Whitehall emerged from the blood round at Saturday’s Division 3 individual regional tournament at Tri-County with an 8-2 record, which combined with the team’s three regional finalists, helped the Vikings send 11 wrestlers to the upcoming state meet at Ford Field.
The 11 qualifiers, according to the school, tied a Whitehall record set three years ago.
The Vikings had a rough blood round - the consolation semifinals are so named because the winner advances to state and the loser’s season is over - in 2023, losing several wrestlers just shy of state qualification. For the returning Vikings, their Saturday performance marked sweet redemption.
“Last year was a disaster,” Whitehall coach Justin Zeerip said on the Vikings’ athletic website. “I think we might have watched our guys lose five or six (blood-round matches) in a row. It was awful for our guys.
“Our guys put a ton of time in, so it’s an incredible feeling to see them make it to Ford Field.”
Unbeaten Darnell Mack and Gavin Craner each ran their records to 47-0 and earned regional championships Saturday, and neither was ever threatened. Craner, a 175-pounder, pinned all three of his opponents in the first period - he has pinned all six of his individual postseason opponents - and Mack, at 150, scored a pair of technical-fall shutouts before earning a pin in the finals.
The Vikings had one other regional finalist, Ryan Goodrich at 157. Goodrich battled out an overtime semifinal win against Drew Alward of Durand before facing nemesis Blake Peasley of Belding. The duo have battled hard in the individual districts and the team regionals already, and Saturday’s finals was no different, as Peasley edged Goodrich 3-2.
“Those guys were fantastic,” Zeerip said. “I’m really happy for them. Craner and Mack came in as top guys in the state, and they’ve set themselves up for a great tournament. Goody wrestled well enough to win that finals match. He’s going to make another run in Detroit.”
The blood round had several highlights for Whitehall, but probably none more personal than the win by Ryne Christensen, the senior son of Viking assistant coach Craig Christensen. Ryne won a six-minute all-out battle against Birch Run’s Aiden Tornberg, also a senior, by a 7-6 score to earn a spot at state.
“I’ve always wanted to be one of those guys who went to state and got a medal,” Ryne said on the Vikings’ site. “I’ve always wanted my name on our wall. Last year, I lost in the blood round, and I was devastated. It’s so much different wrestling there as a senior. Much more intense.
“When it’s one of your guys who also happens to be your son, and you know how much it means to him because you can see it in his eyes, and you watch him work, and you listen to him talk about it at home…that was just a great moment,” Craig added. “That hug and those tears felt really good.”
Nolan Taranko (126), Liam Leeke (144) and Jason Smith (285) each finished third to punch tickets to state. All three of their blood-round wins were dominant; Taranko and Leeke each won by 14 points, and Smith scored a pin. Smith also earned thrilling wins by ultimate tiebreaker and by a 5-4 score during the tournament.
Joining Christensen as a fourth-place finisher were Cody Manzo (106), Kolten Weiler (113), Max Krukowski (120) and Blake Morningstar (215). Krukowski, like Christensen, won an exciting blood-round match, defeating Birch Run’s Kaelen Harrington 4-2. Manzo, Weiler and Morningstar easily won their blood-round matches.
Coach Christensen said the blood-round wins are extra special for coaches getting to share the moment with their athletes.
“We’re the ones who are there to try to catch them when they fall, but we’re also the first ones they see when they accomplish a pretty big goal,” Christensen said. “I love being in the corner for all the kids in those moments. There’s a gravity to that.”
Vikings to end their individual seasons in the blood round were Caden Varela (132) and Blake English (150), though both will get their shots at redemption when the team competes in Kalamazoo in the state quarterfinals, and potentially beyond.
