Wrestlers qualify for team state; nine individuals also get their opportunity

The Manchester Wrestling team celebrated their qualifying as regional champions last Wednesday and also Coach Steve Vlcek’s 700th coaching win in his 30+ year career at Manchester.

by Marsha Chartrand, contributed by Coach Steve Vlcek

The Manchester Wrestling team traveled to Capac, which was a two-hour trip, last Wednesday night. The team did an outstanding job of wrestling, first defeating Bishop Foley 68–12. Some of the key wins in that match included Thomas Gautz, Nathan Meyer, Mason Schmitt, and Nick Patrick.

Next up was Riverview Gabriel Richard. The outcome was pretty similar as the Dutchmen won with a convincing score of 66–9. Key matches were achieved by Sean Sayer, Nathan Fletcher, and Gunner Carson. Several wrestlers came out with two wins — Onyx Ostrum, Chase Conklin, Sammy Stewart, Blake Sloan, Ben Gautz, and Dylan Gauss.

“With this win it sends the Dutchmen to their second consecutive Team State Championship, which we will be wrestling Friday at noon at K-Wings Stadium,“ said head coach Steve Vlcek. “We will face a tough Bronson team first; if we win, we will be wrestling again on Saturday morning. The team has been performing at a great level, and we are hoping to really wrestle well enough to earn the right to wrestle on Saturday.

“This marks the 13th time our program has qualified for Team States, which is a great accomplishment in itself.“

The week’s victories marked an impressive 701 career team wins for Vlcek as head coach, a position he has held since the 1990–91 wrestling season. The team celebrated his 700th win on Wednesday night after the regional meet in Capac.

The nine individual wrestlers who earned the privilege to compete at State Individual Championships, which will be held at Ford Field in Detroit, March 3–4, include Onyx Ostrum, Sammy Stewart, Chase Conklin, Blake Sloan, Mason Schmitt, Gunner Carson, Ben Gautz, Nathan Fletcher, and Dylan Gauss. Congratulations to all of these young men who have worked hard to reach this pinnacle in their wrestling careers.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.