By RAY BRESSETTE

Journal Sports Writer

ISHPEMING — Westwood captured their first Mid-Peninsula Conference tournament championship in 13 years Saturday afternoon in Ishpeming.

Westwood head coach Dan Carlson said was proud of his teams confidence throughout the match.

“We came in with a young team and went after everybody,” Carlson said. “We told the kids we had a good chance of winning this, and that was all the fire they needed to keep going.

“We’ve been doing really well all season with the team we have.”

For Westwood senior Wyatt Makosky, the championship was important to earn in his last few weeks wrestling as a Patriot.

“This means a lot for our seniors,” Makosky said. “It’s our last year and we want to reach as many accomplishments as we can. We care a lot about each other.”

Westwood’s 144 points landed them in first place, followed by Ishpeming with 118.

Negaunee finished third with 117 points, while Manistique finished fourth with 79.

Iron Mountain-Norway’s 73 points landed them fifth, while Gwinn came in sixth with 40 points.

Westwood had three kids win championship matches, and had six others compete in the championship round.

Wyatt Makosky won the 135 weight class for the Patriots, while Brandon Perry took the 125 and Wyatt Carlson finished atop the 112 class.

“There wasn’t just one kid who stood out above the rest,” Dan Carlson said.

“Every kid showed up ready to compete, and it was a team effort.”

Ishpeming’s second place finish had Ryan Kemp win the 160 class, while Justin Karnack topped the 152 and Daren Guichin won the 140.

Ishpeming head coach Tim Hares said while his team has been battling the injury bug, they’re continuing to show grit.

“We’re starting to get our kids back, and we pushed hard,” Hares said. “Anytime you can get three champions, it’s a good day.”

Negaunee’s third place ranking was thanks to a trio of Miners taking home first place finishes.

Mike Pizziola won the 285 for Negaunee, while Sam Collins also finished first in 171 and Nathan Brewer finished atop the 103 ranking.

Iron Mountain-Norway also had three wrestlers bring home championships, including Braydon Fitzpatrick (215), Aaron Bolo (189) and Dylan Hoffart (130).

Gwinn had two Modeltowners make the championship round, but both Kevin Roberts (189) and Jaden Martinez (135) were defeated.

Teams will now turn their attention to team districts next week, as Ishpeming will host Westwood again on Westwood in the opening round.

Westwood’s Cedric Nora said while his team has had a good season, he’s hoping their championships are just beginning.

“The year is not a success until we see how we do at states,” Nora said. “We’re working on mental toughness for next week, and that’s going to be big to come out and be successful.”

For Ishpeming, Hares said the team is focusing on getting their guys healthy.

“We’re still a little short handed, so our guys are going to have to work even harder than they ever do,” he said. We’ll give it a shot and see what happens.”

Ray Bressette can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is rbressette@miningjournal.net.