GLADSTONE - Delta County wrestlers didn't give non-area athletes much chance to gain championships in Saturday's Great Northern Conference meet.
After Marquette's Robbie Peterman took the 103-pound title and Menominee's Nick Theuerkauf won at 112, area grapplers took over as top-ranked Escanaba then grabbed nine titles and Gladstone took three.
Esky retained its crown with 251 points and Marquette edged Gladstone 180-177 for second. Menominee scored 99 and Kingsford had 67.
"We wrestled well," said Esky coach Jamie Segorski. "I don't remember when we last had nine conference champions. This especially means a lot to the kids. Their level of confidence is way up."
Gladstone senior Josh Syverson (145) earned his fourth straight championship by pinning Esky's Kyle Mathias.
"My first one as a freshman was probably the most satisfying because that was my biggest match of the year," said Syverson. "I'm used to being in this situation and approached this the same as any other match. I felt pretty relaxed."
Braves' coach Frank Bedient was understandably elated for Syverson.
"Josh had a lot of tough kids to compete against over the years," he said. "He did a lot of hard work. It's nice to see it pay off."
Esky junior Garrett Johnson (160) gained his third consecutive league crown by pinning all four of his opponents.
"I just worked hard and finished when I had the chance," said Johnson. "Winning for the third straight time is really satisfying. I'm really looking forward to next year and having a chance to go after four."
Senior teammate Tyler Beveridge, celebrating his 18th birthday, secured his first 119 crown with a first-period pin of Gladstone's Jalen McDonnell.
"You never want to lose on your 18th birthday," said Beveridge. "I just wanted to get it done quick. I thought I'd still be wrestling Theuerkauf in this meet. I knew he'd be going down to 112 eventually, only I didn't think it'd be this soon."
Ed Terres (152), who flip-flopped weight classes with Johnson this time, outlasted Kingsford's Austin Winters 10-8 for his first title.
"This is a very special feeling, and the coaches helped me through it," said Terres. "By dropping from 160, they felt my chances would be better. This was a little hard to get used to at first. But once I got used to it, everything worked out pretty well."
Esky's Kyle LaJoie (285) worked overtime for his first GNC title, edging Gladstone's Jake Hadel 3-1 on a takedown.
"We've been battling all year with each other," said LaJoie. "Jake's a real good wrestler. Shooting on him is almost impossible. It was kind of a relief to finally get that."
Esky's remaining champions were Kevin Bugay (135), Tristan Kang (140), Kelly Rogers (171), Alex Bockman (189) and Jeff Keupper (215).
"It was a great day of wrestling for these guys," said Segorski. "Any time you earn a championship, it definitely gives you confidence for the next match."
Gladstone's Cody Darling (130) earned his second league title with a 10-4 triumph over Menominee's John Wormwood.
"I paced myself because I wanted to maintain my energy throughout the match," said Darling. "This was closer than the score indicates. I got a couple takedowns in the end and that really helped."
Teammate Jake Wydra (125) became a first-time GNC champion by pinning Marquette's Austin Johnson early in the second period.
"It basically comes down to defense for me," said Wydra. "I like to see what my opponent is going to do and adjust. This is a real big lift at this point of the season. Josh (Syverson) and Cody (Darling) have really been helping me out. They're very good leaders."
Kingsford's Andy Carpenter, reigning Upper Peninsula 215-pound champ, was out with a rib injury.
Gladstone travels to Cheboygan Wednesday for its Division 3 team district, facing the host Chiefs at 5 p.m. The winner faces defending champ Menominee at 6:30.
Esky hosts a Division 2 district Thursday, facing Petoskey at 6. Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie meet in the opposite bracket, with the finale at 7:15.
