Saturday the Blue Devils returned to the mat, this time in Petoskey, for the Carl VanderWall Memorial Duals. A team tournament comprised of eight teams, the Blue Devils finished fourth overall after five duals.
Pool play divided the teams into two groups of four. The team records after the pool play would determine who would wrestle each other in the second round. The Sault beat Boyne City in the first dual, 42-40. Caleb Klier (144), Jonah Rishmawi (175), Marc DeWildt (190), Calvin Aldrich (215), Sawyer Kuenzer (285), Ayla Menard (120) and Max VanDoren (132) won their matches. Next up was Mancelona and the Sault came out on top, 43-33. Brett Siesel (150), Sam Kiekhaefer (165), Rishmawi, DeWildt, Cody Russo (215), Kuenzer, Hazen Hudson (113), and Klier won their matches. Round three brought Petoskey, and it was a close dual but the Northmen came out on top, 40-34. Siesel, Kiekhaefer, DeWildt, Russo, Kuenzer, VanDoren and Klier scored points for their team. The 2-1 record after pool play put the Blue Devils in the top half of the teams for the second round.
Linden was the first opponent and they easily handled the Blue Devils, winning 64-12. Russo and Kuenzer were the lone Blue Devils that put points up on the board. The last dual of the day was against Charlevoix. DeWildt, Russo, Kuenzer, Isaac Peabody (106), Menard, and Klier all won their matches. Another close dual, the Blue Devils fell to the Rayders 33-40.
Head Coach Jacinto Arreola commented on the team’s performance. “I was excited for our team to get back into action. While we went 2-3 on the day we kept it close even with giving up 4-5 weight classes is impressive. Our athletes that were able to compete left it all out on the mat & that’s what we like to see. As the season progresses, our athletes continue to face challenges week in and week out. They approach each match as an opportunity to improve and showcase their talents. Several of our wrestlers delivered exceptional performances.”
Undefeated wrestlers on the day were seniors Cody Russo (215) and Sawyer Kuenzer (285). Wrestlers that went 4-1 were juniors Marc DeWildt (190) and Caleb Klier (144).
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