Red Hawks soar over Greenville and Sparta

The Cedar Springs boys varsity wrestling team flew into Sparta Wednesday afternoon, February 6, on a mission to capture the District Title. The opposition for the day included the defending District Champion Sparta Spartans (28-4) and the Greenville Yellow Jackets (owners of 13 straight District Mittens from 2005-2017).

Red Hawk David Erxleben Jr. started the competition with a bang by claiming a major decision over his opponent. Logan Hull followed up with what Coach Emery calls, “The gutsiest performance of the decade.” In a 4-2 come back victory, Hull had used up all his injury time in the first period while getting sick on the mat. Overcoming a 2-0 deficit and the stomach bug, he pulled out a dramatic finish in the third period over a strong Spartan wrestler, in what would be the most decisive match of the season.

Aaron Smith and Nate Elliston did their jobs with key victories and the Hawks jumped out to a 14-0 lead. Sparta knifed their way back in through the middle weights to cut the lead 14-12 but three straight pins from Ryan Ringler, Sage Serbenta and Xavier Anderson all but iced it for the Red Hawks. Trevor Marsman sealed the deal with a pin at 112lbs and with a final score of 38-30 the boys moved on Greenville.

The Greenville dual ended with a final score of 47-23 as the Red Hawks overpowered the Yellow Jackets in 9 of 14 weight classes.

The mission was a complete success and the team celebrated their first District Title in over a decade.

The team moved on to regionals on Wednesday, February 13 at Cedar Springs High School, in search of their first regional victory since 1996. See next week’s paper for results.

Six individual Red Hawk wrestlers competed at state last weekend (L to R): Jacob Galinis, Anthony Brew, Lucus Pienton, Ryan Ringler, Trevor Marsman, and Aaron Smith. That’s the first time Cedar Springs sent that many since 1992.

Six Red Hawks earned the trip to Ford Field to compete in the MHSAA State Championships last weekend. “They would like to thank all of the family and friends who made the journey and shared in the adventure. It wasn’t easy but it was worth it,” said Coach Nick Emery.

Trevor Marsman, Aaron Smith, Jacob Galinis, and Anthony Brew all made their first appearance at the State tournament and wrestled tremendously. The boys trained hard and were grateful for the opportunity to compete. Marsman, Smith, and Brew will look to return next season and stand on the podium, while Galinis walks away as one of the most decorated Red Hawk wrestlers of the decade.

Lucus Pienton and Ryan Ringler were no strangers to the State Tournament. Both juniors placed third as sophomores and made the trip down their freshman season as well.

 Pienton dropped a quarterfinal match to the eventual runner-up but went on to win three straight and take third place once again. He finished the season with an outstanding 50 victories, Already a two time medalist, Pienton will look to cap off his sensational career next season with a State Championship.

Ryan Ringler has been on a tear since he began as a freshman. A third place finish as a freshman and sophomore wouldn’t deter him on his quest for a championship. Ringler breezed through the opening round, then captured a 7-4 decision in the quarterfinals. His semifinal matchup with Juawan Vines ended in a tech fall. Next up came Cade Dallawitz, a 54-4 junior from Holly. Ryan scored the first takedown then never looked back, claiming a 9-4 decision and a State Championship for Cedar Springs.

The State Championship is the first by a Red Hawk since Dean Myers in 1998, and the 11th in program history. With 55 wins, Ringler also set a new school record formerly held by heavyweight teammate and state runner-up Patrick DePiazza, who claimed 54 wins in 2016.
 

Lucus Pienton looks to shoot against his Lowell opponent.

Wrestling is often coined as the “toughest six minutes in sports.” Six Red Hawk wrestlers proved their toughness this weekend as they advanced to the Division 2 Regional Finals.

Ryan Ringler defeated Austin Engle (#2 migrappler.com) to win his second District Championship and reach the 150-win milestone.

Meanwhile, Aaron Smith, Trevor Marsman and Lucus Pienton placed second for the Red Hawks. Pienton lost in a close match to #1 ranked Alec Rees from Sparta and will look for vengeance at the regional final. Marsman finally broke 100 lbs but still couldn’t handle Nick Korhorn of Lowell in the finals. Aaron Smith will make his second trip to individual regionals looking for a sweeter ending and a trip to Ford Field.

Jacob Galinis and Anthony Brew finished the day with consolation victories to move on in the tournament.

The Regional Finals will be held in Byron Center​ on Saturday, February 17, with wrestling starting at 9 a.m. The top four from each weight class will move on to the State Finals at Ford Field.

Aaron Smith tangles up his Greenville opponent on his way to a pin.
Courtesy photo

The Varsity wrestlers traveled to Lowell to compete in the OK White Individual Championship on Friday, February 2. As a team, the Red Hawks finished the day only behind the four-time defending State Champions from Lowell. Jacob Galinis (140), Lucus Pienton (160) and Ryan Ringler (171) each reigned supreme in their respective weight classes.

Galinis wrestled a smart match and upset James Fotis (#6 migrappler.com) in the final 30 seconds. Lucus Pienton was too much for Derek Mohr from Lowell, while collecting a major decision 11-3. It took Ryan Ringler overtime to defeat Isaac Torrey (#3 migrappler) from Forest Hills Central. Galinis, Pienton and Ringler are now each two time Ok-White Conference Champions.

Trevor Marsman (103), Aaron Smith (135), and Anthony Brew (145) also made the finals for Cedar Springs. Andrew Vangessel, David Erxleben, Phillip Elzinga, Logan Hull, Fernando Pedraza, Chris Shafer, Landen Totten and Paul Duran won matches and scored for the team as well. 

With a 5-1 Ok White dual record the boys claimed second place overall in the Ok White.

Action continues with team Districts at Sparta High School on Thursday, February 8, at 6 p.m.

Cedar Springs Varsity wrestlers

The Cedar Springs Varsity wrestlers traveled to Forest Hills Central on Friday night, January 12, to face off against the Rangers and Huskies. After falling behind 17-3 early on, the Red Hawks then reeled off victories in 8 of the next 9 weights to claim a 43-23 win. The boys ran on the Huskies early and never looked back, topping the Huskies 63-9. Undefeated wrestlers on the night were Trevor Marsman, Nate Male, Logan Hull, Aaron Smith, Anthony Brew, Jacob Galinis, Lucus Pienton, Ryan Ringler and Zak Schmid.

On Saturday, January 13, the Red Hawks traveled across state to Warren for the Clash of the Champions. The team finished runner-up in a strong field of 19 competitive schools.

Ryan Ringler won the 171lb weight class and was awarded Most Valuable Wrestler. Ringler defeated the number two and four ranked wrestlers in his division, according to MIGrappler.com.

Runner-up finalists for the Red Hawks included Trevor Marsman (103), Lucus Pienton (152), and Chris Shaffer (189).

Important contributions and medalists on the day for Cedar Springs came from Aaron Smith (3rd), Jacob Galinis (5th), Caleb Baty (5th), Paul Duran, Anthony Brew, Logan Hull, Nate Male, Trentyn Roelofs, David Erxleben and Zak Schmid.

Don’t miss the home action on Friday night versus arch rival Greenville and Ottawa Hills at 5 p.m. The team will travel to Stevensville Lakeshore for duals on Saturday.

The Varsity Red Hawks traveled to Allendale on Saturday, January 6, for the Falcon Individual Invite.

Three Champions were crowned as the team took third place behind Lakeshore and Allendale. 

Aaron Smith (17-6) won his first ever Varsity tournament at the 135lb weight class. Lucus Pienton (21-2) dominated the 152 division. Ryan Ringler (22-1) earned Most Outstanding Wrestler while claiming the prize at 171.

Jacob Galinis won his 100th Varsity match while placing third at 140lbs. Consolation Champions also included Trevor Marsman (17-5), Logan Hull (21-2) and Anthony Brew (12-2). David Erxleben, Zak Schmid, Chris Shafer and Caleb Baty placed for the Red Hawks as well.

On Friday night, January 5, the team kicked off OK-White duel action with a victory over Northview and a loss to four-time defending State Champion Lowell.

The boys will be at Forest Hills Northern this Friday, January 12, at 5:30 for a showdown with the Huskies and Rangers. Saturday they will travel to the east side of the state to take on Warren Woods Tower and foe.

Head Coach Nick Emery (far left) with the six Cedar Springs wrestlers that will be moving on to Regionals.

Two others placed second, and two more finished third

On Wednesday, February 8, Cedar Springs High School Wrestling hosted team Districts. Unfortunately, the Red Hawks fell short to Sparta with a final score, 33-38. Heavy Weight Patrick Depiazza, 125 Aaron Smith, 135 lb Jordan Andrus, 140 lb Jordan Ringler, 171 lb Xavier Anderson and 189 lb Ryan Ringler won their matches.

On Saturday, February 11, the Red Hawks traveled to Lowell for Individual Districts. District Champions are Heavy Weight Patrick Depiazza (41-0) and 171 lb Ryan Ringler (42-1). 135 lb Jordan Ringler (36-7) and 145 lb Lucus Pienton (31-7) finished in 2^nd Place. 125 lb Aaron Smith (35-11) and 160 lb Nate Patin (25-13) finished in 3^rd Place. Congratulations to these six individuals who will continue on to Regionals and the chance to compete at the State Finals.

The following individuals ended their season with Varsity wins as listed: 112 lb Nate Male, 18 wins; 119 lb Logan Hull, 26 wins; 125 lb Patrick Fliearman, 21 wins; 130 Jordan Andrus, 27 wins; 140 Anthony Brew, 14 wins; 140 Jacob Galinis, 24 wins; 152 lb Zak Schmid, 10 wins and 189 lb Chris Shaffer, 13 wins. Regionals will be held at Byron Center, Saturday, Feb. 18 if you would like to continue supporting your Red Hawks.

“The boys put together a memorable season,” said Head Coach Nick Emery.

“We came up just a hair short of our team goals but the heart and effort was there. We graduate two fantastic seniors, Patrick Fliearman and Jordan Andrus, who I will miss in the room everyday. But we will have six regional qualifiers returning. Now it’s time for the remaining wrestlers to focus on the Individual State Championship and bring home some medals.”

Shae Brophy

By Judy Reed

A 2005 Cedar Springs graduate is beginning to live a dream that he didn’t even know he had.

Shae Brophy, 24, who currently lives in Grand Rapids, won a contest to help host the Huge Show with Bill Simonson, for a day last year. He met another college student, Aaron Smith, of Caseville, Michigan, who also won the chance, and the two worked with Simonson on the show. “Bill is a big name in our industry and it was very exciting to work with him for a day,” explained Brophy.

After that, Brophy went back to Colorado Springs where he had been attending school. But that didn’t stop him and Smith from talking through emails and texts about creating their own show. And then last fall, “Sports Now! With Smitty and Shae” was born, at blogtalkradio.com.

“We decided that this is something we both want to do because of our immense passion for sports,” explained Brophy. “Being able to talk about all things happening in the world of sports, as well as making different connections in the industry, has quickly made me realize that this is something I want to do with my life.”

One thing that makes the show unique is that the day on the Huge Show is the only time that Brophy and Smith, his on-air co-host, have ever met. But it hasn’t been an issue. “We exchange numerous phone calls and text messages everyday talking about different things happening in the sports world, as well as preparing for our show,” Brophy noted.

The show airs Monday through Thursday at 9 p.m. He said they don’t really have a format for the show, but if they have an interview lined up, they usually air it at 9:15. Some of the guests they have had include: Barry Melrose (former NHL player and head coach, works for ESPN right now), Mario Impemba (Detroit Tigers play by play voice), Dan Miller (Detroit Lions play by play voice), Trevor Thompson (Fox Sports Detroit reporter), Cameron Bradfield (current Jacksonville Jaguar, former stand out at Grand Valley), and former MSU Spartan and Cedar Springs Red Hawk, Austin Thornton.

They also try to cover the main stories going on not only in Michigan sports, but nationwide as well. The duo plans to continue on the same track, getting big name interviews, providing great content, and expanding their fan base.

Brophy is no longer attending college in Colorado Springs. Instead, he moved back to West Michigan to pursue a degree in Broadcast Journalism, and will take classes at Grand Rapids Community College in the fall.

“As for a career, I would love to make a living on the radio,” said Brophy. “One of our goals with the radio show is to end up working for ESPN in the future. They have many different radio opportunities, and we feel like our hard work now will pay off in the future.”

Brophy said he would be seeing Smith again in the near future. “I will be competing in an MMA (mixed martial arts) fight on April 28 for Ground n Pound Promotions at Klackle Orchard. That will be the 2nd time I have ever met my co-host, as he is going to be in attendance,” he explained.

Besides listening to the show on blogtalkradio.com, people can like their page on Facebook. Search “Sports Now! with Smitty and Shae.”