The Cedar Springs varsity wrestling team sent three strong wrestlers to the MHSAA individual wrestling championships at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Saturday—seniors  Scott Vodry  (46-7) and Jeremy Stellema (45-11), and junior Nic Baird (47-6).

Red Hawks Scott Vodry, Jeremy Stellema, and Nic Baird competed in the state wrestling finals last weekend.

Day one found the Hawks wrestling in the championship first rounds. Nic Baird  (103 lb) fell to Tyler Daniel of Stevensville Lakeshore in the first period. Jeremy Stellema (189 lb) battled with Jackson Lewis of Madison Height Lamphere but lost by major decision 9-1. Both wrestlers moved into the consolation rounds the following day.

Scott Vodry had his hands full with Jeff Holm of Battle Creek Harper Creek. Vodry executed a takedown in the first round to score 2 points. Holm countered in the second by earning 2, but a reversal by Vodry earned him the lead at the end of the second round.  Holm came back with a reversal of his own, bringing the score to a 4-4 tie. After triple overtime, Vodry was victorious winning the match 7-6 and found himself a spot in the championship quarterfinals.

Day two found Stellema moving ahead in the consolation round after winning by deferral to Jamaal Jackson of St. Joseph. Baird met up with Tyler Foley of South Lyon East but Foley won by decision 7-1. Vodry fought tough against Brenden Sall of Trenton, but takedowns and escape points for Sall brought the score to 11-6 in Salls’ favor and Vodry moved into the consolations.

The second round consolations were the final hope for Cedar Springs to hold a spot on the podium, but it wasn’t in the cards for the Red Hawks. Vodry‘s exciting match against RJ Gaskill of Milan was close. No score was earned in the first two rounds.  A takedown by Gaskill, in the third round, was countered by an escape point by Vodry, but it wasn’t enough to earn Vodry the win. Stellema gave it his all against Travis Ostrowski of Chelsea. With no score in the first round and 2 points earned by both opponents in the second, Ostowski pulled off a pin to win the match. With the thoughts of medals behind them, the Hawks remained in good spirits and finished out the weekend at the Palace creating memories that would last a lifetime.

Through strong senior leadership, the varsity wrestling team has had a stellar year. They placed second overall in conference, moved seven wrestlers to regional championships and produced three state qualifiers. The Hawks expect an outstanding season next year and hope to continue a winning tradition!