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.
 

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.

Red Hawk wrestler Jacob Galinis. Courtesy photo.

The Cedar Springs High School wrestling team kicked off their season early in December and have been busy handing out surprises both on and off the mat ever since.

Off the mat, high school wrestlers adopted a family for the holidays, and team mom Teresa Galinis, along with some of the wrestlers, shopped, wrapped, and delivered gifts to the family for Christmas.   

On the mat, wrestlers have brought home some exciting wins this season against schools with historically good wrestling programs, including Fruitport, Grant, Mona Shores and Greenville. 

Individually, five wrestlers placed at the Kent County Championships held two weeks ago, where 22 schools were represented, and that number is expected to increase before finals in February. Off-season training camps along with an unbeatable work ethic, depth, returning talent and upcoming talent has propelled Cedar Springs wrestling to a viable (and feared) contender in a very difficult OK White conference. 

Wrestlers head to Greenville today to face both Lowell and Northview in what was sure to be a nail biter in an OK White conference showdown. Come out and show them your support!

Varsity wrestling team comes up short at Districts

Heavyweight Patrick DePiazza, showing his infividual district bracket, and other teams members.

By Barbra Chong

Cedar Springs High School wrestling hosted the 2016 Team Districts last Wednesday, February 10. The Red Hawks came out strong and defeated Forest Hills Eastern, 48-16. They then took on the Yellow Jackets of Greenville for the District Finals. There were unanticipated losses for both teams. The Red Hawks proved to be a strong competitor with a young team, but fell short with a loss, 35-34.

Logan Hull 112 lb, Jacob Galinis 135 lb, Lucus Pienton 145 lb, Anthony Topolski 152 lb, Gage Gardner 160 lb, Ryan Ringler 171 lb, and heavyweight Patrick DePiazza, all went undefeated. Jordan Ringler 125 lb, Jordan Andrus 130 lb, and Jesse Empie 140 lb, each secured a victory.

Saturday, February 13, the team traveled to Lowell for Individual Districts. Heavyweight Patrick Depiazza remains undefeated and secured the 2016 District Championship title. Ryan Ringler 171 lb, finished the day in 2nd Place; 119 lb Jordan Ringler and 145 lb Lucus Pienton finished in 3rd Place and 112 lb Logan Hull and 135 lb Jacob Galinis finished in 4th Place. Congratulations to these six individuals!

If you enjoy wrestling and would like to support our Red Hawks, Regionals is next Saturday, March 19 at Byron Center high school.

“The boys put together a memorable season. We came up just a hair short of our team goals but the heart and effort was there. We graduate two fantastic seniors, Anthony Topolski and Jesse Empie, that I will miss in the room everyday, but 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,” said Head Coach Nick Emery.