Inland Lakes takes team district title in Rogers City

Onaway coaches and bench offer encouraging words and advice to one of their own at the district tournament. (Photo by Richard Lamb)

The season came to an end for both the Rogers City and Onaway wrestling teams at the team district tournament in Rogers City Feb. 8.

Onaway made it to the district finals with a 30-27 win over Atlanta before falling to Inland Lakes 54-27. The Hurons, with only three wrestlers on the team, lost 66-12 to Inland Lakes in the first round.

For the Hurons, two of the three wrestlers came up with pins while the third was pinned. The match started at 120 with the Hurons voiding at the first three weights to go down 18-0.

Then came Hayden Hentkowski, looking for his 100th career win in likely his only time wrestling at home this season. Going up against Quintin Sprecker at 132, up from his usual 126, Hentkowski pulled off a pin with 57 seconds left in the first period. His parents came out of the stands and his mother presented him with a banner showing he was a member of the elite club of Huron wrestlers.

Rogers City’s Hayden Hentkowski made the 100-win club with a pin in the team district tournament. (Photo by Richard Lamb)

The Hurons voided at 147 to go down 24-6 and then Caden Farmer, competing at 150, trailing Logan McMullen 7-2 in the third period, suffered a pin at 5:26 and the Hurons were down 30-6.

Voids at 157 and 165 put Rogers City down 42-6.

Isaac Paull, wrestling at 175, up from his usual 165, battled for a pin, with just three seconds left in the first period. Referee Shawn Baller slapped the mat giving the Hurons their last points of the match and of the year as a team.

Onaway got by Atlanta in the first round with wins coming from Hudson Decker, by void at 126; Cason Kreft with a pin at 5:09; Lelin Splan with a pin at 1:50, and void wins by William Gasch at 215 and Zach Cruse at 285.

Splan’s win at 165 was one of the most exciting matches of the night. Atlanta’s Hugin Current had Splan in trouble for the first minute, but Splan squirmed free with a quick reversal leading to a pin for the Onaway wrestler.

In the district finals Decker lost by pin at 1:23 and Kreft followed win a pin at 1:00 at 132 to tie the match

at 6-6. Onaway voided at 138, 144, and 150 to go down 24-6.

Splan came up with take-downs in each of the three rounds to earn a 6-2 win at 157 over McMullen to make the score 24-9.

The Cards voided at 165 and Darin Wolgast was pinned in 1:41 by Wyatt DuBois at 175 before Onaway voided again at 190 to go down 42-9.

Inland Lakes voided at 215 and 285 and Onaway voided at 106 and 113 to make the score 54-27.

The Cardinals won the last match as Toby Pike pinned Arionna Scheider at 1:05.

Inland Lakes moved on to the team regionals where they faced Charlevoix.