Wyatt Kuhlman of Marquette, front right, celebrates with Marquette coaches, including head coach Tony Gentz, back right, after Kuhlman won in the finals at 160 pounds at the Upper Peninsula Championships wrestling meet at Marquette Senior High School on Saturday. Kuhlman earned his 100th win in the process. (Journal photo by Travis Nelson)

MARQUETTE — Seventeen Upper Peninsula high school wrestling teams took to the mats at Marquette Senior High School on Saturday for the Upper Peninsula Championships meet.

The Gladstone Braves came out on top with 212 points.

The Braves had six winners in the 14 weight classes with another being a finalist. Rounding out the top five was Iron Mountain with 173.5 points, Escanaba 155.5, Bark River-Harris 144 and Kingsford 136.

“It’s great for our program, the kids wanted it,” Gladstone coach Jeff Brazeau said. “They came in and they wanted it and got the job done. A lot of great matches tonight, it was all-around a good tournament.”

Marquette finished as the area’s highest finisher in sixth place with 115 points, and not too far behind was Negaunee in seventh with 98 and Ishpeming in eighth with 94. Other finishers included Munising in 11th with 46 points, Westwood 13th with 39 and Gwinn 14th with 26.

Three wrestlers from Marquette County — Jaeger Wilson (135 pounds) and Dawson Delongchamp (189 pounds) of Ishpeming and Wyatt Kuhlman (160 pounds) of Marquette — won individual titles, while Marquette’s Chris Ricker (285 pounds) finished as a runner-up.

Wilson defeated Gladstone’s Hunter Solis in the 135-pound final with a second-period fall, and it was the only final match where a Braves’ wrestler lost. After ending in what initially looked to be a stalemate, Wilson accomplished his dream of becoming a U.P. champion.

“It’s amazing, I wanted it all my life,” Wilson said. “You prepare in the room and you just have to keep grinding.”

The 160-pound final was a showdown between Kuhlman and Wyatt Raab of Bark River-Harris. Raab entered the match as the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the state, and after a hard-hitting affair, Kuhlman found the edge and put Raab on his back for the pin and the win.

It wasn’t just a win over the No. 1 ranked wrestler or a U.P. championship, the victory marked Kuhlman’s 100th win of his wrestling career at Marquette.

“It’s amazing, I’ve been wrestling all my life,” Kuhlman said. “Last year put a damper on my success with a COVID year and a lot less matches, but it feels good to still do that when we had that funky year in the middle there.

“It was awesome, the big culmination of all my friends and family. It’s surreal when you come off the mat and get your hand raised, and everyone’s cheering for you. It’s all love.”

The first person to meet Kuhlman after the win was MSHS head coach Tony Gentz with a hug that lifted the wrestler off the ground. The coach couldn’t have been prouder.

“Wyatt’s a great kid, not just a good wrestler,” Gentz said. “Him being a senior, I have to enjoy every match that I have with him left. It’s a testament to his hard work and his determination. He’s a great leader in the room and it shows on the mat, too.”

In the 189-pound final, Delongchamp kept his undefeated season going with a second-period fall over Escanaba’s Jarret Olsen. Delongchamp was inspired to win at the U.P. Championships because his father did.

“It means a lot and I wanted to imitate what my dad did,” Delongchamp said. “(It was my) mentality, I beat him before and I knew I could beat him. You have to be the best and I have that mindset.”

Amongst other area teams, Munising’s Reagan Bowerman took home the 140-pound title with a third period fall win over Iron Mountain’s Isaac Manier. Bowerman picked up the pin with three seconds left in the match.

Travis Nelson can be reached by email at tnelson@miningjournal.net.