DETROIT — No, none of the three Kingsford wrestlers who made it to the MHSSA Division 3 individual state finals Friday and Saturday brought home a state championship from Ford Field in Detroit.

But that didn’t stop the Flivvers from making history.

Competing at 285 pounds, Kingsford’s Matthew Wilson (33-14) finished the tournament in sixth place. The top eight wrestlers in each division earn medals.

The senior grappler won his first two matches only to fall in his final two, including getting pinned by Flat Rock’s Joseph Siniarski (46-7) in the battle for fifth place.

That didn’t diminish Wilson’s accomplishments at Ford Field.

“He wrote himself into our school’s history book,” said Kingsford coach Darren Groleau. “He’s our first-ever state semifinalist. He’s our highest ranked wrestler in Division 3.”

“We couldn’t be prouder,” Groleau added of Wilson. “Such an unbelievable ride we’ve had to get to the finals. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer kid.”

Like Wilson, fellow Flivvers Toby Wilson (145 pounds, 32-6) and Josh Peterson (171 pounds, 37-9) also won their opening matches. But both lost their next two matches to fall out of medal contention.

“We liked the draw for all three of our guys,” Groleau said. “(So) with all their hard work and training they did, this was a disappointing end.”

This year’s tournament might, however, serve as a lesson for Peterson, a junior.

“He’s coming back,” Groleau said. “He’s as motivated as he can be.”

For Wilson, it was the end of a high school career that also will be remembered. According to Groleau, Wilson is only the second Flivver to qualify for the individual state finals three times.

“It’s disappointing but he had a great career,” his coach added of Wilson. “He didn’t accomplish every goal he set but he accomplished a lot.”

Dennis Mansfield can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 244, or at dmansfield@ironmountaindailynews.com.