Friday afternoon the Sault High Blue Devils wrestling team hosted the annual Bridge Brawl team tournament, welcoming a number of teams from all over the state. Teams from the UP went against teams from the lower peninsula in a series of duals to determine who would be the champions of each peninsula. A popular event that has been in the EUP for several years, the tournament has been hosted by the Blue Devils since 2019. Head Coach Jacinto Arreola talked about bringing teams back year after year. “I think people keep coming it’s a great way for UP teams and LP teams who may not see each other during the season and get a chance to have matchups that benefit for seeding at districts. Second we host a tournament on a Friday, which gives the teams that weekend free, which most teams are on the road every Saturday.”
First up for the Blue Devils were the Charlton Heston Academy Patriots from St. Helen. Max VanDoren (126) started things out right for the team, pinning Jacob Clark (1:57). Wyatt Peabody (132) won by void. Will Ohman (138) pinned Daxton McClese (0:21), and Caleb Klier (144) followed suit by pinning Miles Malarik (0:27). Brett Siesel (150) won by injury default over Corbin Christner. Brady Rondeau (157) was pinned by James Merton (2:32) and Jonah Rishmawi (165) was pinned by Owen Romanzky (2:53). Marc DeWildt put the Blue Devils on the board again with a quick pin over Tim Stacker (0:11). Cody Russo (190) and Calvin Aldrich (215) both won by void and Sawyer Kuenzer (285) pinned Chris Connors (1:29). The final score was Blue Devils 54; Patriots 18.
Next on the docket for the Sault was Petoskey’s B team. Every Blue Devil that won his match, won by a pin. VanDoren pinned Brody Lutz (3:15), Peabody pinned Aiden Wright (4:50), and Ohman pinned Wyatt Weezer (1:04). Klier pinned Jaxon McClellan (2:39) and Siesel pinned Anya Zarzycki (3:45). Rondeau was pinned by Max Milbrandt (2:59). Rishmawi and DeWildt both won by void. Wrapping things up for the Blue Devils, Russo pinned Jackson Covert (1:04), Aldrich pinned Waylon Olson (2:18) and Kuenzer pinned Dom Patrick (1:25). The final score of round two was Sault 60, Petoskey 12.
Round three brought the Boyne City Ramblers to the Sault’s mat, and it was nothing but pins again for the Blue Devils. VanDoren won by void. Peabody pinned Deegan Anthony (4:26), Ohman pinned Charles Pope (0:14), Klier pinned Richard Bristol (1:06), Siesel pinned Lakota Barber (5:23) and Rondeau pinned Curtis Young (5:08). Rishmawi won by void and DeWildt pinned Jack Horning (3:16). Russo won by void , Chris Kiekhaefer (215) pinned Finn Biennan (0:49) and Kuenzer pinned Kaiden Schoolcraft (1:56) to make the final score Sault 66 and Boyne City 12. The Sault gave up two weight classes, giving Boyne their only points.
The Blue Devils took on the Hurons from
Rogers City in Round four. This was the first year Rogers City joined the brawl. Peabody started off the dual by pinning Vincent Mansfield (0:23) and Ohman pinned Cayden Rhode (1:19). Sam Kiekhaefer (144) took the void, and Siesel pinned Gabe Tahrs (0:12). Rondeau was pinned by Hudson Derry (1:01) and Rishmawi was pinned by Caden Farmer (2:46). DeWildt won by void, and Russo was pinned by Isaac Paull (5:05). Aldrich, Kuenzer and VanDoren all won by voids, bringing the final score to Sault 48, Rogers City 18.
Round five brought Straits Area Conference rivals the Cheboygan Chiefs to the mat in the closest dual of the day for the Blue Devils. Klier put the Blue Devils on the board first with a void. Ohman pinned Chase Swanson (2:26) and Siesel beat DJ Wichlacz by pints (7-3). Rishmawi and DeWildt both won by void. Russo pinned Michael Beck (1:12), Aldrich was pinned by Hayden Lapointe (3:04) and Kuenzer pinned Jolene Woodard (1:31). The Sault gave up two weight classes before VanDoren’s match against Jeremiah Huntley. An exciting and close match showcasing the Sault stack, Huntley ultimately pinned VanDoren (3:28). The final score for the last round was Blue Devils 39, Chiefs 24.
The Blue Devils advanced their team duals winning streak to 9-0 after successfully outwrestling each of their opponents. Overall, the Sault came in right behind Munising who also went 5-0, but gave up less matches by voids, allowing them to take home the UP Champion trophy. Six Blue Devils were 4-0 or better by the end of the night. Sophomores Wyatt Peabody (132), Caleb Klier (144), and Marc DeWildt (175) along with juniors Brett Siesel (150) and Sawyer Kuenzer (285) and senior Will Ohman (138) went undefeated. Ohman was also voted Top UP Wrestler by the coaches at the meet. Cheboygan took home the trophy for the Lower Peninsula, and Isaac Paull from Rogers City won the coaches’ award for Top LP Wrestler.
Arreola had a lot to say about the team. “As a team, we are getting better every day. There were a lot of things that we looked even better than two days prior at our home meet. Just another opportunity to see tougher competition and hone our skills.”
Wednesday the Blue Devils will head down to North Branch for another team tournament.
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