Canton grapplers go 4-2 in
first-day matches at the Palace

March 5, 2010, 12:55 a.m.

  Four of six Canton wrestlers won their opening-day matches Thursday at the Division 1 individual state wrestling tournament at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

  Senior 140-pounder Donnie Watkins improved to 52-3 with a 13-0 romp over Kalamazoo Central's Andrew Ermatinger. Watkins will face Grand Haven's Colin Bertucci (34-5) in Friday's second-round match.

  Fellow four-time state-qualifier Brent Winekoff also won handily, outpointing Lowell's Dan Fleet, 14-6, to move into Friday's quarterfinal showdown against Holt's Caleb Haddad (37-10). Winekoff is 58-0.

  Competing in his second individual state meet, senior Keith Zech edged Kalamazoo Central's William Royster, 4-3, in a thrilling 160-pound encounter. Zech, who upped his record to 47-9, earned a quarterfinal berth against Rockford's Jake Johnson (44-7).

  Canton junior Anthony Abro improved to 59-2 after Battle Creek Western's Adam Rugenstein defaulted due to injury in their 189-pound match. Abro will face Walled Lake Northern's Marco Smallman in Friday's quarters.

  In his Palace debut, junior Ben Poirer dropped a heart-breaking 6-5 decision to Waterford Kettering's Jesse Vance. Poirer (47-16) needs a win Friday over Hudsonville's Drew Jackson (34-9) to stay alive in the tournament.

  Senior Waleed Faraj also lost a tough decision, 11-7, to Holt's Ben Mattiesen, who entered the match with a 51-1 mark. Faraj (46-17) will face Chippewa Valley's Shaun Lee (32-23) on Friday.