Gaylord Advances to State Semifinals for Second Straight Season

KALAMAZOO - The Gaylord Blue Devils are heading back to the wrestling State Semifinals, punching their ticket with a 45-28 triumph over Fowlerville on Friday night.

The Blue Devils found themselves down 16-0 after the first three matches, but they rattled off the next 45 points to take control of the match, keyed by an upset fall victory by Ethan Chandler at 165 pounds.

“We battled through, and the guys got a huge upset win from Ethan Chandler, which was nice, we went through, like, a 9-point swing,” said head coach Jerry LaJoie.  “Zane Willobee wrestled his butt off, and next thing you know, we had everything else go according to plan.”

In addition to Chandler’s victory, the Blue Devils also got pins from Zane Willobee (157), Ty Bensinger (175), Brayden Gautreau (190) and Caden Sides (285).  They also earned decisions from Gus James (144), Riley Hush (215) and a major decision from Louden Stradling (150).  Freshman Jaron Bensinger rounded out the scoring with a technical fall at 106 pounds.

Gaylord (23-5) now has a semifinal showdown with top-ranked Lowell set for Noon on Saturday.