The Redwolves came into the MHSAA Team Districts ranked 6th in the state and had to travel to Riverview Gabriel Richard for the event.  Gabriel Richard came into the night ranked 8th in the state.  Clinton wrestled Gabriel Richard in the opening round and the match was a barn burner.  The match started at 150 pounds as Isaac Keibler bumped up to take on the challenge.  Isaac came out firing as he picked up two takedowns in the first period.  The scoring didn't stop there as he earned five more takedowns during the match to earn a technical fall and five team points to start Clinton off with a 5-0 lead.  At 157 pounds Tanner Bolton bumped up and kept the momentum going as he scored three takedowns on his way to a 13-8 decision for the Redwolves.  Clinton was up 8-0 after two matches.  Cliff Jones was up next and bumped up to 165 pounds and after scoring two takedowns in the first period, his opponent came back with a takedown and four nearfall points.  But Jones fought it off and continued to battle to earn a 9-8 decision for his team.  Clinton 11 RGR 0.  At 175 pounds RGR sent out their three time state champ against Bryce Randolph and was an exciting match it turned out to be.  After giving up a takedown in the first period, Bryce picked up an escape and finished the first period down 1-3.  The second period saw a ton of action and Bryce earned another escape to make it 2-3, but then traded takedowns and escapes with his opponent.  In the end Bryce lost the match 6-9, but saved the team from bonus points.  Clinton 11 RGR 3.  At 190 pounds Gradyn Whelan picked up pin in the second period to push the Redwolves lead ahead to 17-3.  At 215 pounds Landon Lakatos had an awesome match against the second ranked 215 pounder in the state.  In a back and forth match, Landon had his opponent on his back and looked to have the pin, but time expired.  The match ended in a loss for Lakatos 13-16, but he wrestled his tail off for his team and almost pulled an upset.  All in all he saved the team bonus points which proved to be extremely valuable later in the dual.  At Hwt. Hamza Rafferty picked up six team points to make the score, Clinton 23 RGR 6.  At 106 pounds Hudson Miller almost pulled off an epic win but lost 1-4 in the last seconds of the third period, as he gave up a takedown with the score tied at 1-1 with just a couple seconds to go.  But again, what a great match against a ranked opponent.  Clinton 23 RGR 9.  At 113 pounds Wyatt Cooley lost to the number one wrestler in the state.  Clinton 23 RGR 15.  Zach Taylor picked up a technical fall at 120 pounds with a 20-2 win improving the Redwolves score to 28 to 15.  At 126 pound Brock Worden battled but lost by pin to make the score Clinton 28 RGR 21.  At 132 pounds Braxton Randolph lost by pin to put RGR within striking distance, Clinton 28 RGR 27.  Jaxon Phillip stepped in against the number two wrestler in the state and refused to get pinned.  He battled for his team and in the end the score reflect his and other efforts on the night.  But the loss at 138 pounds gave RGR their first and only lead of the night, Clinton 28 RGR 32 with one match remaining.  Senior Captain Braylon Long needed a technical fall or pin for the Redwolves to win and he did not disappoint.  Braylon stepped in like a veteran leader to pick up six takedowns on his way to a 20-4 technical fall and a district championship for Clinton.  Final Score Clinton 33 RGR 32.  The crowd was loud, but nothing was louder than our bench, as every wrestler, all 47 strong were on their feet chanting and stopping the gym floor with their feet at times to what seemed to shake the building.  What a great match, that took the effort of everyone.  It was truly was high school sports are all about.  It was a proud moment for me as a coach to see and hear our team come together like they did.  Epic.  

In the district finals Clinton defeated Blissfield 65 to 12 to finalize the district championship.  Winners during the finals were Cliff Jones with a pin at 157, John Keibler with a 4-0 win over an opponent that had previously defeated him.  Bryce Randolph with a pin at 175.  Gradyn Whelan with a win at 190.  Landon Lakatos with a pin in just 10 seconds.  Owen Wright bumped up to Hwt. to earn a pin.  Hudson Miller with a great win at 106, Wyatt Cooley with a technical fall at 113, and Zach Taylor with a pin at 120 pounds.  Brock Worden with a pin at 126 pounds, and Braxton Randolph with a pin at 132 pounds.  The final win came from Tanner Bolton with a technical fall at 150 pounds.

With this District Championship Clinton has now won 9 district championships in a row and 10 in the last 11 years.  The team now travels for the MHSAA Team Regional Matches on Wednesday, Feb. 12th to Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest High School to take on the host team in the Regional Semifinal match.  In the finals Clinton will likely face off with Manchester for a trip to Kalamazoo's K Wings Stadium and a trip to the MHSAA Team State Championships.  The matches start at 6pm.  It is a long travel, but the team could use all the support from the community it can get.  We hope to see you there.