Swihart Closes Out Addison in Wrestling Team District

Hanover-Horton High School wrestler Danni Swihart, top, battles Keelan Mullin of Addison in the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 4 team district tournament on Thursday at AHS. 

By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports

(February 9, 2023 10:22 PM) The legend of Hanover-Horton High School wrestler Danni Swihart continues to grow.

Swihart pinned her opponent in the second round to secure a 44-33 win over Addison in the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 4 team district tournament at AHS on Thursday.

The win sends Hanover-Horton to the regional round to face Hudson next Wednesday. 

Hanover-Horton led Addison 38-33 going into the final match at 144 pounds. A pin by the Panthers could have swung the match in their direction.

Keelan Mullin of Addison had Swihart on the mat for the final 30-plus seconds of the first period, but could not secure a pin. 

“I knew it was down to me … I wasn’t going to give it up,” Swihart said. “I gave it everything I had.”

Swihart had taken Mullin down to start the match, but a reversal had her on the brink of losing. She held off Mullin, started in the down position in the second period, but earned a reversal that led to a pin. 

“It was down to me pushing the pace,” Swihart said. “My teammates had wrestled him in a few tournaments.”

Coach Andy Fielder said he watched Mullin in other tournaments. 

“I had a good feeling about Danni against him,” Fielder said. “I have to admit, I was scared when he put her in a cradle in the opening round.”

Fielder said another key match was a pin by Reed Matthews in the 215 pound match. He was down by double digits, but earned a reversal and pinned his opponent to earn six points – instead of losing four or five points.

“That may have been the difference in the match,” Coach Fielder said. 

Other winners for the Comets in contested matches were Josh Frailey with a pin at 165 pounds; Gaven Teller with a major win at 190 pounds; A.J. Fielder with a major win at 120 pounds; and David Fielder with a pin at 126 pounds.  

Addison defeated Vandercook Lake 72-6 in the opening round to advance to the final against Hanover-Horton. 

Division 3 at Napoleon: Napoleon High School won another Division 3 district title with a win over Michigan Center in the final. Napoleon defeated Onsted 69-9 in the opening round and Michigan Center beat Columbia Central 42-34. The Pirates won the final 50-22. Mason Roth (157), Brady Warner (190), Aiden Nugent (215), and Brenden Yob (120) earned pins for the Pirates against Onsted. Roth (157), Bart Laretz (190), Nugent (215), Aiden Bocanegra (113), Yob (120), and Joey Donahee (144) earned pins in the district final against the Cardinals.  Blake Short and Brennan Pickett were both 2-0 for the Cardinals on the night. Christian Millican (120), Logan Winter (132), Colton Plate (150), and Ty Farmer (190) earned pins for CCHS against Michigan Center. Carter Mikolajczyk (113) and Nathan Kulhane (144) also earned pins for MCHS against the Golden Eagles in the opening round.  

Division 4 at Dansville: East Jackson High School won a district title with a pair of close matches. The Trojans defeated Leslie 42-39 in the opening round and Lumen Christi 42-40 in the final. The Titans advanced to the Division 4 team district final with a 42-30 win over Dansville. Julius Farrell earned a pin at 126 pounds to help the Trojans pull out a win against Leslie. Brock Davidson (150), Colton Raffensburger (175), and Roberto Mireles (106) earned pins for East Jackson against the Blackhawks. Farrell again had a big pin against the Titans in the district final to help secure a win. Davidson (150), Clayton Clark (157), Raffensburger (165), and Steven Hertzfeld (113) Earned pins against Lumen Christi. The Titans were led by pins by Reid Garcia (144), Daniel Simmons (175), Keegan Grandy (190), Hayden Rhinehart (215), Garrett Slider (285), and Nolan Curtis (120) with pins against EJHS. The Trojans will face Perry in the opening round of the Division 4 regional tournament next Wednesday in a yet-to-be-determined site.