Saline MI
2-13-2015 2:17am

Hornets Roll Opponents to Take 5th Straight District Championship

The Saline wrestling team took care of business, winning its fifth straight team district championship Wednesday night. Saline opened with a 61-15 victory over Skyline and then defeated Pioneer, 42-26, to win the district title.

Even though the Hornets were heavy favorites, victory was satisfying.

“It’s huge for us. This is our fifth district championship in a row. I don’t think it’s ever been done before at Saline. This is what the kids work for. They work for individual success, but they take pride in this,” head coach Dylan Powers said.

Senior Stephen Slattery, who earned two first-period pins, was unsurprised but pleased to pick up the hardware, presented by interim Athletic Director Curt Ellis following the victory.

“It means a lot. We all know we were going to win. Winning the match to win the title means a lot to the team, the community and everyone around us. Five in a row is awesome,” Slattery said.

Wrestlers like Slattery, Kevin Fuller, Kyle Boxeth and Daniel Poupore are among the best in their state in their weight classes and full expect to have a long individual post-season that takes them through the district and regional to the state finals at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Hornets now advance to next Wednesday’s team regional at Bedford, where Saline battles Monroe in the regional semifinal. Monroe, ranked 10th in the state, was the champion at the 12-team SEC tournament. The Hornets aren’t mailing it in, but there’s a good chance that Wednesday’s district championship was the final team victory of the year.

Senior Angelos Bairactaris said Wednesday’s district trophy at Saline High School was an important day.

“I’ve been wrestling for 12 years. I’m proud as a senior that I can say I was able to contribute to this great tradition. I’m proud to say I’m a Saline wrestler,” Bairactaris said. “If this is as far as we go as a team, so be it. We’d still be working hard to get as many guys through to the Palace as we can. For the next three or four weeks, I’m going to do everything I can to get my practice partner (Slattery) up to the Palace. If he wins, I win.”

Against Skyline, George Lancaster, Tyler Vaughan, Nolan Krause, Kevin Fuller, Brad Pace and Slattery won by pin. Chris Birchmeier and Dylan Powers won by decision.

Against Pioneer, Danny Poupore, Fuller, Birchmeier, Ethan Capobianco and Slattery won by pin. Kyle Boxeth won by T-Fall. Powers and Bairactaris won decisions.

Powers liked the way his team wrestled.

“I thought we wrestled tough. We came out against a young Skyline team and when we got guys on their back, we finished. We got the six points, which is what we needed to do,” Powers said.

Now the individual Hornets start fighting for their chance to make the state tournament at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Wrestlers like Slattery, Fuller, Boxeth and Poupore have podium dreams. But first they’ve got to get through the district – preferably with a good seed. Powers thinks Saline can send a large squad to the regional tournament.

“We’ve got the kids everyone knows about. But there are a lot of kids on the team who’ve got a puncher’s chance. That’s the thing about these guys,” Powers said. “We’ve got a chance to get more guys through to the regional than ever before.”

The individual district is at Southgate Anderson Saturday. Wrestlers who make it through will have home-gym advantage Feb. 21, when Saline hosts the regional.

 

 

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