Lake Fenton Wrestling Quickly Captures District Crown

Lake Fenton - The Blue Devils may have set a record for shortest district championship match in the history of high school sports.

Lake Fenton needed just 15 minutes to beat Powers Catholic 72-6 Thursday to win the crown.

Most teams have to claw, fight and battle for a district championship, and while the wrestling team has the ability to do so, Thursday's route to the championship was an easy one.

While most district tournaments include four teams, luck of the draw had Lake Fenton's end up with just two. Flint Southwestern Academy opted out of the state tournament becasue of a lack of wrestlers and Beecher was moved to Division 4, leaving just the Blue Devils and the Chargers to fight for the crown.

"I've never seen anything like it," Lake Fenton coach Vance Corcoran said.

Powers Catholic only had a handful of wrestlers and there were only three actual matches in the dual, with Lake Fenton wrestlers earning a first period pin in each.

Christian O'Guinn (160), Connor Brancheau (171) and Nate Franks (285) all earned pin victories. The rest of the points came from voids, with Lake Fenton's only loss coming from a void at 215.

Coach Corcoran didn't mind the easy victory.

"We've wrestled some of the toughest teams in the state. We had a very tough schedule," he said. "It was nice to get out of here early."

In fact, several of the Blue Devils lifted weights after winning the district championship.

"We are just looking forward to this weekend," said 125-pounder senior Buddy Poyner.

The Blue Devils will participate in the individual district tournament Saturday at Mt. Morris High School.

The team, however, moves on to the Carrollton Regional Feb. 16 where the team will face the Saginaw Swan Valley District winner, which included squads from Carrollton, Bridgeport, Saginaw Swan Valley and Frankenmuth. The other side of the bracket includes the winners of the Birch Run and Alma District.

The title was a short and  sweet one for the Blue Devils as the team came just short of a Genesee Area Conference title behind New Lothrop. Lake Fenton hasn't won a GAC title in 35 years. They ranked No. 3 in Division 3, however, and are looking to do some damage in the postseason.

"We've prepared ourselves for what is coming," Corcoran said.