Marquette’s Chris Ricker, right, wrestles Escanaba’s Nicholas Carlson during an MHSAA Division 2 team district tournament match on Feb. 12, 2020, at the MSHS gym. (Journal file photo)

DETROIT — No state titles were gained, but three of the 10 area wrestlers who took part in the MHSAA Individual Wrestling tournament reached a match that determined their final place at the end of their runs.

Nearly 1,000 wrestlers from all over the state took part in the two-day tournament held just over a week ago on the floor of Ford Field in Detroit.

The area contingent included two wrestlers in the girls tournament, with the balance in the boys, or open event.

All three of the most successful area wrestlers finished in eighth place with amazingly similar runs — each lost his opening match, then won twice in a row, then lost to be placed into the seventh-place match, where they again lost for a finals record of 2-3.

One of the trio was senior Chris Ricker of Marquette at 285 pounds in Division 2. He was pinned at 1:11 by Zach McMillan of Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern in his opening match.

Then he defeated Jay’van Watson of Redford Thurston 2-1 and downed David Fancher of Mason 5-2.

Ricker then lost to Jackson Dubois of Hastings 10-5 before losing in the seventh-place match to Dominic Honsinger of Parma Western 3-1.

Ricker had placed third in his regional several weeks earlier.

Junior Reagan Bowerman of Munising took the same path at 140 pounds in Division 4.

He opened by being pinned by Bronson Marry of Hudson in 42 seconds.

Then he pinned Andrew Confer of Decatur in 1:54 and dropped Olen Moshier of Lutheran Westland 10-4.

Bowerman then lost to Seth Grooms of Perry 11-0, and in the seventh-place match, lost to Alex Miller of Homer 8-4.

Bowerman was fourth at his regional.

Finally, there was senior Matthias Miller of Newberry, who wrestled at 285 in Division 4.

He was pinned right off the bat in 2:00 by Zach Hayes of Bangor.

Then he dropped Ethan Hardy of Perry 8-5 before pinning Alex Burhans of Evart in 45 seconds.

Miller then was pinned by Steed Scutt of Leslie in 1:38, and in the seventh-place match, lost to Hayes again, 9-5.

Miller had come in second in his regional.

Two of the other eight area wrestlers at the finals each won a match before being eliminated, and coincidentally, were the brother-sister combination from Ishpeming that qualified.

Senior Jaegar Wilson wrestled in the open tourney at 130 in Division 4. His win came over Dart Avery of Decatur in a 15-0 technical fall in his second of three matches. He had been second in his regional.

Sophomore Keira Wilson competed at 100 pounds in the girls open event and in her second of three matches, pinned Emanuela Alaimo of Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern in 4:34. She was fourth at her regional, one of only two girls regionals held.

Not winning a match at the finals were Ishpeming senior Dawson Delongchamp at 189 in D-4, Westwood senior Spencer Harvala at 215 and junior Brandon Vickstrom at 285 in D-4, Newberry sophomore Hayden O’Neil at 135 in D-4, and Westwood junior Lindsey Williams at 115 in the girls finals.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.