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2020 Wrestling Team State Finals Prep: Chippewa Hills

This is the first in a series of six stories previewing the 2020 MHSAA team wrestling state finals. 

REMUS – Over the course of the last two decades, the Chippewa Hills wrestling program has become very familiar with the MHSAA state finals.

With 16 consecutive district and nine straight regional titles in tow, the fifth-seed Warriors (24-5) will face fourth-seeded Montrose (32-3) Friday at 4:30 p.m. at Kalamazoo’s Wings Event Center. A win over Montrose would give Chippewa Hills a berth to its sixth consecutive semifinal appearance.

Chippewa Hills is back in the quarterfinals after recording postseason wins over Farwell (65-12), Big Rapids (78-6), Gladwin (49-27) and Shepherd (37-31).

“This is our ninth straight year to get back down there. It was a big one,” Chippewa Hills coach Kevin Edwards said following his team’s win over Shepherd in a regional final. “We haven’t had to fight this hard in a long time.

“This has been a roller coaster year for some of these kids. Some ups and downs. We’ve had some losses that we took that were not great losses. We had some wins that were good along the way. But they have stayed strong. They have stayed tough. They’ve stayed the course. And they’ve, in the last month, they’ve come together as a team.”

Montrose is no stranger to the state’s biggest stage, having won nine state championships and recorded five runner-up finishes. Montrose’s most recent title was the 2005 Division 3 championship.

In addition to the team state finals, the Warriors are sending eight wrestlers to the individual state finals that will take place March 6-7 at Detroit’s Ford Field.

Friday’s quarterfinal is set for 4:30 p.m. The winner will face either top-seed and two-time defending state champion Dundee (20-1) or eight-seed Dowagiac (23-9) in a semifinal Saturday at noon.

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