Senior wrestler Mike Steltenkamp is four wins away from achieving his goal, winning the state title.
“I’m excited, all of my training has led up to this, and I want to take it a match at a time,” said Steltenkamp.
Steltenkamp believes there are advantages and disadvantages to not knowing your opponent in the first round.
“The positives of knowing would be that I could develop a strategy against them, but it is enjoyable not to know and just go out and wrestle,” said Steltenkamp.
Steltenkamp said he’s taking a one – match – at a time mentality to the tournament, but he admits he’s thought about winning it all.
“You try to not to, but who doesn’t,” said Steltenkamp.
Steltenkamp was one of four wrestlers to make it to Regional’s including Joel Cortright, Joe Franceschelli, and Barclay Oudersluys.
Cortright, Franceschelli, and Oudersluys did not make it to states, but Steltenkamp made it for the first time in his career.
The state tournament will be held at the Palace of Auburn Hills March 12-14.
The team entered districts with high hopes but came out short, losing to Farmington Hills Harrison.
Winners for Seaholm in the loss to Harrison were Jack Burnie (125), Oudersluys (130), Keith Otterbein (140), Cortright (152), Steltenkamp (160), and Jake Hessen (215).
“I thought we had a good season but injuries hurt us down the stretch,” said Coach Mike Hessling.
The team finished with a record of 18 wins and 11 losses, and came in 5th place in leagues out of nine other teams.
“We finished in the middle of the pack, but we would have finished better but we had injuries that held us back,” said Hessling.
Even though the team had many injuries and didn’t finish well they still had good season.
The team had many great wins over the season, but two of their best finishes were the Lutheran High Northwest Tournament and the Lutheran Westland Team Tournament.
The team came in second place out of 10 teams at the Lutheran Northwest Tournament, and placed a number of Wrestlers in the tournament.
Cortright (152) and Steltenkamp (160) both placed first place. Cameron Brady (103) and Nyk White (112) both placed second place. In third place the team placed four wrestlers; Dan Hogan (130), Oudersluys (135), Otterbein (140), and Franceschelli (145).
At the Lutheran Westland Tournament Seaholm won the tournament for the second straight year with five wins and zero losses.
They defeated Gabriel Richard, Inkster, Lutheran Westland, Clarenceville, and South Lyon East.
“We had a tremendous team effort in the meet, with the coaching staff shuffling our lineup with terrific success all day,” said booster president Chuck Steltenkamp.
Joe Franceschelli (145), Mike Steltenkamp (160), and Alex Zohoury (285) all had 5 wins and Franceschelli was named MVP of the tournament.
During the Romeo Bulldog team tournament, Steltenkamp hit a major milestone when he recorded his 100th victory.
