Huron heavyweight is the second best in the state in D-4

Rogers City?s Josh Christ captured state runner-up honors in the Division IV wrestling finals at The Palace of Auburn Hills over the weekend. Two other Hurons also placed in the state meet. Dylan Centala earned a fourth place medal, while Chris Rhode took a sixth. Christ compiled an overall record of 49-2 while competing at 275 pounds this season. The junior roared into the state championship match with three consecutive pins, two in less than 29 seconds. In Christ?s semifinal match he pinned Jamie Llerena of Bangor in 4:16. That set up the title tilt Saturday evening against undefeated senior Brian Leighton (59-0) of Gobles.

THE FIRST period was deadlocked at 0-0 with both wrestlers on their feet for two minutes, but Christ seemed to get winded in the second period. ?As soon as he got on top of me, I couldn?t push him off. My arms just got tired,? Christ said. Josh?s father, assistant coach Phil Christ, said his son was nervous and dehydrated.

?That?s why he said he felt weak,? Phil Christ said. ?He didn?t wrestle like the Josh we trained. He had three pins against tough kids, including the kid from Bangor, who had never been pinned before.? Josh had one opportunity to make his move in the last period, getting Leighton in position to roll him over, but the eventual state champ rolled through it. The score was 4-0 when Christ, with no energy left, was pinned at 5:30.

?I WISH I could have gone all the way,? Josh said, a half hour after the match. ?I?ve been training for this all year. I guess I?ll have to train harder, work harder, and work on different stuff for next year.? Josh became the second Rogers City wrestler in three years to make it to the championship match. Andy Keller won the school?s first state title in 2002. Sophomore Dylan Centala (53-6, 125 pounds) came up short in his bid for back-to-back third place finishes at the finals. He lost in the match for third to Noah Boyd of Martin, 9-0.

Nathan Gonzalez of Springport ended Centala?s chances at a state title Friday by defeating the Huron 10-5 in the quarterfinals. Centala won his first match of the tournament Thursday, 12-3. After the loss to Gonzalez he dropped to the consolation bracket and won three more matches, two on pins (4:29, 47 seconds), before the loss to Boyd. ?Dylan?s been fighting an injury and I want to say right now, we are not using that as an excuse, but Dylan hasn?t wrestled in about 10 days until he came down to this tournament,? coach Pat Lamb said. ?Could he be a little rusty? Yes. Could he be sore? Yes? But he?s not going to use that as an excuse.?

LAMB SAID Centala didn?t have the drive off his leg that he usually does because of an ankle injury. ?It just wasn?t my year to win it,? Centala said, who is the quickest RCHS wrestler to win 100 matches. He won match number 100 a few weeks ago. ?Taking fourth down here makes me want it even more next year, and the year after.? Rhode (49-15, 189 pounds) pinned Bryan Coleman of Breckenridge in 3:08 in his first match at the tournament, but lost to state runner-up Brandyn Jones of Blissfield, 14-2. Rhode came back to defeat Andrew DeGroot of Kent City 11-4 and was guaranteed to place. Where he would place was determined on Saturday. The junior won an exciting match in the final 15 seconds, lost by two in the last 30 seconds in his next bout, and in the matc

h for fifth place, lost to Aaron Stewart of Dansville, 7-1.

In two trips to Auburn Hills, it?s Rhode?s first time placing. Next year, he wants it all. ?I want to win it, it?s that simple,? Rhode said. ?I just have to work harder, I guess, train harder. Guys that train the hardest will be the winners.? Senior Justin Kelley (32-9, 135 pounds) lost 9-4 in the opening round, and then, while fighting an eye injury, dropped a close 7-5 overtime match in the consolation bracket. ?He couldn?t even see out of his left eye and continued to wrestle,? said Lamb. ?He fought back to tie it up and then he lost it in overtime.

?I am just as proud of him (Kelley) as I am of the kids that placed because he gave it everything he had and he left it all on the mat. That?s the key down here. You have to approach every match like its your last because it could be. I?m proud of our kids, they did very well.?

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