Photos by Evelyn Darke for CatchMark
DETROIT — When Gavin Craner arrived at Whitehall as a transfer student this school year, he stepped into a wrestling program with steeped tradition.
One of the recent traditions, in the previous three years at least, has been the Vikings finishing a season with an undefeated state champion.
Craner became the fourth straight Saturday at Ford Field. The junior 175-pounder earned a 10-2 major decision over Clinton’s Bryce Randolph in the MHSAA Division 3 state finals to seal the deal.
It’s the first state championship for Craner, who finished as a state runner-up for Belding last year.
Craner was dominant all season in a Whitehall singlet. He finished with a 54-0 record and reached the lofty status of Vikings wrestling perfection established by Ira Jenkins in 2021 and 2022 and Shane Cook in 2023.
Craner picked up the 150th win of his career in preliminary rounds Friday and now he sports a 155-11 career record. He was 53-5 for Belding as a sophomore.
See photos above of Craner’s history-making day and check out the videos as well.
