WHITEHALL — Change is constant in high school sports, but Whitehall wrestling has gotten used to being near the top of Division 3, and it should be no different this season.
The Vikings have been state runners-up behind superpower Dundee the last three seasons they’ve been in Division 3 - they were semifinalists in 2022 in Division 2 - and their lineup is equipped to make another return trip to the championship match; they own a preseason #2 ranking.
“I think we look good,” Whitehall coach Justin Zeerip said. “We brought a lot of guys back. We have some good freshmen coming in to help fill the lower weights. Our guys put in a lot of time in the offseason, so I feel like they’re prepared.”
The anchor of the lineup, of course, is senior Gavin Craner, who dominated all comers last season and delivered an undefeated state championship season at 175 pounds. Fresh off a terrific football season, he’s hoping things will be no different in 2024-25.
He’s not the only star senior on the team, though, as Blake English, Wyatt Jenkins and Caden Varela all return. English and Varela were big parts of last year’s run to the finals, and Jenkins made his presence felt too, scoring three wins on championship weekend after coming back from a spinal cord injury that kept him out the entire season prior to that.
“He was all-state two years ago,” Zeerip said of Jenkins. “I think he’ll have a really successful senior year. He’s hungry to get on the mat and compete.”
On top of those guys, the Vikings bring back all-stater Kolten Weiler and state qualifiers Cody Manzo, Max Krukowski and Liam Leeke.
Ryan Goodrich was set to be a key senior in the lineup as well, but a torn ligament in his knee will keep him on the sidelines, though he’ll continue to be part of the program.
The Vikings might start at a slight disadvantage because so many of their wrestlers were part of Whitehall’s district championship football season, but they have so much depth that they can easily wait for those players to get into the swing of things.
An impressive freshman class has joined the roster, including Liam Leeke’s brother Tommy, who will wrestle at the lower weights. Robert Belinger, Isaac O’Boyle, Blake Wallace, Tanner Woodworth and Billy Darke are just some of the other young names to watch.
“We have a couple new faces in the lineup,” Zeerip said. “If those guys can believe in themselves and go out and work and commit to using the techniques we’re doing in practice, they can be successful.”
The Vikings are also seeing some of the growth of girls wrestling in their program, with the addition of Kassie Sapp. Sapp has wrestled and wrestled well at a lot of high-level youth tournaments, and she’ll be a valuable addition.
“She works really hard and has a lot of success,” Zeerip said. “I think that she’ll have a lot of success against boys and girls this year. I’m looking forward to watching her compete.”
Whitehall always wrestles a high-level schedule in preparation for the state tournament; its home duals, invitationals at Grandville and Allendale, and the West Michigan Conference will keep the Vikes busy. It’s all in preparation for, hopefully, another clash with Dundee, one of the top few dozen programs in the country at any level.
Whitehall got a little closer to Dundee last year, going from a 60-18 finals margin in 2023 to 49-20. The ‘other’ Vikings provide easy motivation for Whitehall.
“I was listening to a podcast the other day and they said they think that this could be one of the most talented teams they’ve ever had,” Zeerip said of Dundee. “We’re going to keep working to compete with them. They have a great program, and we’re just going to focus on ourselves and just try to keep getting better and keep closing that gap like we have.”
