The West Michigan Conference did very well again with all-state wrestlers during the 2023-24 season.
Led by state champions Tee Ward of Fremont and Gavin Craner of Whitehall, 14 boys wrestlers from the conference earned first-team all-state accolades as top-eight finishers in their respective weight classes and divisions.
Meet the all-state wrestlers here:
Tee Ward, Fremont
Division 2: First place, 138 pounds
1st Place Match: Tee Ward (Fremont HS) 53-1, Sr. over Landon Thomas (St Joseph HS) 48-1, Jr. (Dec 3-1)
3rd Place Match: Brody Orcutt (Goodrich HS) 41-1, Sr. over Trevor Boone (Lowell) 29-15, So. (Fall 1:59)
5th Place Match: Adam Polk (Pontiac HS) 30-2, Sr. over Gavin Drenten (Zeeland East HS) 45-4, Jr. (Dec 16-9)
7th Place Match:Connor Greer (John Glenn HS (Bay City)) 39-5, Jr. over Drew Corcoran (Lake Fenton HS) 57-9, Sr. (Dec 5-4)
Gavin Craner, Whitehall
Division 3: First place, 175 pounds
1st Place Match: Gavin Craner (Whitehall HS) 54-0, Jr. over Bryce Randolph (Clinton HS) 54-3, So. (MD 10-2)
3rd Place Match: Mason Roth (Napoleon HS) 27-6, Sr. over Anthony Schultz (Central Montcalm HS) 40-11, Jr. (SV-1 10-5)
5th Place Match: Zac Dykes (Armada HS) 30-4, Jr. over Cole McLaughlin (Yale HS) 45-10, Jr. (Dec 7-5)
7th Place Match: Alex Hicks (Hart HS) 49-6, Jr. over Holden Hollingshead (Clare HS) 38-7, Sr. (Dec 5-2)
Darnell Mack, Whitehall
Division 3: Third place, 150 pounds
1st Place Match: Trey Parker (Dundee HS) 34-13, Sr. over Donny Beaufait (Dundee HS) 40-9, So. (UTB 3-2)
3rd Place Match: Darnell Mack (Whitehall HS) 53-2, Sr. over David Clemons (Algonac HS) 59-4, Sr. (Dec 8-6)
5th Place Match: Landyn Thornburg (Montrose Hill-McCloy HS) 45-7, Sr. over Eli Roe (Beaverton HS) 39-9, Fr. (Fall 1:47)
7th Place Match: Austin Solis (Gladstone HS) 40-5, Sr. over Hawk Harding (Williamston HS) 35-14, So. (Dec 9-3)
Skyler Stalbaum, Hesperia
Division 4: Fourth place, 144 pounds
1st Place Match: Coy Perry (Hudson Area HS) 49-6, Sr. over Blake Sloan (Manchester HS) 51-7, So. (Dec 1-0)
3rd Place Match: Turlough Bennett (Marlette HS) 55-3, Jr. over Skyler Stalbaum (Hesperia Community HS) 44-12, Jr. (Dec 5-0)
5th Place Match: Trenton Mansfield (Gobles HS) 45-4, Sr. over Trace Reay (Tawas Area HS) 44-11, Jr. (Fall 2:48)
7th Place Match: Aidan Taylor (Union City HS) 45-9, Jr. over Jack Bagwell (Martin HS) 52-13, Jr. (Dec 4-1)
Jimmy Thommen, Montague
Division 3: Fourth place, 113 pounds
1st Place Match: Talan Parsons (Ovid-Elsie HS) 46-1, Sr. over Haydn Nutt (Dundee HS) 37-8, So. (Dec 8-4)
3rd Place Match: Mason Haines (Dundee HS) 30-13, So. over James Thommen (Montague HS) 35-14, Sr. (TF-1.5 4:24 (22-6))
5th Place Match: Malaki Mosher (Madison HS) 44-4, Jr. over Maximus Pigeon (Hopkins HS) 41-7, Sr. (Dec 10-7)
7th Place Match: Emmanuel Hernandez (Kent City HS) 42-15, Sr. over Kolten Weiler (Whitehall HS) 36-18, So. (Dec 4-0)
Stephen Priese, Hesperia
Division 4: Fifth place, 106 pounds
1st Place Match: Logan Gilbert (Martin HS) 52-3, Jr. over Jordan Zambon (Gabriel Richard (Riverview)) 45-7, Fr. (Dec 5-2)
3rd Place Match: Owen Fogel (St Louis HS) 53-4, So. over Blake Wendling (New Lothrop HS) 33-16, Jr. (Dec 9-4)
5th Place Match: Stephen Priese (Hesperia Community HS) 41-12, Sr. over Kolton Burns (Decatur HS) 36-9, Fr. (Fall 0:58)
7th Place Match: Jaxton Kimling (Hudson Area HS) 23-24, Fr. over Jose Boger (Gobles HS) 31-12, So. (Fall 1:33)
Chico Salgado Velazquez, Hart
Division 3: Fifth place, 157 pounds
1st Place Match: Kole Katschor (Dundee HS) 45-6, Jr. over Jeremy Griffith (Yale HS) 46-4, Sr. (Dec 5-1)
3rd Place Match: Xander Kartes (Ogemaw Heights HS) 43-4, Sr. over Brody Jones (Constantine HS) 47-8, Jr. (SV-1 6-4)
5th Place Match: Chico Josue Salgado Velazquez (Hart HS) 46-9, Sr. over Carson Warner (Napoleon HS) 35-15, Fr. (Dec 8-4)
7th Place Match Blake Peasley (Belding) 54-5, Jr. over Jalonn Borders (Madison HS) 48-7, Jr. (Dec 5-0)
Nolan Taranko, Whitehall
Division 3: Sixth place, 126 pounds
1st Place Match: Kade Kluce (Dundee HS) 30-9, Sr. over Drew Hansen (Gladstone HS) 46-2, Sr. (TB-1 2-1)
3rd Place Match: Braylon Long (Clinton HS) 46-5, Jr. over Wyatt Burns (Dundee HS) 24-11, Fr. (Dec 1-0)
5th Place Match: Quinton Everett (Chesaning HS) 40-3, Jr. over Nolan Taranko (Whitehall HS) 46-10, Sr. (M. For.)
7th Place Match: Gage Rothman (Blissfield HS) 52-7, Fr. over Chris Campbell (Algonac HS) 55-8, Jr. (Fall 2:43)
Hunter Sanford, Mason County Central
Division 3: Sixth place, 120 pounds
1st Place Match: Dale Gant (Catholic Central HS (Grand Rapids)) 44-2, So. over Braden Broderick (Dundee HS) 16-2, So. (Dec 6-3)
3rd Place Match: Landon Sopha (Yale HS) 49-7, Jr. over Tyler Sheeran (St Francis HS (Traverse City)) 42-10, Sr. (Dec 7-5)
5th Place Match: Cameron Bacchus (Durand Area HS) 40-4, Sr. over Hunter Sanford (Mason County Central HS) 42-10, Jr. (Fall 3:50)
7th Place Match: Vincent Stamm (Lakewood HS) 34-11, Fr. over Logan Hartman (Napoleon HS) 37-13, Jr. (Fall 3:21)
Alex Hicks, Hart
Division 3: Seventh place, 175 pounds
1st Place Match: Gavin Craner (Whitehall HS) 54-0, Jr. over Bryce Randolph (Clinton HS) 54-3, So. (MD 10-2)
3rd Place Match: Mason Roth (Napoleon HS) 27-6, Sr. over Anthony Schultz (Central Montcalm HS) 40-11, Jr. (SV-1 10-5)
5th Place Match: Zac Dykes (Armada HS) 30-4, Jr. over Cole McLaughlin (Yale HS) 45-10, Jr. (Dec 7-5)
7th Place Match: Alex Hicks (Hart HS) 49-6, Jr. over Holden Hollingshead (Clare HS) 38-7, Sr. (Dec 5-2)
Blake Sayer, Hesperia
Division 4: Seventh place, 132 pounds
1st Place Match: Haylen Buell (Martin HS) 45-4, So. over Logan Mears (Union City HS) 35-3, Jr. (Fall 2:24)
3rd Place Match: Luke Harrington (Gabriel Richard (Riverview)) 41-8, So. over Alex Boyer (Union City HS) 42-12, Jr. (Dec 5-2)
:5th Place Match: Gauge Stampfler (Delton Kellogg HS) 53-7, Jr. over Cameron Perez (Lakeview HS) 51-7, Jr. (Dec 7-3)
7th Place Match: Blake Sayer (Hesperia Community HS) 42-14, Jr. over Nathan Higgins (Benzie Central HS) 20-13, Jr. (MD 12-2)
JoseLuis Andaverde, Hart
Division 3: Eighth place, 144 pounds
1st Place Match: Blake Cosby (Dundee HS) 44-1, So. over Jonathan Krebs (Lakewood HS) 39-3, Sr. (Dec 7-0)
3rd Place Match: Jon Huggler (LakeVille Memorial HS) 51-10, Sr. over Tyler Geer (Chippewa Hills HS) 38-5, Sr. (Dec 7-3)
5th Place Match: Israel Villegas (Dowagiac Union HS) 49-7, Sr. over Daniel Rosales (Alma HS) 42-12, Jr. (Dec 8-2)
7th Place Match: Matthew Adams (Swan Valley HS) 29-17, Sr. over JoseLuis Andaverde (Hart HS) 44-16, Sr. (Dec 9-7)
Jason Smith, Whitehall
Division 3: Eighth place, 285 pounds
1st Place Match: Bennett VandenBerg (Constantine HS) 54-0, Sr. over Wyatt Spalo (Reed City) 46-5, Jr. (Dec 3-0)
3rd Place Match: Logan Malonen (Grayling HS) 51-3, Sr. over Matthew Misch (Richmond HS) 39-6, Sr. (Fall 2:41)
5th Place Match: Cal Chapman (Dowagiac Union HS) 48-10, Jr. over Isaac Casey (Belding) 43-7, Sr. (Fall 2:20)
7th Place Match: Waylon Lingeman (Central Montcalm HS) 44-4, Jr. over Jason Smith (Whitehall HS) 28-13, Sr. (Fall 2:43)
Kolten Weiler, Whitehall
Division 3: Eighth place, 113 pounds
1st Place Match: Talan Parsons (Ovid-Elsie HS) 46-1, Sr. over Haydn Nutt (Dundee HS) 37-8, So. (Dec 8-4)
3rd Place Match: Mason Haines (Dundee HS) 30-13, So. over James Thommen (Montague HS) 35-14, Sr. (TF-1.5 4:24 (22-6))
5th Place Match: Malaki Mosher (Madison HS) 44-4, Jr. over Maximus Pigeon (Hopkins HS) 41-7, Sr. (Dec 10-7)
7th Place Match: Emmanuel Hernandez (Kent City HS) 42-15, Sr. over Kolten Weiler (Whitehall HS) 36-18, So. (Dec 4-0)
Photos by Scott DeCamp | CatchMark and courtesy of Kate Sanford
