C-S senior Sam Bleeker is pictured wrestling Hudson’s Kenny Sledge in the Division 4 Team State Finals championship match. Bleeker won the match by a 16-4 major decision.
Martin senior Haylen Buell (middle) earned his 150th career win with 16-2 win in the Division 4 state finals championship match against Hudson.
By Bruce Rolfe
While a 45-25 loss to Hudson in the Division 4 State Finals championship match February 22 at the Wings Event Center stung, the Climax-Scotts-Martin co-op wrestling team reached its goal of advancing to the State Finals championship match facing Hudson bringing some satisfaction.
C-S-M, which finishes the season with a 26-2 record, pushed the defending state champions in a match that wasn’t decided until the next to last match.
C-S-M’s 25 points are the most Hudson has allowed in a State Final championship match since Clinton defeated Hudson in 2020, 36-27. C-S-M’s 25 points also ends a stretch of 21 straight matches Hudson had held its opponents under 25 points in the postseason.
“Who would have thought with two matches to go we’re still in the battle. These kids showed up. They did everything we asked them to. They battled their tails off. Competed. We gave them everything we had. We had them on the ropes. A couple of matches go our way, things are a little different. But it is what it is. Back to the drawing board,” said C-S coach Mike Reitz.
Hudson, the state champions the last four years and 12-time state champions in Division 4 since 1996, finishes the season with a 29-5 record.
C-S-M, the No. 3 seed in the state finals, got off to a 12-0 lead on pins by Martin freshman Urijah Joostberns (113), in 46 seconds, and a win by C-S senior Logan Gilbert (120), by injury default in 34 seconds.
Hudson, the No. 1 seed, won the next four matches by a pin, a 17-1 technical fall, another pin and a 10-2 major decision to take a 21-12 lead.
Haylen Buell (150) gave C-S-M a jolt by winning a 16-2 major decision for his 150th career win, pulling the co-op wrestling team to within 21-16.
C-S senior Jackson Bagwell (157) tied the match at 21-21 with a 19-4 technical fall, sending the huge C-S-M crowd into a frenzy.
Hudson responded with three straight wins with a pin in 1:33, a 15-0 technical fall and a 2-0 decision for a 35-21 lead.
Sam Bleeker’s (215) 16-4 major decision win left the door open for a comeback, pulling C-S-M to within 35-25. However Hudson’s Malachi Marshall (285) sealed the win with a pin in 2:45. Hudson won the final match by a 13-0 major decision.
STATE FINALS NOTES: Michigan Grappler awarded C-S-M as having the best crowd for the Division 4 Team State Finals event. C-S senior Logan Gilbert, who went 3-0, was recognized for the most outstanding performance, and Martin freshman Jacinto Lopez was awarded the Best Individual Match after he pinned St. Louis’ Rudy Clapp in 4:50 in the final match of the semifinals to give C-S-M a 30-25 win over the St. Louis and a trip to the state finals championship match. Michigan Grappler also awarded C-S-M Most Outstanding Performance after Team Hybrid defeated heavily favored and No. 2 seed St. Louis 30-25 in a match that wasn’t decided until the final bout.
Division 4 Championship Match
Hudson Area HS defeated Martin HS 45-25
113: Urijah Joostberns (Martin HS) over Aubree McClain (Hudson Area HS) Fall 0:46; 120: - Logan Gilbert (Martin HS) over Chase Clark (Hudson Area HS) Inj 0:34; 126: Colt Perry (Hudson Area HS) over Nate Arnett (Martin HS) Fall 0:37; 132: Nicholas Sorrow (Hudson Area HS) over Cole Reitz (Martin HS) TF 17-1; 138: Beckett Campbell (Hudson Area HS) over Jayce Ritchie (Martin HS) Fall 5:16; 144: - Julien Kimling (Hudson Area HS) over Seth Toris (Martin HS) Maj 10-2; 150 - Haylen Buell (Martin HS) over Owen Loop (Hudson Area HS) Maj 16-2; 157 - Jack Bagwell (Martin HS) over Lucian Hepker (Hudson Area HS) TF 19-4; 165: - Jacob Pickford (Hudson Area HS) over Gixxer Blair (Martin HS) Fall 1:33; 175: - Devon Brigman (Hudson Area HS) over Jakub Tomyslak (Martin HS) TF 15-0; 190: Barron Mansfield (Hudson Area HS) over Malcolm Smith (Martin HS) Dec 2-0; 215 - Sam Bleeker (Martin HS) over Kenny Sledge (Hudson Area HS) Maj 16-4; 285 - Malachi Marshall (Hudson Area HS) over Cooper Dinse (Martin HS) Fall 2:45; 106 - Jaxton Kimling (Hudson Area HS) over Jacinto Lopez (Martin HS) Maj 13-0
While a 45-25 loss to Hudson in the Division 4 State Finals championship match February 22 at the Wings Event Center stung, the Climax-Scotts-Martin co-op wrestling team reached its goal of advancing to the State Finals championship match facing Hudson bringing some satisfaction.
C-S-M, which finishes the season with a 26-2 record, pushed the defending state champions in a match that wasn’t decided until the next to last match.
C-S-M’s 25 points are the most Hudson has allowed in a State Final championship match since Clinton defeated Hudson in 2020, 36-27. C-S-M’s 25 points also ends a stretch of 21 straight matches Hudson had held its opponents under 25 points in the postseason.
“Who would have thought with two matches to go we’re still in the battle. These kids showed up. They did everything we asked them to. They battled their tails off. Competed. We gave them everything we had. We had them on the ropes. A couple of matches go our way, things are a little different. But it is what it is. Back to the drawing board,” said C-S coach Mike Reitz.
Hudson, the state champions the last four years and 12-time state champions in Division 4 since 1996, finishes the season with a 29-5 record.
C-S-M, the No. 3 seed in the state finals, got off to a 12-0 lead on pins by Martin freshman Urijah Joostberns (113), in 46 seconds, and a win by C-S senior Logan Gilbert (120), by injury default in 34 seconds.
Hudson, the No. 1 seed, won the next four matches by a pin, a 17-1 technical fall, another pin and a 10-2 major decision to take a 21-12 lead.
Haylen Buell (150) gave C-S-M a jolt by winning a 16-2 major decision for his 150th career win, pulling the co-op wrestling team to within 21-16.
C-S senior Jackson Bagwell (157) tied the match at 21-21 with a 19-4 technical fall, sending the huge C-S-M crowd into a frenzy.
Hudson responded with three straight wins with a pin in 1:33, a 15-0 technical fall and a 2-0 decision for a 35-21 lead.
Sam Bleeker’s (215) 16-4 major decision win left the door open for a comeback, pulling C-S-M to within 35-25. However Hudson’s Malachi Marshall (285) sealed the win with a pin in 2:45. Hudson won the final match by a 13-0 major decision.
STATE FINALS NOTES: Michigan Grappler awarded C-S-M as having the best crowd for the Division 4 Team State Finals event. C-S senior Logan Gilbert, who went 3-0, was recognized for the most outstanding performance, and Martin freshman Jacinto Lopez was awarded the Best Individual Match after he pinned St. Louis’ Rudy Clapp in 4:50 in the final match of the semifinals to give C-S-M a 30-25 win over the St. Louis and a trip to the state finals championship match. Michigan Grappler also awarded C-S-M Most Outstanding Performance after Team Hybrid defeated heavily favored and No. 2 seed St. Louis 30-25 in a match that wasn’t decided until the final bout.
Division 4 Championship Match
Hudson Area HS defeated Martin HS 45-25
113: Urijah Joostberns (Martin HS) over Aubree McClain (Hudson Area HS) Fall 0:46; 120: - Logan Gilbert (Martin HS) over Chase Clark (Hudson Area HS) Inj 0:34; 126: Colt Perry (Hudson Area HS) over Nate Arnett (Martin HS) Fall 0:37; 132: Nicholas Sorrow (Hudson Area HS) over Cole Reitz (Martin HS) TF 17-1; 138: Beckett Campbell (Hudson Area HS) over Jayce Ritchie (Martin HS) Fall 5:16; 144: - Julien Kimling (Hudson Area HS) over Seth Toris (Martin HS) Maj 10-2; 150 - Haylen Buell (Martin HS) over Owen Loop (Hudson Area HS) Maj 16-2; 157 - Jack Bagwell (Martin HS) over Lucian Hepker (Hudson Area HS) TF 19-4; 165: - Jacob Pickford (Hudson Area HS) over Gixxer Blair (Martin HS) Fall 1:33; 175: - Devon Brigman (Hudson Area HS) over Jakub Tomyslak (Martin HS) TF 15-0; 190: Barron Mansfield (Hudson Area HS) over Malcolm Smith (Martin HS) Dec 2-0; 215 - Sam Bleeker (Martin HS) over Kenny Sledge (Hudson Area HS) Maj 16-4; 285 - Malachi Marshall (Hudson Area HS) over Cooper Dinse (Martin HS) Fall 2:45; 106 - Jaxton Kimling (Hudson Area HS) over Jacinto Lopez (Martin HS) Maj 13-0
