The Catholic Central Wrestling Team has once again cemented its legacy, capturing the 2025 MHSAA Division 1 Team State Championship with a dominant 50-18 victory over Davison in the finals. 

This marks the 18th state title in program history and the 8th championship in the last 11 years (11th under Coach Hancock), solidifying the Shamrocks as one of the Nation’s premier programs. 

To celebrate, Catholic Central held a school-wide assembly on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, to honor the team and coaches. 

Path to the Title

The Shamrocks opened the state tournament with a commanding 64-5 quarterfinal win over Romeo, with signature wins from Jamison Gregory ‘27, Nico Pasienza ‘25, Drew Brewer ‘25, Meyer Murray ‘28, and Collin Payne ‘26.  

Catholic Central knocked off the Clarkston Wolves in the semi-finals 39-25 with huge wins from Alex Buskirk ‘26, Braxten Roche '28, and Andrew White ‘25. These performances set the stage for an exciting championship showdown between Catholic Central and Davison.

Rivalry Finals

In the title match vs Davison, which the Shamrocks have wrestled 7 times in the Finals, the Shamrocks delivered an outstanding team effort, highlighted by key pins from Ryan Totten ‘27, Wyatt Lees ‘26, Ben Eziuka ‘26, and Richard Mogle ‘27. 

Additional bonus-point wins came from Connor Bercume ‘25, Caden Krueger ‘27, Alex Buskirk ‘26, and Mack Moscovic ‘27, while Grayson Fuchs ‘27 and Lee Krueger ‘25 also secured critical victories.

Perhaps the most electrifying moment of the dual came at 157 lbs, where freshman Braxten Roche '28 delivered a statement win, defeating returning state placer Julius Pacheco 8-4 in a thrilling battle.

Coach Hancock’s Praise

Following the victory, Coach Hancock expressed his pride in the team’s performance:

"What an incredible team effort from top to bottom. To win by 32 points against Davison is no small task. They’re well coached, tough and have a fantastic program, which has made this rivalry fun. I'm proud of the guys and the commitment and perseverance they displayed this season. We challenged them in every facet of the word to prepare them for this moment, and they didn’t disappoint."

On to the Individual State Finals

The season isn’t over yet for the Shamrocks, as they now turn their attention to the MHSAA Individual State Finals at Ford Field. Impressively, all 14 Shamrock wrestlers qualified for the event, which begins Friday.