WHITEHALL — Whitehall wrestling has seen a lot over the past several years as it’s made a name for itself as a power program in the state. Wednesday afternoon, though, brought an opportunity no Viking has seen before.
Whitehall hosted Benzie Central in what the school called an “Assembly Dual,” which took place during the school day and featured a crowd jammed full of Viking students. Whitehall earned a 42-19 victory, but in many ways the result was almost beside the point.
Viking wrestlers were able to perform in front of a packed house of classmates, and the big-time atmosphere even extended elsewhere. The pep band played, and between each match, the lights were dimmed with hype music played as Whitehall wrestlers approached the scorer’s table to check in. Whitehall students got in on the fun by turning on their cell phones’ flashlights while the lights were down.
“Everybody showed up,” said senior heavyweight Blake Morningstar, who ended the match with an overtime win over Ryan Kincaid. “This is the first time that we’ve ever had this much (attendance) at anything wrestling-wise. It was an incredible atmosphere.”
Morningstar was able to bounce back after Kincaid scored three near-fall points in the closing seconds of regulation. Winning the toss, he chose the neutral position and quickly scored a two-point takedown to secure the win.
The idea of an “Assembly Dual” isn’t brand-new - state power Detroit Catholic Central also hosted one this week, and coach Justin Zeerip said Lowell and Grand Haven are among the programs who have staged one - but it was a first in Whitehall, and it lived up to the billing.
“I thought it was awesome,” Zeerip said. “I appreciate the high school administration letting us do this. This is really fun for our kids. It was super loud. The kids got into it. It’s a fun day for our wrestlers and our wrestling program.”
Zeerip added that he appreciated Benzie Central coming in for the dual.
There were plenty of Viking highlights, of course, but Morningstar’s overtime win and Ryan Goodrich’s last-minute takedown to win his 175-pound match 4-3 over Tyrone Brouillet were among the wins that drew the biggest reaction from the student section.
“Goodrich had a great match,” Zeerip said. “He hit a lot of shots in that match and the kid was pretty defensive, but I was excited for Ryan. He kept on the offensive to get that last takedown there to win the match and that was huge.”
The day also featured the Whitehall debut of Gavin Craner, who transferred from Belding this year. Craner, a state runner-up a season ago, recorded a first-period pin of Michael Pfeiffer, an all-state wrestler last season, at 190, introducing himself to his new fans with a flourish. The win also doubled as the 100th of his already accomplished career.
By all outward appearances, Craner has wasted no time buying in to the Vikings’ team-first approach, drawing positive reviews from coach Zeerip as well as Morningstar.
“As soon as I moved here, everyone was very welcoming and they all took me in right away,” Craner said. “It’s like a big family here and I love it a lot.”
“He has the same mentality as all of us,” Morningstar said of his new teammate. “He came in and he went straight to work...He hasn’t gotten in his head where he thinks he’s better (than us). He knows he’ll go out there and show his best.”
With the “Assembly Dual” done and past, the Vikings will begin a more routine schedule this Saturday at a tournament in Grandville that will feature some high-level competition. It’s all in service of the team’s consistent goal - to wrestle on the final day of the state tournament, when the final four is contested.
“We just take it one match at a time and (we hope to) be wrestling on the last day of the state tournament,” Zeerip said. “We just try to keep getting better every single day.”
