A long time coming: Ironmen win first wrestling district since 2003

MANCELONA — Forgive the Mancelona wrestling team if it doesn’t remember the last time the Ironmen captured a team district championship.

The members of the team who had even been born were barely old enough to be walking and talking.

But that long drought came to an abrupt end on Thursday, Feb. 8 when the Ironmen defeated Traverse City St. Francis and Frankfort in a pair of matches that kicked off the postseason tournament. Mancelona took advantage of nine voids by the Gladiators to win the semifinal 42-30, then went 6-1 in head-to-head matches against Frankfort to take down the Panthers 47-24 and break the district curse.

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