Three Zeeland East wrestlers and two from Zeeland West punched their ticket to the state high school boys wrestling individual finals at the Division 2 regional tournament at Cadillac Saturday.
East sophomore JJ Ledford took first place in the 120-pound weight class, senior Gavin Drenten took first at 150 and sophomore Anders Tibbs placed third at 144. West junior Aiden Chavez was runnerup at 106 pounds while senior Justin Sanchez took fourth at 113 to qualify for next weekend’s state individual finals at Ford Field in Detroit.
Two of Ledford’s three wins at regionals were by pins, including a pin of Holland’s Aiden Segovia 1 minute, 22 seconds in the championship match. Ledford is a perfect 49-0 this season.
Drenten won his first two matches at 150 by technical falls, then took the championship with a 5-2 decision over Cadillac’s Payton Sampson. Drenten is now 45-2 this season.
Tibbs claimed third place with a 17-2 technical fall win over Petoskey’s Robert Patrick. Tibbs’s record this season is 45-7.
Chavez advanced to the championship round with a 7-5 semifinal decision, but lost the title match to Allendale’s Jaxon Ramos in an 11-2 major decision. His record stands at 34-6.
Sanchez lost his first match but came through the blood round to win his next two, including a pin to clinch his state meet spot. He is now 31-15 on the season.
In the Division 2 team regionals on Feb. 12, East edged Fruitport 33-31 but lost in the championship to Greenville 50-19.
East sophomore JJ Ledford took first place in the 120-pound weight class, senior Gavin Drenten took first at 150 and sophomore Anders Tibbs placed third at 144. West junior Aiden Chavez was runnerup at 106 pounds while senior Justin Sanchez took fourth at 113 to qualify for next weekend’s state individual finals at Ford Field in Detroit.
Two of Ledford’s three wins at regionals were by pins, including a pin of Holland’s Aiden Segovia 1 minute, 22 seconds in the championship match. Ledford is a perfect 49-0 this season.
Drenten won his first two matches at 150 by technical falls, then took the championship with a 5-2 decision over Cadillac’s Payton Sampson. Drenten is now 45-2 this season.
Tibbs claimed third place with a 17-2 technical fall win over Petoskey’s Robert Patrick. Tibbs’s record this season is 45-7.
Chavez advanced to the championship round with a 7-5 semifinal decision, but lost the title match to Allendale’s Jaxon Ramos in an 11-2 major decision. His record stands at 34-6.
Sanchez lost his first match but came through the blood round to win his next two, including a pin to clinch his state meet spot. He is now 31-15 on the season.
In the Division 2 team regionals on Feb. 12, East edged Fruitport 33-31 but lost in the championship to Greenville 50-19.
East Boys Defensive Stand Stops HC
By Greg Chandler
The Zeeland Record
A stout defensive effort down the stretch was the difference for the Zeeland East varsity boys basketball team on Feb. 11 as the Chix came from behind to defeat Holland Christian, 53-49.
Trailing 49-45 with 4:30 remaining in the game, East did not allow another point the rest of the way, and got two big blocked shots by junior forward Caleb Claerbaut in the final 15 seconds to preserve the win.
“Our defense was really good down the stretch,” East coach Jeff Carlson said. “We jumped into a zone (defense) a little bit and that slowed them down. We knew that at the end of games, if you can play defense like that, (you’ve got a chance).”
The game was close all the way, with 10 ties and six lead changes. East’s biggest lead was six points late in the first quarter at 14-8 and 16-10, but Holland Christian went on a 14-4 run to take a 24-20 lead midway the second quarter. The score was tied at 28-all at the half and 43-all after three quarters.
Holland Christian took a four-point early lead in the fourth quarter, but the Chix pulled even at 49-all with 3:20 to play on baskets by sophomore guard Will Drnek and senior forward BJ Walker.
East took the lead at 51-49 when Walker found himself double-teamed in the paint, and delivered a perfect bounce pass to senior forward Quincy Thome for an easy layup with 1:09 remaining. It was Thome’s only points of the game.
The Maroons had several opportunities to tie the score in the final minute, but Claerbaut came up with two blocked shots, including one on a Simon Grotenhuis shot in the lane with five seconds to play, to preserve the lead.
Drnek led the Chix with 12 points. Walker added 11 and Clearbaut nine. Titus Spencer led the Maroons with 15 points and Davis Alderink scored 12 off the bench.
East, which improved to 7-3 in the O-K Black Conference and 12-8 overall, faced its neighboring rival Zeeland West at home Tuesday and will finish the regular season at home Friday against Holland.
The Zeeland Record
A stout defensive effort down the stretch was the difference for the Zeeland East varsity boys basketball team on Feb. 11 as the Chix came from behind to defeat Holland Christian, 53-49.
Trailing 49-45 with 4:30 remaining in the game, East did not allow another point the rest of the way, and got two big blocked shots by junior forward Caleb Claerbaut in the final 15 seconds to preserve the win.
“Our defense was really good down the stretch,” East coach Jeff Carlson said. “We jumped into a zone (defense) a little bit and that slowed them down. We knew that at the end of games, if you can play defense like that, (you’ve got a chance).”
The game was close all the way, with 10 ties and six lead changes. East’s biggest lead was six points late in the first quarter at 14-8 and 16-10, but Holland Christian went on a 14-4 run to take a 24-20 lead midway the second quarter. The score was tied at 28-all at the half and 43-all after three quarters.
Holland Christian took a four-point early lead in the fourth quarter, but the Chix pulled even at 49-all with 3:20 to play on baskets by sophomore guard Will Drnek and senior forward BJ Walker.
East took the lead at 51-49 when Walker found himself double-teamed in the paint, and delivered a perfect bounce pass to senior forward Quincy Thome for an easy layup with 1:09 remaining. It was Thome’s only points of the game.
The Maroons had several opportunities to tie the score in the final minute, but Claerbaut came up with two blocked shots, including one on a Simon Grotenhuis shot in the lane with five seconds to play, to preserve the lead.
Drnek led the Chix with 12 points. Walker added 11 and Clearbaut nine. Titus Spencer led the Maroons with 15 points and Davis Alderink scored 12 off the bench.
East, which improved to 7-3 in the O-K Black Conference and 12-8 overall, faced its neighboring rival Zeeland West at home Tuesday and will finish the regular season at home Friday against Holland.
Kouw Becomes First Female Wrestler to Qualify for State
Zeeland West sophomore Emma Kouw became the first female wrestler in school history to qualify for the state finals on Sunday.
Kouw needed to win her last three matches after dropping her first match in the 120-pound weight class at the regional meet at Portage Northern High School.
Kouw was pinned by Harper Creek’s Alexandra Stiltner in her first match, but bounced back to take a 10-6 decision over Gobles’ Daisy Estrada in her next match. She then pinned Wayland’s Ryleigh Haveman in 1 minute, 35 seconds, and took a 4-3 decision over South Haven’s Kaelyn Adamson to claim third place in her class.
Kouw, who has a record of 26-13 on the season, will compete at the girls individual state finals Feb. 28 and March 1 at Ford Field in Detroit.
Kouw needed to win her last three matches after dropping her first match in the 120-pound weight class at the regional meet at Portage Northern High School.
Kouw was pinned by Harper Creek’s Alexandra Stiltner in her first match, but bounced back to take a 10-6 decision over Gobles’ Daisy Estrada in her next match. She then pinned Wayland’s Ryleigh Haveman in 1 minute, 35 seconds, and took a 4-3 decision over South Haven’s Kaelyn Adamson to claim third place in her class.
Kouw, who has a record of 26-13 on the season, will compete at the girls individual state finals Feb. 28 and March 1 at Ford Field in Detroit.
On the Record
Dux Girls Run Winning Streak to Eight
The Zeeland West varsity girls basketball team extended its winning streak to eight with wins last week over Spring Lake and Holland.
On Jan. 11, the Dux roared back from a 12-point fourth quarter deficit to knock off the Lakers, 37-34. Then last Friday, West led from start to finish in a 50-33 victory over Holland at the Dutch Dome.
Against Spring Lake, the Dux trailed 32-20 early in the fourth quarter, but reeled off 15 unanswered points to take the lead. Senior guard Jordyn Klaasen scored nine points and senior center Hannah Stroebe added four during the rally.
Klaasen finished with a game-high 25 points.
Then against Holland, the Dux jumped out to a 19-10 lead after one quarter and extended the lead to 30-15 at halftime.
Klaasen and senior forward Georgia Kuyers led West with 10 points apiece against the Dutch, while sophomore guard Samantha Koppenol chipped in nine.
West took an 8-3 O-K Black Conference record and 14-4 overall mark into Tuesday’s rivalry game with Zeeland East.
East Girls
Upend Maroons
The Zeeland East varsity girls basketball team rallied from a six-point second half deficit to upend O-K Black Conference leader Holland Christian, 44-43, on Jan. 11. It was the first time the Chix had beaten the Maroons since February 2020.
The Chix full-court pressure gave the Maroons trouble early on, as East jumped out to a 14-7 lead after one quarter. The Chix led 22-16 at the half.
Holland Christian came out firing at the start of the second half, going on a 17-5 run to take a 33-27 lead late in the third quarter. But East responded, as baskets by Mirra Fenlon, Emily Wierenga and Leah Johnson highlighted a 17-4 spurt that gave the Chix a 44-37 lead with two minutes remaining.
The Maroons had one final run, as their pressure defense created several turnovers. With the score at 44-42, Holland Christian was fouled with 3.7 seconds remaining and had a chance to tie the game, but missed the front end of the two-shot foul. The made second free throw cut the lead to 44-43.
East sophomore Lizzie Risdon was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play and went to the free-throw line. Risdon intentionally missed the front end of the one-and-one, and Wierenga grabbed the offensive rebound to ensure the win for the Chix.
Wierenga led East with 15 points, while Fenlon added 12 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots.
The news wasn’t as good for East last Friday as the Chix dropped a nonconference game to Cedar Springs, 39-33. Fenlon led East with 22 points in a losing cause.
The Chix entered Tuesday’s game against Zeeland West at 6-4 in the O-K Black and 12-7 overall.
West Competitive Cheer Advances to Regionals
The Zeeland West competitive cheer team will compete in the regional meet at Forest Hills Northern this Saturday after qualifying in the districts competition last weekend.
The Dux finished second among 15 teams in the district meet at Middleville Thornapple Kellogg with a team score of 761.36 points, clinching their second straight regional appearance.
Plainwell won the meet with a score of 766.66. Thornapple Kellogg (752.68) and Richland Gull Lake (749.86) also clinched spots in the regional.
West scored 226.10 points in the first round, 220.16 in the second round, and had the high score in the third and final round of 315.10.
Zeeland East placed 12th at the meet with a season-high score of 652.80.
Dux Boys Fall to Holland
The Zeeland West varsity boys’ basketball team let a seven-point second half lead slip away last Friday as the Dux fell to Holland, 50-44.
West led 37-30 late in the third quarter and 40-34 early in the fourth quarter, but the Dutch outscored the Dux 16-4 the rest of the way to defeat West for the second time this season.
Gabe Bouwens led the Dux with 13 points and Keaton Hendricks added 10.
The Zeeland West varsity girls basketball team extended its winning streak to eight with wins last week over Spring Lake and Holland.
On Jan. 11, the Dux roared back from a 12-point fourth quarter deficit to knock off the Lakers, 37-34. Then last Friday, West led from start to finish in a 50-33 victory over Holland at the Dutch Dome.
Against Spring Lake, the Dux trailed 32-20 early in the fourth quarter, but reeled off 15 unanswered points to take the lead. Senior guard Jordyn Klaasen scored nine points and senior center Hannah Stroebe added four during the rally.
Klaasen finished with a game-high 25 points.
Then against Holland, the Dux jumped out to a 19-10 lead after one quarter and extended the lead to 30-15 at halftime.
Klaasen and senior forward Georgia Kuyers led West with 10 points apiece against the Dutch, while sophomore guard Samantha Koppenol chipped in nine.
West took an 8-3 O-K Black Conference record and 14-4 overall mark into Tuesday’s rivalry game with Zeeland East.
East Girls
Upend Maroons
The Zeeland East varsity girls basketball team rallied from a six-point second half deficit to upend O-K Black Conference leader Holland Christian, 44-43, on Jan. 11. It was the first time the Chix had beaten the Maroons since February 2020.
The Chix full-court pressure gave the Maroons trouble early on, as East jumped out to a 14-7 lead after one quarter. The Chix led 22-16 at the half.
Holland Christian came out firing at the start of the second half, going on a 17-5 run to take a 33-27 lead late in the third quarter. But East responded, as baskets by Mirra Fenlon, Emily Wierenga and Leah Johnson highlighted a 17-4 spurt that gave the Chix a 44-37 lead with two minutes remaining.
The Maroons had one final run, as their pressure defense created several turnovers. With the score at 44-42, Holland Christian was fouled with 3.7 seconds remaining and had a chance to tie the game, but missed the front end of the two-shot foul. The made second free throw cut the lead to 44-43.
East sophomore Lizzie Risdon was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play and went to the free-throw line. Risdon intentionally missed the front end of the one-and-one, and Wierenga grabbed the offensive rebound to ensure the win for the Chix.
Wierenga led East with 15 points, while Fenlon added 12 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots.
The news wasn’t as good for East last Friday as the Chix dropped a nonconference game to Cedar Springs, 39-33. Fenlon led East with 22 points in a losing cause.
The Chix entered Tuesday’s game against Zeeland West at 6-4 in the O-K Black and 12-7 overall.
West Competitive Cheer Advances to Regionals
The Zeeland West competitive cheer team will compete in the regional meet at Forest Hills Northern this Saturday after qualifying in the districts competition last weekend.
The Dux finished second among 15 teams in the district meet at Middleville Thornapple Kellogg with a team score of 761.36 points, clinching their second straight regional appearance.
Plainwell won the meet with a score of 766.66. Thornapple Kellogg (752.68) and Richland Gull Lake (749.86) also clinched spots in the regional.
West scored 226.10 points in the first round, 220.16 in the second round, and had the high score in the third and final round of 315.10.
Zeeland East placed 12th at the meet with a season-high score of 652.80.
Dux Boys Fall to Holland
The Zeeland West varsity boys’ basketball team let a seven-point second half lead slip away last Friday as the Dux fell to Holland, 50-44.
West led 37-30 late in the third quarter and 40-34 early in the fourth quarter, but the Dutch outscored the Dux 16-4 the rest of the way to defeat West for the second time this season.
Gabe Bouwens led the Dux with 13 points and Keaton Hendricks added 10.
