Saints Wrestlers Down Rudyard During Parents' Night
By David Latva

St. Ignace wrestlers competing in their final home match include (front, from left) Brandon Garries, head coach Harvey Bentley, Assistant Coach Chris Marshall, Shawn Cowell; (back) Nate Tamlyn, Michael Foster, and Derek Marshall.

The St. Ignace Saints wrestling team won 13 of 14 matches in front of a parents night crowd, posting a 76-6 Straits Area Conference (SAC) win over the Rudyard Bulldogs Thursday, January 31.

Twenty-nine wrestlers and their parents were introduced and honored before the SAC match at the St. Ignace Middle School.

St. Ignace (23-5 in dual matches) recorded seven pins, led by Justen Frazier, competing in the 135-pound division. He notched a first-period pin over Courtney Fowler. Frazier was followed by Devin Chargo (119), who defeated Jon Kokko, Allan Honeycutt (130) over DJ Holloway, Nate Tamlyn (189) over Logan Perry, and Derek Marshall (215) over Jamie Lordson during second-period pins; Steffan Saffian (160) over Brock Lewis and Mike McNeely (112) over Jacob Perry in third-period pins, and Dylan Tulgetske (heavyweight) of Rudyard pinned Andy Tamlyn of St. Ignace.

Justen Frazier of St. Ignace pins Courtney Fowler of Rudyard during the first period of the Saints' SAC win over the Bulldogs.

Rob Robinson (140) defeated Chad Mesnard 14-6 in a major decision. Shawn Horn (103), Brandon Garries (125), Shawn Cowell (145), Tyler Oja (152), and Billy Grogan (171) won on forfeits.

"We have continued to improve each week, and with the tournaments coming up, this is a key time of the season," said Saints Coach Harvey Bentley.

Saints Ranked Number Three

The Saints are ranked number three in the Upper Peninsula Wrestling Coaches Association Poll, behind Iron Mountain and Gladstone. Escanaba, Sault Ste. Marie, Kingsford, Menominee, and Ishpeming fill the top seven spots in the rankings.

Rudyard To Host

SAC Wrestling Tourney

The Rudyard Bulldogs will host a Straits Area Conference wrestling tournament at Harris Kahl High School Gymnasium Saturday, February 9.

The tournament will begin at 10 a.m. and will include the host Bulldogs, St. Ignace Saints, Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils, and Newberry Indians from the Upper Peninsula, and Cheboygan Chiefs, Rogers City Hurons, Mio Thunderbolts, and Onaway Cardinals from the Lower Peninsula.

"Since the league expanded to eight teams, it has become stronger and more competitive," said Coach Bentley. "This could be the strongest SAC tournament in maybe 10 years."

The Saints will compete in the team districts Wednesday, February 13, and the individual districts Saturday, February 16.