Wrestlers make a statement at Ithaca with a runner-up trophy

Huron wrestling coach Pat Lamb believes his wrestlers earned a little more respect from other teams in the state when they traveled to the 30th annual Ithaca Invitational last Saturday with a second place showing at a tournament that attracts many talented Division IV schools. One of those schools has finished ahead of Rogers City twice at two other events this season. Not only did the Hurons finish two places higher than New Lothrop, but the point margin was considerable.

With Rogers City?s nine placers, including three first place medal winners and one runner-up, the boys earned 208.5 points, 52 points ahead of New Lothrop who placed fourth. Only Hesperia topped the Orange and Black with 225.50 points. Lamb said it took everything Hesperia had to take first. ?I think Hesperia wrestled about as well as they could on the day,? said Lamb. ?I don?t like coming in second, but all in all it was a pretty good showing.?

?WE BROUGHT home a trophy and we sent a message to the rest of the state that Rogers City is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the team state tournament. Take us lightly if you want, but I don?t think I would recommend that.? If the Hurons wrestle with the same confidence level at the Northern Michigan Championships at Gaylord this Saturday, they will compete for first if they don?t win it all. Tonight Rogers City travels to Newberry to take on the host school and Cheboygan. They will try and improve on their 16-1 dual record.

The season record is 29 dual victories, which will not be attainable. If Rogers City won the rest of their duals, including all, the matches in the state tournament, they would still come up short. Earning tournament championships at Ithaca were seniors Brian Krueger (112 pounds), Dylan Centala (130), and Cody Wenzel (140). Krueger collected two pins in 1:35, and then took a major decision, 12-2, against Jon Hren of Hesperia. At 130, Centala had three pins (:46, :38, 2:25) on his way to the finals against Mark Ackerberg of Hesperia, where he took a 12-2 major decision.

WENZEL STEAMROLLED through the tournament with a 43 second pin, a 17-0 technical fall, a second period pin, and a 17-1 technical fall in the championship match against Cody Malone of Grayling. Chase McLennan (171) had an outstanding day. From a number three seeding, he made it to the finals with a pair of wins before losing to Tyler Dickenson of St. Louis, who is a national free style champion. The final score in the match was 8-2. Brent Freel ended his day with a 50 second pin to easily take a third place medal. He lost in the semifinals to the eventual champ Brandon Zeerip from Hesperia.

T.J. Sobeck (103), Tharin Wilk (125), and Mark Grulke (189) earned fourth place finishes. Michael Vogler (112) and Tyler Schuiteman (145) both ended up placing fifth. Also picking up wins for the Hurons were Jacob Vogler (103), Zak McLennan (130), and Jerome Gapczynski (160). ?Going into it we were relaxed, we were well rested, and we were ready to wrestle. Now it is a mater of staying healthy and peaking at the right time to be able to go into the individual a

nd team state tournament with a full head of steam,? said Lamb.

LAST THURSDAY on the home mat, the Hurons were nearly untouchable against Oscoda. The final score against the Owls was 67-9. The only match that was lost was the first one, a 7-3 loss by Michael Vogler. Rogers City then proceeded to score 61 unanswered points until a void at 275. Coming up with pins were Krueger (1:10), Zak McLennan (3:20), Centala (1:31), Schuiteman (1:56), Chase McLennan (2:46), Grulke (10 seconds), and Derek Schleben (1:40). Alex Matthews won a 21-2 decision, Cody Wenzel rolled to a 16-0 victory, and Gapczynski was an 8-2 winner.

? WRESTLING NOTE: Tharin Wilk was omitted as an undefeated wrestler (5-0) at the Bill Barrett Memorial in last week?s article. .

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