It’s hard enough to go undefeated at a high school wrestling tournament.

It’s even more impressive when you can pull that off against a bunch of really tough opponents.

That’s exactly what Fruitport’s Zach Aardema did on Saturday, posting a perfect 5-0 record against five state-ranked wrestlers at the Shelby Super Duals.

Aardema, along with four teammates who were also undefeated, helped Fruitport go 5-0 in team competition and win the tournament championship.

The Trojans beat Cedar Springs 50-29, Pine River 63-15, Grant 75-6, Kent City 42-24 and Reeths-Puffer 43-24.

“Today we took down a few ranked teams, avenged some tough losses, and picked up some huge wins, both as a team and individually,” said Fruitport head coach Chad Johnson. “Couldn’t be prouder of the effort, mindset, and fight these guys showed.”

Aardema was totally dominant against his ranked opponents, beating Cedar Springs’ Jackson Ferrell 14-3, Kent City’s Sammy Anderson 17-1, Pine River’s Colton Ernest by pin, Grant’s Cameron Espinoza 15-0 and Reeths-Puffer’s Travis Henderson by pin.

“Zach is chasing the best competition and backing down from no one,” Coach Johnson said. “Five ranked opponents, five bonus-point wins. He’s completely bought into our philosophy and is leveling up, week after week. Zach is building serious momentum and setting himself up for the postseason.”

 

Also posting 5-0 records for the Trojans were Murphy Lengkeek (132 pounds), Alex Aardema (138), Chase Rosema (215) and Adam Marjonen (285).

Austin Jacobs (106), Cooper Lengkeek (150) and Colton Smith (190) all went 4-1.Three-match winners were Rylan Thorsen (113), Davis Johnson (150), Blair Zimmer (157) and Kalan Teeter (175).

“We had a great week of practice leading into the tournament and made a few lineup adjustments, and the boys responded exactly how you would hope they would,” Coach Johnson said.

“Team tournaments are never easy, moving guys around to chase matchups takes trust and sacrifice, and our kids didn’t hesitate for a second. They went out and did what was best for the team.”