The Fruitport wrestling team has a lot of talent, to be sure, and that’s definitely a big plus.
But another major positive for the Trojans is the ability to field a full lineup on any given night, to avoid costly forfeits.
Fruitport benefited from both on Wednesday, when they opened O-K Silver conference competition with a 47-24 victory over Belding, and also defeated Mason County Eastern 81-0 in a non-conference match.
The Trojans, who are defending O-K Silver champions, improved to 8-6 overall on the season and 1-0 in the conference standings.
[1]
[2]
Fruitport, with a ton of wrestlers on its roster this year, fielded a full lineup against a Belding squad that offered no opponent in three of the 14 weight classes. Each forfeit is worth six points, so the Trojans snagged 18 points without opposition. Belding won seven of the 12 contested matches while Fruitport won five.
The Trojans gained an edge with four pins, however, which are also worth six points. Belding only had two pins in the match.
[3]
Fruitport had a very easy time with Forest Hills Eastern, winning all 14 matches, including half of them by forfeit.
“It was a great night for the boys as we opened wrestling in the conference duals,” said Fruitport head coach Chad Johnson. “We competed well and showed a lot of positives. Now the focus shifts to getting a few strong practices in as we prepare to compete in a tough Sparta Tournament on Saturday.”
Four Trojans had two victories on the night, not including forfeits. Jeremiah Stone-Tyler (106 pounds) and Cooper Lengkeek (165) were both 2-0 with two pins. Ryder Chan (126) and Murphy Lengkeek (144) were both 2-0 with one pin.
Davis Johnson (160), Adam Marionen (285) and Kalan Teeter (175) all won a single match by pin.
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]