Eddies win third straight district championship
Published 6:51 am Friday, February 10, 2023
Leader photo/SCOTT NOVAK
Leader photo/SCOTT NOVAK
Leader photo/SCOTT NOVAK
Leader photo/SCOTT NOVAK
Leader photo/SCOTT NOVAK
Leader photo/SCOTT NOVAK
Leader photo/SCOTT NOVAK
Leader photo/SCOTT NOVAK
Leader photo/SCOTT NOVAK
Leader photo/SCOTT NOVAK
Leader photo/SCOTT NOVAK
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EDWARDSBURG — Host Edwardsburg had little trouble winning its third consecutive Division 2 Team District Tournament championship Wednesday night.
The Eddies rolled to a 72-12 win over Wolverine Conference foe Sturgis in the semifinals before knocking off rival Niles in the championship match 54-28.
With the win, Edwardsburg will host the Division 2 Regional round of the state tournament Wednesday.
The Eddies will face long-time nemisis Lakeshore in the semifinal. Parma Western will face Gull Lake in the other semifinal. The winner will move on to the state quarterfinals at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo Feb. 24-25.
“I feel we wrestled well with great energy and were aggressive,” said Edwardsburg Coach Jesse Becraft. “That’s what we asked the kids to work on last night and they did. We built a big lead and got some of our younger guys experience in a district championship match. It is always great to win a district title. Now we will focus on getting and staying healthy for next week’s regional. To win we will have to limit bonus points and capitalize on bonus points and wrestle with the same energy and confidence that we wrestled with last night.”
In the opening round against Sturgis, the Eddies led 30-0 before the Trojans averted the shutout. In the championship match, Edwardsburg opened up a 48-0 lead before Niles was able to pick up a win.
Winning two matches on the night for the Eddies were Brady Halfman (106), Caden Manfred (113), Taurin Zimpleman (120), Keegan Parsons (126), Andrew Castelucci (138), Colten Strawderman (144), Jayden Slough (150), and Nathan Andrina (165).
Winning matches for the Vikings were Ezra Vance at 157-pounds, Sam Rucker at 175-pounds, Julian Means-Flewellen at 190-pounds, Jimmy Gaya at 215-pounds and Brett Barrett at 285-pounds.
Wrestlers will now turn their attention to the individual portion of the state tournament. Edwardsburg and Niles will head to Battle Creek for the Division 2 tournament being hosted by Harper Creek.
