By By DAN WEISS / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- Six matches into the season the Niles varsity wrestling team is 5-1 and already has a tournament championship under its belt.
The Vikings won the Niles Invitational Saturday, beating Mona Shores 45-25 in the championship match.
The Vikings went 4-0 Saturday after splitting a pair of matches Thursday night at Mattawan.
The day also included wins over local rival Buchanan (47-25), Loy Norrix (60-18) and Grand Rapids West Catholic (46-21), a team Niles coach Bob Galvin was in charge of for 17 years.
The championship match was close until Charles Nelson pinned Andrew Corwin in the first period of the 125-pound match and started a 15-0 Niles run. A decision, pin and forfeit late in the match sealed the victory for the Vikings.
Four Niles wrestlers went undefeated Saturday. Kyle Isabel, Charles Nelson, Matt Poehlman and James Edwards each went 4-0. Derek Purcell, Dustin Sullivan, Jake Glueckert and Rodney Leneway went 3-1 on the day.
Buchanan, which finished the day with a 2-2 record, had three wrestlers go undefeated. Travis Reith, Nick Wheetley and Kale Burks each went 4-0 for the Bucks while David Medlin, Tyler Mitchell and Robert Newton each went 3-1.
Niles travels to Otsego Thursday night before participating in the Grant Invitational Saturday. The Vikings are the defending champions of that tournament.
Buchanan hosts Brandywine in a Lakeland Conference match Wednesday night at 6 p.m.
Niles……………..45
Mona Shores….25
103: Jake Glueckert (N) beat Tucker Stewart 7-3; 112: Matt Poehlman (N) pinned Tom Cook :18; 119: Derek Purcell (N) won by forfeit; 125: Sean Kelley (M) pinned Kyle Sherwood :38; 130: Adam Morono (M) pinned George Nelson 5:05; 135: Charles Nelson (N) pinned Andrew Corwin 1:09; 140: Rodney Leneway (N) pinned Troy Jodrin 1:09; 145: Kyle Isabel (N) beat Lenny Stewart 14-10; 152: Brian Hallegan (M) beat Jake Mucha 18-3 (Major decision); 160: Jason Carlson (M) beat Brandon Townsley 6-1; 171: Jake Groves (N) beat Rob Shearer 17-10; 189: Josh Henry (N) pinned Mike Dean 3:36; 215: James Edwards (N) won by forfeit; 275: Andrew Cribbs (M) pinned Dustin Sullivan 1:36