Pictured is Harper Cheng, Champion in the 75 lb, 9/10 age group. Photo by B. Chong.

By Barbra Chong

West Michigan Pursuit entered 16 grapplers to wrestle this weekend and 15 placed in the top 4. 

Blake Werkema, travelled to Chippewa Hills and wrestled in the 52 lb, 7/8 age group. He went undefeated and claimed his first Championship of the season. 

Three grapplers travelled to Vicksburg for the opportunity to claim a Championship ring instead of the typical medal. Aaiden Vasquez, 61 lb 7/8 age group finished 2nd. Drew Moro, 64 lb 7/8 age group and 70 lb Josh Vasquez, 11/12 age group, both claimed Championship titles along with their Championship rings. 

Four grapplers traveled to Oxford for the Northeast Greights tournament. Kellen Weckesser, 59 lb 9/10 age group finished 3rd. Finishing second was Quinten Cassiday, 63 lb 9/10 age group; 67 lb Luke Egan, 9/10 age group; and 85 lb Blake Peasley, 9/10 age group. 

The rest of the team travelled to GVSU. Kamden Witte, 67 lb 9/10 age group finished 4th. Finishing second was 67 lb Evan Andrews, 9/10 age group; 70 lb Xavier Carpentier, 11/12 age group; 67 lb Caden Green, 7/8 Novice age group; and 55 lb Kaleb Pautke, 7/8 age group. Those claiming Championship titles included 52 lb Tatianna Castillo, 7/8 age group and 75 lb Harper Cheng, 9/10 age group. This was Harper’s first Championship of the season. 

“Each week my athletes and their families continue to impress me with their dedication to this sport. Even with the inclement weather and being Super Bowl Sunday, these kids all showed up to compete. We are the Pursuit of Champions,” said Head Coach, Dave Andrus.

Tatianna Castillo was champion in the 52lb 7/8 age group at Grandville.

By Barbra Chong

West Michigan Pursuit split up this weekend to compete at the Mat Mahem Duals and Individual event in Fort Wayne, Indiana and the Grandville tournament. 

Brody Compau wrestled with Team MYWAY Blue, 8U. Compau claimed a victory and his team finished 8^th. Drew Moro wrestled on Team MYWAY Red, 8U. He went undefeated for the day and his team finished 3^rd. Moro also entered the 61 and 64 lb individual event and claimed Championship titles in both weight classes. Luke Egan and Tyler Parmeter wrestled with Team MYWAY Blue, 10U. Egan claimed 4 victories for the team and finished 4th in the individual. Parmeter claimed a victory for the team and finished 4^th in the individual. Their team finished 12^th. Blake Peasley wrestled with Team MYWAY Red, 10U. Peasley claimed 3 victories for the team. He finished 3^rd in the individual and his team took 6th. Josh Vasquez wrestled for Team MYWAY Blue, 12U. Vasquez claimed 4 victories for the team and finished 3^rd in the individual. His team finished in in 12^th. Quinten Cassiday and Kaleb Pautke entered both Mat Mahem and Grandville.  Pautke finished 3^rd at Mat Mahem in the 8U, 55 lb wt class and claimed a Championship title at Grandville in the 7/8 age group, 55 lb wt class. Cassiday finished 3^rd at Mat Mahem in the 10U, 62 lb wt class and 2^nd at Grandville in the 9/10 age group, 63 lb wt class. Kellen Weckesser entered Mat Mahem and finished 5th in the 10U, 58 lb wt class. 

Grandville results are as follows: 80 lb Isaiah Sostenes finished 3^rd in the 9/10 age group. 75 lb Harper Cheng, 9/10 age group and 64 lb Aaiden Vasquez, 7/8 age group finished in 2^nd Place. Champions of the day are 52 lb Tatianna Castillo, 7/8 age group; 90 lb Isaiah Smith, 9/10 age group and 67 lb Kamden Witte, 9/10 age group. Congratulations to Isaiah Smith, this is his first Championship title! 

“I have been pushing these kids hard this year preparing them for very bright futures. I am very proud of their response. They are competing with some of the best wrestlers in the nation,” said Head Coach Dave Andrus.

Pictured is Blake Hammer in the 11/12 Novice age group. He won his very first match last weekend, and his coaches and teammates are very proud of him. Photo by B. Chong.

By Barbra Chong

West Michigan Pursuit traveled to Sparta for the Meijer State Games and Indianapolis for the Indy Nationals last weekend.

Blake Peasley entered the 75 lb Intermediate division at the Indy Nationals. He battled thru tough competition and went 2-2 for the day, finishing 4th place overall.

WMP entered 14 grapplers to compete at the Meijer State Games and placed 13 in the top four. 55 lb Aaiden Vasquez, 7/8 age group, finished in 4th Place. 67 lb Chayson Eberspeaker, 7/8 age group, finished in 3rd Place.

In second place was 80 lb Blake Hammer, 11/12 Novice age group; 52 lb Kaleb Pautke, 7/8 age group; 52 lb Desmond Smith, 4/6 age group and 75 Isaiah Sostenes, 9/10 age group. Desmond went 4-1, battling his way back for a True Second.

Champions of the day were 61 lb Quinten Cassiday, 7/8 age group; 70 lb Carter Castillo, 11/12 age group; 63 lb Luke Egan, 9/10 age group; 67 lb Tyler Parmeter, 7/8 age group; 59 lb Josh Vasquez, 9/10 age group; 55 lb Kellen Weckesser, 7/8 age group and 49 lb Blake Werkema, 4/6 age group.

“It’s a proud moment yet heartening when two of my kids meet up in the Finals to square off. I have to sit back and watch them apply what I have taught them without coaching either one. These kids put on an entertaining match every time they step on the mat,” said Head Coach Dave Andrus.

West Michigan Pursuit 65 lb Champion Carter Castillo in the 11/12 age group. Photo by B. Chong.

By Barbra Chong

West Michigan Pursuit had another busy weekend of wrestling. 62 lb Drew Moro traveled to Minnesota for the Gopher State Nationals Midwest Tour. Drew finished 5th Place in the First and Second Grade division.

58 lb Kellen Weckesser entered the Chippewa Hills tournament. Kellen finished 2nd in the 7/8 age group.

WMP had 19 grapplers enter the Greenville Tournament and placed 17 in the top four. 80 lb Isa Starr finished 4th Place in the 9/10 age group. Finishing in third was 80 lb Blake Hammer, 11/12 Novice age group; 55/59 lb Mason Hendrick, 9/10 age group; 52/55 lb Kaleb Pautke, 7/8 age group; 80 lb Isaiah Smith, 9/10 age group and 158 lb Maston Wood, 11/12 age group. In second place was 67 lb Chayson Eberspeaker, 7/8 age group and 75 lb Isaiah Sostenes, 9/10 age group. Sostenes battled hard. He lost his first match of the day and battled back with a record of 5-1 to finish with a true second.

Champions of the day were 64 lb Quinten Cassiday, 7/8 age group; 65/75 lb Carter Castillo, 11/12 age group; 145/155 lb Aaiden Dowdell, 13/15 age group; 63 lb Luke Egan, 9/10 age group; 67 lb Tyler Parmeter, 7/8 age group, 80 lb Blake Peasley, 9/10 age group; 58/61 lb Selina Stalker, 4/6 age group; 55/59 lb Josh Vasquez, 9/10 age group and 49 lb Blake Werkema, 4/6 age group.

“As we get closer to Regionals, we are starting to peak at the right time and their confidence grows each week. These kids are learning to focus on their own in preparation of their matches,” said head Coach Dave Andrus.

Red Hawk Lucus Pienton claimed the 145 lb OK White Conference Championship. Photo by B. Chong.

By Barbra Chong

Home quad

Wednesday, February 1, Cedar Springs High School wrestling hosted a home quad meet. The Red Hawks had a successful night and claimed victories against both Northview, 71-6 and Grant, 40-24. The team overall record is 21-8 and the Conference Record is 4-2.

125/130 lb Aaron Smith, 135/140 lb Jordan Ringler, 189 lb Ryan Ringler, Heavy Weight Patrick Depiazza, 103 lb Miles Cartwright and 119 lb Logan Hull all won both of their matches. 125 lb Patrick Flierman, 135 lb Jordan Andrus, 140 lb Anthony Brew, 145 lb Lucus Pienton, 160 lb Nate Patin, 171 lb Xavier Anderson, 215 Chris Shaffer and 112 lb Nate Male all claimed a victory. Junior Varsity 189 lb Caleb Baty won both of his matches and 125 lb Kaedrian Dines won a match.

Conference meet

On Friday, February 3, the Red Hawks traveled to Ottawa Hills for the OK White Conference Meet. Heavy Weight Patrick Depiazza (38-0), 171 lb Ryan Ringler (38-1) and 145 lb Lucus Pienton (28-5) are the OK White Conference Champions. 160 lb Nate Patin, 140 Jacob Galinis, 135 lb Jordan Ringler and 125 lb Aaron Smith all finished in 2^nd Place. 112 lb Nate Male finished in 3^rd Place. 189 lb Chris Shaffer and 130 lb Jordan Andrus finished in 4^th Place.

Lowell won the Conference out right by going undefeated in the conference and earning a score of 234 for the tournament. Cedar Springs and Greenville shared runner up in the Conference, but the Red Hawks took 2^nd in the Conference Tournament with a score of 173.5, while Greenville scored 157.

In the D2 Individual Rankings for the State of Michigan: senior Jordan Ringler is currently ranked #6 at the 135 lb wt class; sophomore Lucus Pienton is currently ranked #7 in the 145 lb wt class; sophomore Ryan Ringler is currently ranked #2 in the 171 lb wt class; and senior Patrick Depiazza is currently ranked #2 in the Heavy Weight division. Congratulations to these student athletes! Their next meet will be at Lowell this Saturday, 2/11, if you are interested in coming to support your Red Hawks.

Pictured is Desmond Smith, Champion in the 4/6 age group.

By Barbra Chong

This weekend WMP traveled to Grand Valley State University and Lakeview. 80 lb Blake Peasley, 9/10 age group, entered the Lakeview tournament. Peasley battled into the Finals, going 3-0 to take home a Championship title.

WMP had 14 grapplers enter the GVSU tournament and 11 placed in the top 5. 80 lb Blake Hammer, 11/12 Novice age group, finished in 5^th Place.

52 lb Kaleb Pautke, 7/8 age group and 55 lb Aaiden Vasquez, 7/8 age group, finished in 3^rd Place.

63 lb Luke Egan, 9/10 age group, finished 2^nd Place.

Taking home championship titles were 64 lb Quinten Cassiday, 7/8 age group; 67 lb Tyler Parmeter, 7/8 age group; 52 lb Desmond Smith, 4/6 age group; 61 lb Selina Stalker, 4/6 age group; 59 lb Josh Vasquez, 9/10 age group; 55 lb Kellen Weckesser, 7/8 age group and 49 lb Blake Werkema, 4/6 age group.

“Watching these kids build momentum each week is exciting. Their passion and drive is displayed every time they step on the mat. I am thankful for my athletes and the support of their parents,” said Head Coach Dave Andrus.

Pictured is West Michigan Pursuit wrestler 80 lb Blake Peasley, Champion of 9/10 open division. Photo by Barbra Chong.

By Barbra Chong

West Michigan Pursuit traveled to Belding this past weekend. Fifteen grapplers placed in the top four out of the 17 entered. WMP claimed 35 victories this weekend putting them at a 71 percent win ratio.

“Each week, these kids exceed my expectations. Their performance on and off the matt is what motivates me to continue what I do,” said Head Coach and Owner Dave Andrus. Individual placements are as follows:

4th Place Medalist is 85lb Logan Bennett, 11/12 Open division.

3rd Place Medalists include 67 lb Luke Egan, 9/10 Open division; 64 lb Logan Galinis, 7/8             Novice division; 80 lb Isaiah Smith, Open division; 55/58 lb Kellen Weckesser, 7/8 Open division and 158 lb Maston Wood, 11/12 Open division.

2nd Place Medalist is 52 lb Kaleb Pautke, 7/8 Open division.

CHAMPIONS are 61 lb Quinten Cassiday, 7/8 Open division; 70 lb Carter Castillo, 11/12 Open division; 67 lb Chayson Eberspeaker, 7/8 Open division; 64 lb Drew Moro, 7/8 Open division; 72/77 lb Tyler Parmeter, 7/8 Open division; 80 lb Blake Peasley, 9/10 Open division; 75 lb Isaiah Sostenes, 9/10 Open division and 49 lb Blake Werkema, 4/6 Open division.

If you are interested in learning more about this sport or if your wrestler is looking to compete at the next level, check them out. They are located in the Cedar Springs Sports Plex. Practices are Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Isaiah Sostenes took third place in the 61/64lb 7/8 age group. Photo by B. Chong.

By Barbra Chong

West Michigan Pursuit traveled to Byron Center this past weekend, which proved to be a tough tournament with over 700 grapplers competing. WMP entered 23 and placed 18 in the top four.

We have three Champions who remain undefeated this season: Chayson Eberspeaker, 6 & under age group; Luke Egan, 7/8 age group; and Jayden Marcano-Cruz, 7/8 age group.

Out of 75 battles, WMP claimed 52 victories. Individual results are as follows:

Fourth place medalists include 75 lb Logan Bennett, 9/10 age group; 61/64 lb Tyler Parmeter, 7/8 age group, and 52 lb Aaiden Vasquez, 6 and under age group.

Third place medalists include 46 lb Jacob Howard, 6 and under age group; 85 lb Josh Howard, 9/10 age group; 61/64 lb Isaiah Sostenes, 7/8 age group and 52 lb Kellen Weckesser, 7/8 age group.

Second place medalists include 95 lb Gage Bowen, 9/10 age group; 80 lb Xavier Contreras, 11/12 age group and 90/95 lb Brocke Fisher, 13/14 age group.

Champions are 59 lb Michael Cannon, 9/10 age group; 55 lb Quinten Cassiday, 7/8 age group; 58 lb Chayson Eberspeaker, 6 and under age group; 58 lb Luke Egan, 7/8 age group; 55 lb Landon Foss, 7/8 age group; 49 lb Jayden Marcano-Cruz, 7/8 age group; 72 lb Blake Peasley, 7/8 age group and 55 lb Joshua Vasquez, 9/10 age group.

“With a tournament this size, it gives us a great perspective of where we stand within the West Region. These kids continue to exceed my expectations, [and] I am very proud of how they performed today,” said Head Coach Dave Andrus.

The Red Hawk wrestlers took third at the Allendale Falcon Invite. Photo by Jane Ringler.

By Barbra Chong

The Cedar Springs High School Wrestling team traveled to Grandville on Wednesday, December 30. They started the day with a loss against Grand Haven, 32-35. Northview was their next opponent with a victory, 40-31. They took a loss to Comstock Park but it was a close dual, 29-33; and the Red Hawks finished the day against Jenison with a win and big lead, 66-12. Out of the 13 teams competing, Cedar Springs finished the day in 7th place. Grandville took the Championship, Hesperia 2nd place, Tri County 3rd place, Grand Haven 4th place, Comstock Park 5th place and Byron Center 6th place.

The individual records are as follows: Heavy Weight Patrick Depiazza, 171/189 lb Ryan Ringler and 125 lb Jordan Ringler all went undefeated with four wins each; 145 lb Lucus Pienton, 140 lb Jacob Galinis, 112 lb Logan Hull all with three wins each; 171 lb Gage Gardner, 160 lb Nate Patin, 152 Anthony Topolski , 145 lb Xavier Anderson , 135 Jesse Empie and 112 lb Austin Emmorey with two wins each; 215 lb Cody McHenry, 135 lb Gonzalo Baladia, 130 lbs Aaron Smith and Jordan Andrus and 119 Patrick Fliearman with one win each.

Spanish exchange student Gonzalo Baladia entered into his first wrestling tournament and won his first Varsity wrestling match against Jenison. “We are short handed at a few weights and lost two close battles today because of it,” said Head Coach Nick Emery. “Hopefully, the boys have learned that every second, every point of each match counts. Moving forward I hope this team can rally around each other and spark the greatness it has the potential to achieve.”

Saturday, January 2, Cedar Springs traveled to Allendale for the Falcon Invite. The tournament attracted 15 area teams and some tough competition. Final team standings were Lakeshore with the Championship and score of 270.5, Allendale took 2nd Place with a score of 180 points and Cedar Springs took 3rd Place with a score of 179.5.

The tournament was broke up into Varsity A and B teams. Cedar Springs entered eleven competitors into the Varsity A division. Final Placements are as follows:

Heavy Weight Patrick Depiazza, who remains undefeated this season, took home a Championship Title; 171 lb Ryan Ringler also took home a Championship title; 145 Lucus Pienton and 125 lb Jordan Ringler with 2nd Place each; 140 lb Jacob Galinis with 3rd Place; 152 lb Anthony Topolski with 4th Place; 119 lb Patrick Fliearman with 5th Place and 160 lb Nate Patin and 112 lb Logan Hull with 6th Place each. The Varsity B Team entered six competitors. 145 lb Xavier Anderson took home a Championship Title; 171 lb Chris Shaffer with 3rd Place; 130 lb Aaron Smith with 5th Place and 135 lb Gonzalo Baladia and 112 lb Austin Emmorey with 6th Place each.

Results from Reeths Puffer, Spartan Country and US Junior Open Championships

Xavier Contreras was a champion at Reeths Puffer over the weekend in the 11/12 age group, 80 lb wt class. Photo by B. Chong.

By Barbra Chong

This past weekend, West Michigan Pursuit entered 15 grapplers to compete at Reeths Puffer, Spartan Country in Battle Creek, and the US Junior Open Championships in Oklahoma (USJOC). Thirteen placed in the top four. Our team battled 37 times, with 24 ending in victory.

All results are for Reeths Puffer, unless otherwise noted. Placements are as follows:

3rd Place Medalists include 58 lb Logan Galinis, 6 & under age group and 72 lb Blake Peasley (Spartan Country), 7/8 age group.

2nd Place Medalists include 43 lb Jacob Howard, 6 & under age group; 85 lb Joshua Howard, 9/10 Novice age group; 64 lb Tyler Parmeter, 7/8 age group; 52 lb Aaiden Vasquez, 6 & under age group and 59/63 lb Joshua Vasquez, 7/8 age group.

Champions are 90 lb Gage Bowen, 7/8 age group; 80 lb Xavier Contreras, 11/12 age group; 58/61 lb Luke Egan, 7/8 age group; 85 lb Braden Hallman, 11/12 age group; 52 lb Andrew Moro (USJOC) Division 1; and 64 lb Isaiah Sostenes, 7/8 age group.

“Our numbers were down for the holidays but the efforts were exceptional. These kids show consistent improvement towards reaching their goal of state and national titles,” said Head Coach Dave Andrus.

If you are interested in learning more about this sport or if your wrestler is looking to compete at the next level, come check us out. We are located in the Cedar Springs Sports Plex, practices are Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

Cedar Springs junior heavyweight Patrick Depiazza went undefeated with five wins at Tri County.

By Barbra Chong

The Cedar Springs High School Wrestling team traveled to Tri County on December 12, for the first invite of the 2015-2016 season. The Varsity team is almost at full strength, missing a 103 lb weight class that caused a void this weekend. With the void at 103, this created a 6-point deficit each dual. They defeated Kenowa Hills with a score of 65-9, then defeated Lakeview with a score of 53-22, and continued the winning streak against Pine River with a score of 35-25.

The next dual was a loss against Comstock Park, with a score of 23-43, and finished the day against Tri County with another loss of 18-38. Out of the eight teams competing, Cedar Springs finished the tournament in third place. Comstock Park took second place, and Tri County took first.

The boys wrestle for their individual score but each individual contributes to the overall team score. The individual records are:

Heavyweight Patrick Depiazza who went undefeated with 5 wins; 125 lb Jordan Ringler, 140 lb Jacob Galinis, 145 lb Lucus Pienton, 152 lb Anthony Topolski and 171/189 lb Ryan Ringler, with 4 wins each; 112 lb Logan Hull and 171/189 lb Chris Shaffer with 3 wins each; 130 lb Jordan Andrus and 135 lb Jesse Empie with 2 wins each; and 119 lb Patrick Fliearman, 160 lb Gage Gardner and TJ Brecken with 1 win each.

The upset of the day was caused by freshman Ryan Ringler, when he wrestled up a weight class and beat Tri County’s Senior state qualifier, Jarrod Tague, by regular decision 11-9.

“The boys strolled into the tournament with their typical Red Hawk swagger. They were tenacious on their feet and ferocious on the mat,” said Varsity Head Coach Nick Emery.

“We have a young team overloaded with potential and starving for glory. If you enjoy wrestling and are looking for entertainment, make the trip to Forest Hills Central to watch the Kent County Championships starting at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 19, to support the team and be a part of something special.”

The Junior Varsity took five wrestlers to compete against Tri County on Friday, December 11. The top placers were two freshmen—Aaron Smith who went undefeated with a record of 4-0 and Cody McHenry with a record of 3-1.

Aaiden Vasquez, in the 6 and under age group, 52 lb wt class, wrestled his first tournament for WMP and came away a champion.

By Barbra Chong

This past weekend, 22 West Michigan Pursuit wrestlers competed in Lakewood, Manton and the Metro kick off in Pontiac, and 21 placed in the top four. The team battled 74 times, with 52 ending in victory.

“I am very excited watching these kids exceed my expectations,” said Head Coach Dave Andrus. “Each week this motivates me to keep doing what I do. Looking forward to see what they will do now and in the future.”

Placements are as follows:

4th place medalists include Madisyn Birtley in the 9/10 Novice age group in the 126 lb wt class; Braden Hallman in the 9/10 age group in the 85 lb wt class; and Kameron Ogden in the 7/8 age group in the 59 lb wt class.

3rd place Medalists include Logan Bennett in the 9/10 age group in the 75 lb wt class; Isaac Casey in the 9/10 age group in the 130 lb wt class; Xavier Contreras in the 9/10 age group in the 80 lb wt class; Casey Eberspeaker in the 7/8 age group in the 71 lb wt class; and Isaiah Sostenes in the 7/8 age group in the 64 lb wt class.

2nd place medalists include Jacob Howard in the 6 & under age group in the 43 lb wt class; Joshua Howard in the 9/10 Novice age group in the 85 lb wt class; Joshua Vasquez in the 7/8 age group in the 55 lb wt class; Kellen Weckesser (Manton) in the 6 & under age group in the 52 lb wt class; and Maston Wood in the 9/10 age group in the 133 lb wt class.

Champions are Gage Bowen in the 7/8 age group in the 95/100 lb wt class; Michael Cannon (Metro Kick Off) in the 7/8 age group in the 59 lb wt class; Chayson Eberspeaker in the 6 & under age group in the 58 lb wt class; Luke Egan in the 7/8 age group in the 58 lb wt class; Landon Foss in the 7/8 age group in the 55 lb wt class; Jayden Marcano-Cruz in the 7/8 age group in the 49 lb wt class; Blake Peasley in the 7/8 age group in the 72 lb wt class; and Aaiden Vasquez in the 6 & under age group in the 52 lb wt class.

If you are interested in learning more about this sport or if your wrestler is looking to compete at the next level, check them out at the Cedar Springs Sports Plex, practices are Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.