coach Brad Keeney. “
Rochester, 6-1 in league duals, finished a distant second in the eight-school field with 168.5 points, with no. 10 Clarkston earning third with 163.5 points.
Rochester Adams (125.5), Auburn Hills Avondale (89), Lake Orion (83), West Bloomfield (65) and Troy Athens (24) rounded out the team standings.
In the marquee matchup of the night, Oxford’s Keegan Cantera edged Rochester’s Josh Wood 8-6 in the 112-pound final in a bout that featured two of the top wrestlers in the state in that division. That was the first of seven individuals for the Wildcats, who won half of the 14 weight classes to win by nearly 100 points.
“Keegan beat Josh in a dual meet at Rochester, Josh won the county and now Keegan won again here,” said Keeney. “Those two are starting to form a great (rivalry).”
Oxford’s Rocco Borg (119), Mike Thomas (135), Matt Frisch (145), Dakota Peasley (152), Ben Ralston (160) and Prescott Line (215) also won league titles for the Wildcats.
“Anytime you can have seven champions in a tournament, it’s going to carry you a long way,” beamed Keeney. “To do it in this league shows how many good kids we have. Every year we have 60, 70, 80 kids out on this team and with types of numbers, we should be able to field 14 strong wrestlers.”
Rochester had a pair if individual champions to aid the runner-up team finish, as Kaelen Richards (125) and Justin Kim (103) both claimed crowns.
Avondale’s Victor Vettese (130) won another league championship, his third in four years, while teammate Kyle Reinhart (140) also finished on top.
Clarkston’s Matt Vandermeer (171) and Scott DeVos (285) helped the Wolves, while Lake Orion’s Mitch Ladd (189) rounded out the winners circle.
All team will head into Team Districts this Wednesday or Thursday, with Individual Districts slated for next Saturday across the state.
“It’s a whole new season for everybody,” said Keeney, whose team is in the same district with No. 2-ranked Davison. “I think it’s going to be a great battle between us and Davison. But we’re tested. We lost to them the first week of the season, but we’re better now. I think we’ve wrestled as tough of a schedule as we ever have, and hopefully it will pay off.
“I think our whole league can do well in the state (tournament),” added Keeney. “I think our league can get around 25 guys to the state meet. There are so many great wrestlers in our league.”
To submit information to www.northoaklandsports.com, e-mail dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com. To advertise, e-mail advertising@northoaklandsports.com
Category: Auburn Hills Avondale, Clarkston, Lake Orion, Oxford, Prep Wraps, Rochester, Rochester Adams, Troy Athens
