Blue Devils Wrestlers Place Third in St Ignace; Kuenzer Wins Bracket

The Sault High Blue Devils wrestling team had a good start to their season, placing third in the St Ignace Lions Club Invitational. In a field of eleven teams, Kingsford won the tournament with 190 points, and Grayling was close behind with 185. The Sault came in third with 111 total points, with seven Blue Devils that qualified for the medal rounds.

Senior Sawyer Kuenzer (285) pinned his way to first place. He first pinned Michael Cool of Grand Rapids Christian (1:14), and then Luke Munger from Cheboygan (3:50). In the championship match, Kuenzer pinned Caleb Pugh of Grand Rapids Christian (1:33).

Junior Wyatt Peabody (144) was runner up in his bracket. The first round put Peabody against Nolan Hendrickson of Kingsford, with a win by decision (12-7). Peabody then pinned Andrew Brinker of Atlanta (4:58), but lost by decision (5-2) to Max Huspen of Grayling in the championship match. 

Senior Cody Russo (215) placed second after pinning Mason Tappy of Kingsford, then was pinned in the championship match by Danny Bonamie of Grayling (5:09). 

Freshman Haven Hudson (113) placed third. He had a technical fall over Gavin Holmes of Grayling (20-5), then lost by a technical fall to Dalton Savoie of Rudyard (17-2). Hudson then pinned Kenneth Warner of Cheboygan (1:14) and beat Holmes again (3:53) to clinch the bronze. 

Sophomore Sam Kiekhaefer (165) placed fourth. He pinned Broderick Nelson of Manistique (1:19), then was pinned by Will Owens of Grand Rapids Christian (1:32). Kiekhaefer pinned Brody Johns of Munising (1:32), then lost by decision in the third place match to Kollin Bird of St Ignace (10-5). 

Junior Marc DeWildt (190) placed fourth. He pinned Brettin Rouse of Kingsford (3:11), then lost by major decision to Braiden Tuck of Grayling (16-8). DeWildt then pinned teammate junior Jonah Rishmawi (5:00), and was pinned by Griffin Maline of Manistique (1:41). 

Senior Calvin Aldrich (215) placed fourth, starting the day off by pinning Hunter Meldrum of Cheboygan (2:37). He then lost by a technical fall to Danny Bonamie of Grayling (17-1). Aldrich pinned Hudson Rockhill of Munising (0:11) with the fastest pin of the tournament. In the third place match, he was pinned by Mason Tappy of Kingsford (2:05). 

Other Blue Devils that wrestled Saturday include freshman Isaac Peabody (106, 1-2), senior Chase Tracey (120, 0-2), senior Max VanDoren (132, 2-0), junior Caleb Klier (150, 3-2), senior Brett Siesel (157, 1-2), and Rishmawi (190, 2-2). 

Head Coach Jacinto Arreola commented on the team’s performance. “Saturday was a strong start to the season, finishing 3rd out of 11 teams—a performance to be proud of for our first tournament. While there are always areas to improve, our focus moving forward is on scoring points. Wrestling isn’t just about winning or losing; it’s about executing, staying aggressive, and consistently working to put points on the board. If we stay focused on the process of scoring and elevating our techniques, the wins will come naturally. This is just the beginning, and I’m excited to see how much growth this team is capable of!”