MUSKEGON TWP. - The Reeths-Puffer wrestling team has been waiting to show everyone just how good it can be with its starting lineup intact.
It’s not that the Rockets have been wrestling poorly at all. They entered Wednesday’s dual match against Caledonia with a 13-5 record, which would be more than adequate for most teams.
But R-P has been missing a key guy or two at several matches or tournaments in recent weeks, due to injuries, illness and other factors, and it’s made a difference.
Last Saturday, for example, the Rockets posted a disappointing 2-3 record at a tournament at Fruitport, largely because four starters were missing.
R-P's Travis Henderson (top). Photo/Jeremy Clark
That was not the case on Wednesday, however. Nearly everyone was healthy and ready to go, and the Rockets showed off their depth with an impressive 43-20 win over a good Caledonia squad in front of a big crowd at R-P’s Dan Beckeman Arena.
“Today was the first day we had a full lineup, with all varsity wrestlers,” said R-P head coach Brad Cowles, whose team features three wrestlers who are currently ranked in the top 10 in the state in their weight classes. “Just a lot of injuries and sickness.
“We’re still waiting to get Max Knowlton back in the lineup. He’s was a state qualifier last year and he dislocated his elbow at the beginning of the season. Once he’s back we should really have a strong team.”
Wednesday was a perfect night for the Rockets to start getting everyone back, because it was their first O-K Green conference dual match of the season.
R-P's Cory Judd. Photo/Jeremy Clark
R-P has won the conference championship three years in a row, and taking home the trophy has become an annual point of pride for the program.
Last year the Rockets won every conference dual match, but finished second at the conference tournament. They still won the overall title, but it felt a bit incomplete, and the Rockets would love to run the table this season.
“We got off on the right foot tonight,” Cowles said. “Byron Center is going to be our toughest challenge in the conference. They are pretty good. We work really hard (to keep the O-K Green title) every year. It’s a great way to represent Reeths-Puffer.”
The Rockets dominated in an interesting way against Caledonia. Often in wrestling, when a team wins by a big margin, it has a lot of pins, but that was not the case on Wednesday.
R-P's Landon Learn (top). Photo/Jeremy Clark
R-P only posted two pins, which are worth six team points on the scoreboard. But they still piled up points with three technical falls (winning a match by 15 points, which earns five team points) and one major decision (winning by at least eight points, which earns four team points).
That means the Rockets wrestled with patience and were not frustrated by the lack of pins.
“Sometimes tech falls are more challenging, because sometimes (opponents) just go out there and try not to get pinned,” Cowles said. “Getting the next best thing means a lot to the team.”
Overall the Rockets won 10 of the 14 matches.
Landon Learn (right). Photo/Jeremy Clark
Winning by pin were Landon Learn and Lyric Stewart. Learn, a state-ranked freshman, improved his record to 22-0 on the season with 16 pins.
Braxton VanHohenstein. Micah Mills and Hunter Eek won by technical fall. Aiden Neal won by major decision.
Ironically, two of R-P’s state-ranked wrestlers - Travis Henderson and Jake Rozycki - won their matches by close scores. Tanner Cowles and Devin Welch also won tight matches.
Henderson’s match was the most exciting of the night, because the score was tied 0-0 after two periods, and he managed to get a reversal and an escape in the final minute of the third to win 3-1.
R-P's Braxton VanHohenstein (top). Photo/Jeremy Clark
Having a lineup full of healthy wrestlers is definitely a plus, and Coach Cowles said the Rockets are also benefiting from a new practice regimen.
The team has a ton of wrestlers this year, and until recently the varsity and junior varsity squads practiced together in the school’s small wrestling room. The Rockets have changed that, with the two teams practicing separately, and it has made a difference.
“It really increases the pace for the varsity guys, and they really get after it,” Cowles said. “I think that’s really going to help us going forward.”