Trevor “Pee Wee” Marsman has had an epic season for the wrestling Red Hawks. The junior is currently 49-1 and heads into the MHSAA State Championship March 6-7 as the latest Cedar Springs Regional Champion. Following a seventh place finish last season, Marsman turned it up a notch and dedicated himself to wrestling over the summer. 

“If you want to win you have to train all summer,” he remarked.

Assistant Coach and Dad Scott Marsman agreed. “Hardwork always pays off,” he said. 

It worked out well this weekend for Trevor as he avenged his only loss off the season with a third period pin of Jacob Blawat from Reethes-Puffer. 

Marsman said he decided, “I didn’t want to finish second again because it sucks.”

His teammates Andrew Vangessel, Nate Elliston and Landon Demorest also competed in the Regional and will return next fall even more determined to earn the trip to Ford Field.

“I like our odds,” remarked Coach Nick Emery. “We have had kids in this position before and as long as Trevor brings it and believes in himself then he’s already a champion.”

By Barbra Chong

West Michigan Pursuit had a busy holiday schedule. On 12/23, WMP traveled to the West Region’s Rockford tournament. Thirteen entered the competition and twelve finished in the top four. Out of 41 battles, WMP claimed 31 victories. 

61 lb Blake Werkema, 7/8 age group finished in 4th. 61 lb Desmond Smith, 7/8 age group finished in 3rd. 67 lb Jaxen Bowyer, 7/8 age group; 90/95 lb Ayden McClurken, 11/12 age group and 49/52 lb Austin Rogers, 7/8 Novice age group finished in 2nd. Rockford Champions are 85 lb Alex Buskirk, 11/12 age group; 72/75 lb Quinten Cassiday, 9/10 age group; 58 lb Tatianna Castillo, 7/8 age group; 52 lb Brody Compau, 7/8 age group; 75 lb Luke Egan, 11/12 age group, 54/57 lb Carter Giles, 9/10 age group and 90/95 lb Blake Peasley, 11/12 age group. 

This past weekend, the team had wrestlers travel to the West Region’s Byron Center and the South West Region’s Lawton. Seventeen entered competitions and 13 placed in the top four. Out of 55 battles, WMP claimed 36 victories. 72 lb Quinten Cassiday, 9/10 age group and 75 lb Josh Vasquez, 11/12 age group both claimed Championship titles at Lawton. The rest of the team traveled to Byron Center. 61 lb Blake Werkema, 7/8 age group finished 4th. 80 lb Harper Cheng, 9/10 age group; 60/63 lb Kaleb Pautke, 9/10 age group and 58 lb Dylan Russo finished 3rd. 58 lb Tatianna Castillo, 7/8 age group; 75 lb Luke Egan, 11/12 age group and 52 lb Austin Rogers, 7/8 Novice age group finished in 2nd. Champions of the day are 85 lb Alex Buskirk, 11/12 age group; 49/52 lb Brody Compau, 7/8 age group; 90/95 lb Blake Peasley, 11/12 age group and 43 lb Kooper Witte, 4/6 age group. 

“Congratulations to all of you for working as hard as you do. You truly are the Pursuit of Champions. This sport takes a lot of dedication. Even with the busy holiday schedule, these kids still show up to compete,” 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 Thursdays.

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.

Cedar Springs Middle School wrestlers took 2nd at Ravenna last weekend. Courtesy photo.

On Saturday, February 3, 35 wrestlers from the Cedar Springs Middle School wrestling team traveled to Ravenna, where 13 grapplers placed.

Gavin Lewis, 80lbs weight class took 2nd place; Cole Haack, 110 lbs weight class took 3rd place; Ben Brunner, 115 lbs weight class took 2nd place; Logan Troupe, 120lbs weight class took first place; Kaden Schmid, 125 lbs weight class took 2nd place; Carter Falan, 125lbs weight class took 3rd place; Alex Reman, 137 lbs weight class took first place; Logan Harris, 137 lbs weight class took 4th place; Kanin Wagner-Bumstad, 155 lbs weight class took 4th place; Maston Wood, 167lbs weight class took first place; Westley Wentworth 215lbs weight class took 3rd place. 

Good job, Red Hawks! 

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!

From the MHSAA

New this winter, wrestlers in the down position will continue competing as long as the supporting point(s) of either wrestler are inbounds. Previously, wrestling stopped when one competitor’s supporting point(s) went out of bounds.

This change creates a larger scoring area and is intended to reduce match stoppages that take place when action moves out of bounds. Supporting points include the parts of the body touching, or within, the wrestling area that bear the wrestler’s weight, other than those parts with which the wrestler is holding the opponent.

 Also in wrestling this season, two-piece uniforms are allowed as well as the traditional singlet provided the two-piece uniform follows a list of requirements and does not extend below the knee. In addition, to enhance safety, three maneuvers were made illegal including a front flip or hurdle over an opponent who is in the standing position. 

 A few notable rules changes in basketball and swimming and diving also will be apparent this winter:

 *In basketball, an official may now provide an official warning to the head coach—with that warning then recorded in the scorebook—or misconduct by the coach or other bench personnel, including players in and outside the coaching box. This warning is intended to make the message clear that there is misconduct and promote a change in behavior before a technical foul is called. However, a warning is not required prior to calling a technical foul if the misconduct is determined to be major. 

 *As with Lower Peninsula girls season in the fall, to promote safer take-offs during boys and Upper Peninsula girls swimming relays this winter, the second, third and fourth swimmers must have at least one foot in contact with the starting platform in front of the starting block wedge during take-off. Those second, third and fourths swimmers may not take off with both feet on top of the starting block wedge.

*Divers in the Lower Peninsula will need only four regular-season wins (instead of the previous five) to qualify for the Regional Diving Qualification Meet. A diver also may qualify if he places ahead of all divers from opposing schools in varsity competition in at least four meets, even if he does not finish ahead of his teammates. (This applies only in the Lower Peninsula where Regionals are conducted; Upper Peninsula divers qualify for Finals based on regular-season performance.)

 The 2017-18 Winter campaign culminates with postseason tournaments beginning with the Upper Peninsula Girls and Boys Swimming & Diving Finals on Feb. 17, and wraps up with the Boys Basketball Finals on March 24. A reminder: The MHSAA Individual Wrestling Finals that are moving to Ford Field will be a two-day event this winter as opposed to a three-day event as in past seasons.

Jordan Ringler commits to Davenport University

Jordan Ringler, a 2017 Cedar Springs High School graduate, has signed a letter of intent to wrestle for the Davenport University Panthers this fall.

Jordan, son of Paul and Jane Ringler of Cedar Springs, has wrestled most of his life, beginning with freestyle when he was just a kindergartener. Jordan, a very tough competitor, has taken several awards over the years through the Michigan Youth and the Middle School/High School programs. He has participated on national teams, and he has been a consistent hard working leader, as described by teammates and coaches. Jordan plans to pursue the health care field for his BA and eventually hopes to obtain his doctorate of Physical Therapy. Congratulations Jordan!

L-R: Ashly Erxleben, Caleigh Wood, Annabelle Wood, and Ariana Meyers all wrestled in the War of Roses last weekend. Photo by J. Troupe.

Michigan Girls State Finals

By Jacquie Troupe

Seventy-two girls grappled for the chance to become the Girls Michigan State Champion at Fenton High School Sunday, February 26. They participated in a freestyle wrestling clinic then proceeded to take that experience to the mats. Led by Coach Brandon Wood, four Cedar Springs ladies competed in this round robin event.

“I was very happy with their performance today!” said Wood. “We lost some matches but made great advances in their techniques. I’m so proud of these ladies!”

In the Elementary Folkstyle 3-5 Grade division, 49lb class, Caleigh Wood placed 3rd after two matches.

In the Middle School 6-8th Grade division, 105lb Class, Annabelle Wood placed 6th after five matches. In the 115lb class, Ashly Erxleben placed 2nd after two matches. In the 150lb, class Ariana Meyers placed 2nd after three matches.

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.”

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.

“Be The Referee” is a series of one-minute messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials. “Be The Referee” features MHSAA Assistant Director Mark Uyl’s insights on officiating.

Wrestling & Technology

Technology seems to grow and expand in just about every facet of American life. Ironically, technology is even now moving into high school athletics, even in the sport of wrestling.

Current National Federation playing rules allow coaches, in the corner during a wrestling match, to use technology – which could be the use of video or still photographs – to instruct wrestlers during any timeout or dead clock situations.

The only thing at coaches can’t do is transmit audio information into an ear piece that a wrestler is using, or use that video to argue or contest a call.