By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
THREE RIVERS—After finishing second to Three Rivers in the Wolverine Conference standings, the Plainwell boys wrestling team got another crack at the Wildcats in a Division 2 regional final.
Unfortunately for the Trojans, Three Rivers came out on the winning end of this showdown as well.
The second-ranked Wildcats won nine of the 14 weight classes to hand fifth-ranked Plainwell the 42-21 loss.
The Trojans made it to the regional finals after holding off ninth-ranked Hamilton 41-35 in the regional semis.
The Three Rivers match started on a high note for Plainwell, which got a 5-0 decision from Adin Young at 285 pounds and a pin from Dylan Nieuwenhuis at 106. Then, after a decision by the Wildcats, the Trojans got a pin from Tyler Cooper at 120 to go up 15-3.
But Plainwell would win just two of the final 10 weight classes—a 12-5 decision by Austin Gyorkos at 138 and a 9-3 decision by Rickey Lynch at 157—to suffer the loss.
In the Hamilton match, Grady Erlandson (113), Cooper (120), Ben Lynes (132), Brody Hercik (144), Shayden Girton (190) and Young (285) all recorded pins for Plainwell. Nieuwenhuis (106) won by a 19-1 tech fall.
Hamilton got pins from Chase Morrison (126), Ray Lopez (165) and Shane Dams (215) to go with tech fall from Bryce Morrison (150) and Tyler Block (175). Jacob Chase earned a major decision at 157 and Malachi Kapenga had a decision at 138.
