Reeths-Puffer senior wrestler Kaden Malotke continues to collect championship medals as he works his way through the Division 1 individual state tournament.
A week after winning a district championship, Malotke posted a 3-0 record on Saturday to capture a Division 1 regional title in the 138-pound weight class.
Malotke and two teammates - Ian Cook and Caleb Zimmerman - qualified for the Division 1 individual state finals at Detroit’s Ford Field on March 3-4.
R-P regional champion Kaden Malotke
Cook finished second in the 120-pound weight class while Zimmerman was fourth at 190 pounds. The top four wrestlers in each weight class advanced to state.
Malotke won his bracket by beating Holt’s Kaleb Bentley 8-7 in the first round, gaining a 10-1 win over Portland’s Austin Walburn in the semifinals, then pinning Traverse City West’s Jon Palmer in 4:38 in the championship match.
Cook finished with a 2-1 record at the tournament. He pinned Battle Creek Central’s Dayton Flores in 2:41, beat Holt’s Mariano Lopez 5-4 in the semifinals, then lost to Grandville’s Josh Vazquez in the finals 12-2.
R-P state qualifier Ian Cook
Zimmerman posted a 2-2 record on Saturday. He pinned Holland West Ottawa’s Aiden Salvatore in 5:05, lost to Holt’s Jackson Bremer 7-4, beat Portland’s Alex Ramirez 12-4, then lost to Hudsonville’s Jacob Millward 4-2 in the third-place match.
“We knew Caleb, Ian, and Kaden all had a great shot to make it, and they definitely earned their spots at state,” said R-P Coach Jared Fleming. “Kaden continues to do his thing and has set himself up for a great chance at being All-State for the first time in his career!
"Ian is showing himself to be one of the top wrestlers in the state across all divisions and it is so much fun to watch. Caleb has kind of pieced it together to qualify and we are just so happy for a kid that's so deserving of the recognition and success that he's experiencing.”
R-P state qualifier Caleb Zimmerman
R-P’s Jake Rozycki (113) and Nathan Stafford (285) both lost in the blood rounds of their brackets and were left one win shy of qualifying for the state finals.
“We are so proud of Jake as a freshman to come in and tie the freshman win record at 47,” Fleming said. “He accomplished so much this year and had a really tough bracket. He's got a great future ahead of him. Nathan, our heavyweight, did a tremendous job this season of improving and getting over 40 wins.”
