Tower improves, dominates districts behind talented veterans

WARREN — It’s been a story of progression this season for Warren Woods Tower boys wrestling, but the journey is far from over.

The Titans have been anchored to the bottom of the Macomb Area Conference Red since their league title in 2020, but head coach Greg Mayer and his guys came into this year motivated and looking like a whole new team.

Behind a talented, veteran group of juniors and seniors, Tower catapulted to second in the league and earned second in the MAC Red/White Tournament on Feb. 3 at Utica Ford II High School.

A week later, Tower took districts by storm on both the team and individual side, defeating St. Clair Shores Lake Shore and Warren De La Salle by a combined 119-38 to capture a team district championship.

On the individual side, 12 Titans qualified for regionals as junior Amari Richardson, junior Joshua Golding, senior Daniel Staniszewski, and junior Dominic Gumtow all earned district titles on Feb. 11 at Lake Shore Fieldhouse.

Senior Kyle Daniel, senior Xavier Brooks, senior Vincent Provo, senior Anthony Kazdaglis, junior Aidan Ede, sophomore Jakari Richardson, sophomore Foley Kedzior, and freshman Luke Milunovich all qualified for regionals. Brooks, who never wrestled until his freshman year and entered the program at 215 pounds, has since wrestled in the 150-pound weight class, earning back-to-back third-place finishes at districts.

Mayer said Brooks is one of many who embrace the work ethic of Tower wrestling, and is seeing results because of it.

“This group in particular, they worked hard,” Mayer said. “That’s always a key component of it. They did things we asked of them to do, and as a result a lot of them improved and found the success they were looking for.”

Tower would rattle off a win in the regional semifinals before falling to Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice in the regional finals.

While the Titans season ended as a team, Gumtow and Staniszewski’s regional championship win on Feb. 17 at Tower High School punched their ticket to the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 2 individual state finals on March 1 at Ford Field.

Alongside Gumtow and Staniszewski, Amari Richardson, Golding, and Daniel all kept their season alive with a top-four finish to qualify for states.

Staniszewski was a force at the 113-pound weight class last year, winning districts and qualifying for states.

Heading into this season, Staniszewski made the switch to the 106-pound weight class and was dominant with a 34-6 record.

It’s a difficult cut to keep up with, but Staniszewski said he only needs two things to make it happen.

“Just a few layers of clothes and a good practice partner,” Staniszewski said. “I always like a good practice partner. Me and Dominic Gumtow go at it every day. He always keeps me on a good pace throughout practice.”

Gumtow, who held a 41-2 record in the 120-weight class, is about as ideal a practice partner as one could find.

Staniszewski has been the senior leader you want at the forefront of the team, and his weight cut is only a fraction of what he brings to the table.

Going through it himself, Staniszewski said he’s able to serve as a mentor for the younger wrestlers tending to the same issue.

“A few other guys, they’re kind of having some harsh cuts,” Staniszewski said. “I got to kind of talk to them more like a brother talk than anything else. We’re in the same spot. We’re all here. We all bleed, sweat, and cry in the same room. We all understand what we’re going through.”

The selfless mindset has really been the catalyst for the Titans this year with the junior and senior group being one the underclassmen can look up to.

While wrestling is a matter of one player going head-to-head with another, Gumtow said the team’s success has been courtesy of the guys embracing a more selfless mentality.

“People just decided to put more work in instead of slacking off when we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing,” Gumtow said. “Our team connected more together instead of just trying to wrestle one-on-one instead of as a team.”

The seniors have set the pieces in place for the junior class to pick up right where they left off, and the Titans also expect their two sophomore sensations to only progress.

Kedzior and Jakari Richardson made a name for themselves this season, and Kedzior arguably would have competed for the district title if he didn’t run into Gumtow in the semifinals, but Mayer said he expects both wrestlers to be impact pieces moving forward.

“Those are two young guys that are really starting to find themselves,” Mayer said. “I think with a good summer, they’re going to emerge.”

The Titans will close out their season on March 2 at the MHSAA Division 2 individual state finals, graduating a healthy number of regional qualifiers.

Junior Gabriel Ouwerkerk, who suffered a knee injury at districts, will be one to look out for from the incoming senior group.

Tower will look to build off their league and district success in their 2024-2025 campaign.

“We don’t have a ton of guys with a ton of experience right now, but we do have guys that are willing to work and buy into the message of the program, which is hard work,” Mayer said. “That’s a good thing for us moving forward.”