By Barbra Chong

Last weekend the Varsity Red Hawks traveled to the Palace of Auburn Hills for the 2017 High School State Finals. Four individuals entered the three-day competition and three finished in the top 3.

Senior Jordan Ringler entered the 135 lb weight class. Jordan’s first opponent was Erik Taylor of Stevensville Lakeshore and he secured a win, 6-1. Next up was Josh Edmond of Orchard Lake and that ended with a loss, 3-4. His final match was Ricky Jefferson of Allegan, and unfortunately ended with a loss, 5-7. Austin Boone of Lowell took the Championship Title. Ringler went 1-2, ending his season with a 39-10 record.

Sophomore Lucas Pienton finished third in the state in the 145lb weight class.

Sophomore Lucus Pienton entered the 145 lb weight class. Pienton started the competition with a loss to Cross Gonzalez of St. John in overtime, 8-10. Pienton rallied and defeated Loren Mason of Jackson NW, 11-4; Hunter George of Eaton Rapids (Ranked #7), 5-4; Keff O’Connell of Warren Woods Tower, 5-0 and Jackson Rickman of Trenton (Ranked #6), 9-1. The consolation finals brought Pienton and Dawson Blank of Linden (Ranked #4) together and Pienton won, 10-8. Austin O’Hearon of Eaton Rapids took the Championship Title. Pienton went 5-1 ending his season with a 38-9 Record and securing 3^rd Place on the Podium.

Sophomore Ryan Ringler finished third in the state in the 171lb weight class. He also earned his 100th career win at state.

Sophomore, Ryan Ringler entered the 171 lb weight class. Ringler started the competition against Joe Hess of Edwardsburg and secured a win, 11-4. Unfortunately Drake Pauwels of New Boston Huron defeated Ringler in over time, 8-10. Ringler then rallied and defeated Trey Barbour of Warren Woods Tower, 14-6; Gabe Larner of Dewitt, 7-4 (also claiming his 100^th Career Win to Larner) and Connor Charping of Trenton (Ranked #1), 4-3. The consolation finals brought Ringler and Pauwels for one more match up. Ringler was determined and claimed another win, 4-3 securing his 3^rd Place spot on the Podium. Ringler went 5-1, ending his season with a 50-2 record. Nino Bastianelli of Marysville took the Championship Title.

Senior Patrick Depiazza finished second in the state in the heavyweight division at the Palace at Auburn Hills.

Senior Patrick Depiazza entered the Heavy Weight division. Depiazza started the competition against Marcus Moss of Flint Kearsley and won by fall, 1:04. He continued his winning streak to defeat Collin Lewis of Eaton Rapids, by fall 1:13 and Joe Markham of Gaylord, 7-0, which put him into the Championship Finals. The Finals match ended with a loss to Chase Beard of Allegan, 1-2. Depiazza went 3-1, ending his season with a 47-1 record.

Congratulations to these boys for making it to the Palace and earning the chance to compete at this venue. Cedar Springs has gained three more All State Wrestlers.

Senior heavyweight Patrick Depiazza, who is ranked #2 in the state, wrestled the #1 ranked wrestler in the state, Chase Beard, of Allegan, at regionals last week.

For the second year in a row, four Cedar Springs Varsity wrestlers are headed to the individual state finals at the Palace at Auburn Hills March 2-4. The four include senior heavyweight Patrick Depiazza, who remains unbeaten at 44-0 and is ranked at #2 in the state; sophomore Ryan Ringler 171 lb, who is 45-1 and ranked #2; senior Jordan Ringler, 135 lbs, 38-8 and ranked #6; and sophomore Lucus Pienton, 145 lbs, 33-8, and ranked #8. To find out more, read the story here.

These four Cedar Springs Varsity wrestlers will be heading to the state finals for the second year in a row. From left to right: Ryan Ringler, Patrick Depiazza, Lucus Pienton, and Jordan Ringler. Photo by B. Chong.

By Barbra Chong

The Cedar Springs High School Wrestling team had their 2017 Individual Regionals this last weekend, which were hosted by the Bull Dogs of Byron Center. The Red Hawks had six Regional Qualifiers that entered the competition and four are advancing to the State Finals.

Heavy Weight Patrick Depiazza is a senior and is currently ranked #2 in the State of Michigan, at MichiganGrappler.com. He remains undefeated with a record of 44-0 and is the 2017 Heavy Weight Conference, District and Regional Champion. The highlight of the Heavy Weight division was Depiazza defeating #1 ranked Chase Beard of Allegan in the finals, by regular decision 4-3.

Ryan Ringler, 171 lb, is a sophomore and is currently ranked #2. His current record is 45-1 and is the 2017 171 lb Conference, District and Regional Champion.

Jordan Ringler, 135 lb, is a senior and is currently ranked #6. His current record is 38-8 and is the 135 lb Conference Runner up, District Runner Up and Regional Runner Up.

Lucus Pienton 145 lb, is a sophomore and is currently ranked #8. His current record is 33-8 and is the 145 lb Conference Champion, District Runner Up and Regional Runner Up.

Congratulations to these four individuals for qualifying to the State Finals two consecutive years in a row. These boys have worked extremely hard for this opportunity. If you would like to support your local Red Hawks, they will be competing at the Palace of Auburn Hills, March 2-4.

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.”

Patrick Depiazza was Heavy Weight Champion and named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Allendale invitational last week. Photo by B. Chong.

By Barbra Chong

Wednesday, January 4, Cedar Springs High School traveled to Rockford for an OK White Conference Quad. The Red Hawks started the night off against Ottawa Hills claiming a victory at every match, final score 78-0. Rockford was our next opponent of the night and unfortunately ended with a loss, 24-41. 119 lb Logan Hull, 130 lb Aaron Smith, 160 lb Lucus Pienton, 171/189 lb Ryan Ringler and Heavy Weight Patrick Depiazza went undefeated with 2 wins each. 112 lb Nathan Male, 125 Patrick Fliearman, 135 lb Jordan Andrus, 140lb Jordan Ringler, 145 lb Anthony Brew, 152 Jacob Galinis, 171 lb Xavier Anderson and 215 lb Chris Shaffer each won a match. On JV, 152 lb Zak Schmid went undefeated with two wins each and Kaedrian Dines won a match.

Saturday, January 7, Cedar Springs traveled to Allendale for the Falcon Invite. The tournament attracted fifteen area teams and some tough competition. Final team standings were Lakeshore with the Championship and score of 216.50, Cedar Springs took 2^nd Place with a score of 205.50 points and Allendale took 3^rd Place with a score of 200. The tournament was broke up into Varsity A and B teams. Cedar Springs entered twelve 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 as well as Most Outstanding Wrestler award; 189 lb Ryan Ringler , 145 lb Lucus Pienton and 140 lb Jordan Ringler also took home Championship titles; 152 Jacob Galinis took home 2nd Place; 119 lb Logan Hull, 125 lb Patrick Fliearman and 171 lb Nate Patin took 3rd Place each; 112 lb Nathan Male, 130 lb Aaron Smith, 135 lb Jordan Andrus and 160 lb Zak Schmid took 5th Place each. The Varsity B Team entered five competitors. 119 lb Kaedrian Dines and 135 lb Anthony Brew each took home a Championship Title; 215 lb Caleb Baty took home 4th Place and 171 lb Xavier Anderson took home 5th Place.

“We’re just a bunch of Cedar Kids doing what Cedar kids do. We have taken some lickings but we keep on ticking,” said Head Coach Nick Emery.

Junior Patrick Depiazza placed fourth at state in the heavyweight division.

By Barbra Chong

This past weekend the Varsity Red Hawks traveled to the Palace of Auburn Hills for the 2016 High School State Finals. Four individuals entered the competition and two finished in the top 4.

Junior Patrick Depiazza wrestled the Heavy Weight Division. His first opponent was senior Billy Titoff of Mt. Pleasant and won by major decision 12-1. Another win by fall against sophomore Owen Miller of Marshall kept his momentum going. Senior Sam Benson of Mason proved to be a contender and Patrick took his first loss of the season by a close regular decision 2-3. Depiazza came back against sophomore Evan Gast of Byron Center and won by regular decision 2-1. His last opponent of the season, senior Jake Gnegy of St John, also proved to be a tough competitor and Patrick lost by fall. Patrick ended his season in fourth place, earning an All State title and a record of 52-2. Senior Isaiah Espinoza of Adrian is the Heavy Weight Division 2 State Champion.

Freshman Ryan Ringler placed third at state in the 171 lb division.

Freshmen Ryan Ringler wrestled the 171 lb weight class. He started the competition against junior Gabe Larner of Dewitt and lost by regular decision 4-6. He quickly shook that off as he stepped on the mat with senior Nate Nutter of Gaylord, ending with a win by fall. Next up was senior John Penfold of Goodrich and a win by regular decision 4-3. Ringler kept his momentum going against sophomore Drake Pauwels of New Boston Huron, with another win by regular decision 6-2 and over senior Levi Sabin of Allegan, with a win by major decision 11-2. With pure determination on his mind, his last opponent did not stand a chance. Ringler won by major decision 19-10 against junior Will Feldkamp of Dexter. Ringler came back from his first loss and still ended his season in third place earning an All State Title and a record of 52-5, which is truly unheard of at the State Finals. Junior, Jalani Embree of Warren Lincoln is the 171 lb, Division 2 State Champion.

The other two Red Hawk wrestlers that went to state were junior Jordan Ringler and freshman Lucus Pienton. Both lost their first match, won their second, then lost their third.

“Ryan Ringler pulled off a legendary performance defeating five competitors in a row to capture a third place finish,” said Head Coach Nick Emery. “Pat DePiazza showed he is the heavyweight to beat next season in Division II. Jordan Ringler wrestled as well as he had all season but couldn’t quite break through on a tough chart. Freshman Lucus Pienton is the fifth freshman in school history to qualify for state and will contend for the title next season. I’m proud of these kids,” he added.

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.

Red Hawk junior Patrick Depiazza got his 100th varsity career win last week. Photo by B. Chong.

By Barbra Chong

Cedar Springs High School Wrestling traveled to Wyoming for the last Conference Tri Meet last Wednesday, February 3. Cedar Springs started the evening against Wyoming and claimed a victory, 71-6. Ending the night against Belding, it proved to be a battle going back and forth with each weight class. Unfortunately the Red Hawks came up short, with a 26-25 loss.

The Red Hawks finished second in the OK Bronze conference. Photo by B. Chong.

Overall, the team is 5-0 in the OK Bronze Conference. At our Junior Varsity level, 125 lb Anthony Brew, 145 lb Jacob Pease, 160 lb Xavier Anderson, 171 lb Billy Hammer and 215 lb Cody McHenry all won their matches. Special recognition goes out to freshman Anthony Brew, who wrestled an undefeated season. At our Varsity level, 112 lb Logan Hull, 125 lb Jordan Ringler, 135/140 lb Jacob Galinis, 145 Lucus Pienton, 189 lb Ryan Ringler and heavyweight Patrick Depiazza all went undefeated for the evening. 119 lb Patrick Fliearman, 130 lb Aaron Smith, 140 lb Jesse Empie, 152 lb Anthony Topolski, 171 Gage Gardner and 160 lb Nate Patin all won a match as well.

Junior, Patrick Depiazza claimed his 100th Varsity Career Win against Wyoming’s Caleb Gullick. This is a goal that wrestlers strive to achieve over their high school career but not easily attainable. Congratulations Patrick!

Friday, February 5, the Red Hawks traveled to Northview for the 2016 Conference Finals.  Final team placements ended with the Yellow Jackets of Greenville in first place with a score of 189.5, the Wildcats of Northview in Second Place with a score of 166 and Cedar Springs in Third place with a score of 160. Cedar Springs finished third in the Tournament and Second in the OK Bronze Conference.

Final individual placements ended with 135 lb Jacob Galinis, 189 lb Ryan Ringler and Heavy Weight Patrick Depiazza with Conference Championship Titles. 119 lb Jordan Ringler, 145 lb Anthony Topolski and 152 lb Lucus Pienton took Second Place. 112 lb Logan Hull, 130 lb Jordan Andrus, 140 lb Jesse Empie and 160 lb Nate Patin took Third Place and 125 lb Aaron Smith and 171 lb Gage Gardner took Fourth Place. Freshmen, Ryan Ringler continues to show his impressive skill sets. Ringler broke the Freshmen wins record of 31 set in 1992, he is now at 40 wins and still climbing. He also took the 189 lb Conference Championship wrestling above his usual weight class, giving up almost 20 lbs.

“The most important thing you can learn from high school sports is to get back up. We took a beating and how we react will summarize our character and determine the outcome of our season. It’s been a good season and we still have an opportunity on Wednesday to make it great,” said Head Coach Nick Emery.

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.

From left to right: Nate Patin, 6th Place; Jordan Andrus, 5th Place; Logan Hull, 6th Place; Jordan Ringler, 2nd Place; Lucus Pienton, 3rd Place; Ryan Ringler, 3rd Place; Patrick Depiazza, Champion and Coach Nick Emery.

by Barbra Chong

Wednesday, December 16, Cedar Springs High School Wrestling hosted a North Kent Quad where Cedar Springs, Sparta, Rockford and Kent City were all looking for the Championship Title. In the first dual of the night, Cedar Springs defeated Kent City with a final score, 42-27. The Red Hawks then went up against Sparta and lost by a difficult, 9-49. Out of the four teams competing, Cedar Springs took 2^nd Place after Sparta.

The two highlights of the evening were wins by junior Jordan Ringler at 119 lbs and junior Patrick Depiazza at Heavyweight.  Jordan Ringler took to the mat against Sparta senior Dylan Wilkins, who is currently ranked #1 in the state of Michigan. Ringler and Wilkins went head to head but Ringler successfully defended Wilkins’ signature low single as time expired, final score 5-3. Patrick Depiazza had the anticipated last match of the evening against Sparta senior Tom Rock, who is currently ranked #2 in the state of Michigan. Depiazza and Rock battled into overtime, with Depiazza defeating his opponent with the first take down and final score of 5-3.

Saturday, December 19, Cedar Springs traveled to Davenport University for the Kent County Championship. The tournament attracted 17 area teams and some of the best wrestlers in the area. The best fan base award was claimed by our very own Cedar Springs crowd. Final team standings were Lowell, 1^st Place; Forest Hills Central, 2^nd Place; Rockford, 3^rd Place and Cedar Springs, 4^th Place.

The individual records were: heavyweight, Patrick Depiazza, who went undefeated with 3 wins and took home the Championship title; 119 lb Jordan Ringler, with two wins and 2^nd place; 145 lb Lucus Pienton and 171 lb Ryan Ringler with three wins and 3^rd place each; 130 lb Jordan Andrus with 4 wins and 5^th place; 112 lb Logan Hull and 160 lb Nate Patin with two wins each and 6^th Place. 152 lb Anthony Topolski, 160 lb Gage Gardner and 189 lb Chris Shaffer won two matches each and 125 lb Patrick Fliearman and 135 lb Jesse Empie with 1 win each.

“Facing adversity, the boys decided to double down this weekend,” said Head Coach Nick Emery. “There were unexpected and eye opening performances throughout the day. In the words of the great Vince Lombardi, ‘It doesn’t matter how many times you get knocked down, as long as you keep getting back up.’ Our fans were spectacular and I love our grassroots mentality. Freshmen Ryan Ringler and Lucus Pienton both proved they are legit contenders with tough battles against all-state seniors.”

If you are able to come support the Red Hawks, the next tournament will be held at Grandville High School, next Wednesday, December 30. Competition will start at 9 a.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.