Local wrestling programs turned in impressive performances throughout the week, highlighted by milestone victories, dominant dual wins and strong showings against elite competition.
Montague Splits Midweek Duals
The Montague wrestling team split a pair of duals Wednesday night, defeating Holton 46-34 before falling to state-ranked Hart 52-24 to move to 16-5 on the season.
Despite the loss to Hart, Montague coach Kristoffer Maddox was pleased with his team’s effort and mindset.
“Overall, we wrestled really tough against Hart,” Maddox said. “I loved that we fought and chased competitive matches while kids had positive attitudes that displayed grit. I really couldn’t ask for a better effort from the team tonight.”
The Wildcats experimented with a few lineup adjustments that didn’t swing their way, but Maddox noted clear signs of improvement.
Gavyn Maddox, Fletcher Thommen, Michael Jones and Maverick Osborne each went 2-0 on the night.
The Wildcat boys are off this weekend, while the Montague girls travel to Grand Rapids Northview.
Montague Takes Third at Pine River Invitational
Montague followed Wednesday’s duals with a third-place finish at the Fifth Annual Pine River Fallen Bucks Memorial Invitational on Saturday.
The Wildcats swept pool play with wins over Montabella (72-11) and Charlevoix (57-26), then defeated Mason County Central 48-32 in a crossover match. Montague closed the tournament with close losses to Central Montcalm (44-36) and state-ranked Pine River (41-35).
Senior Isaac French reached a major milestone, earning his 100th career victory and improving to 21-2 on the season despite battling illness.
French (190), Fletcher Thommen (144), Kaiden Jeffery (150) and Gavyn Maddox (156) were undefeated. Chayse Maddox finished 4-1 and Mason Bassett went 3-1.
Montague moved to 15-4 at the time of the tournament.
Mason County Central Battles Injuries
Mason County Central opened the Pine River Invitational strong before injuries became a factor, forcing the Spartans to void several weight classes and finish fourth overall.
MCC defeated Coopersville 52-30 and Benzie Central 42-38 before losses to Central Montcalm (60-21), Pine River (63-16) and Montague (48-37).
Junior Dameon Gaitan went undefeated at 113 pounds, while freshman Noah Williams (106) and sophomore Desmond Thomas (175/190) both went 4-1. Senior Parker Overmyer finished 3-1 and junior William Wright went 3-2.
In girls competition, Abby Willoughby went 2-0.
The Spartans are now 8-6 in dual matches and travel to Hesperia on Wednesday.
Fruitport Dominates Duals, Finishes Second at Sparta
Fruitport enjoyed a standout week, cruising past Comstock Park (64-12) in O-K Silver Conference action and Grand Rapids Christian (74-6) in non-conference competition. The Trojans improved to 10-6 overall and 2-0 in the conference.
Eight Fruitport wrestlers went 2-0 on the night, with six earning pins in both matches.
Fruitport carried that momentum into Saturday’s Sparta Invitational, finishing second out of 19 teams, just a half-point behind champion Cedar Springs — despite not crowning an individual champion.
Zach Aardema (132) and Chase Rosema (215) finished second in their weight classes, while multiple Trojans placed third and fifth to pile up critical team points.
Ludington Battles Elite Field at Wayland
The Ludington Orioles competed Saturday at the Jody Tyner Memorial Tournament in Wayland, facing a challenging field that included state-ranked No. 2 Martin (Division 4) along with host Wayland.
Despite a tough day of competition, the Orioles battled throughout the tournament and came away with several strong individual performances.
Chase Gable delivered a standout effort, finishing a perfect 5-0 on the day. Brody Schnell led the team with three victories, Owen Young picked up two wins, and Anthony Ankenbauer added a victory of his own.
Coach Jonathan Ransom praised the team’s fight against elite opposition.
Whitehall Continues Historic Run
The Whitehall Vikings continued their dominant season with a perfect week, improving to 17-0 with two more conference victories Wednesday night.
Whitehall defeated Shelby 64-12 and North Muskegon 72-6, coming off an impressive championship performance at the Rockford Duals.
The Vikings capped the week with a tournament championship victory, defeating Division 1 No. 8 ranked Temperance Bedford 43-31 in the finals.
Several Whitehall wrestlers notched statement wins over higher-division, state-ranked opponents, including:
- Robert Belinger over the No. 4 ranked wrestler in Division 2
- Tanner Woodworth over the No. 13 ranked wrestler in Division 2
- Cody Manzo over the No. 15 ranked wrestler in Division 1
Whitehall also celebrated milestones, as Kolten Weiler earned his 100th career victory.
At the JV level, Brayden Brown and Pablo Lugo each placed fifth at Lakeview.
With momentum building and confidence high, Whitehall continues to look every bit like a team poised for another deep postseason run.
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