Earning It
By Dan Ward
“The only thing you deserve is what you earn,” says Iowa wrestling coach Tom Brands. “I don’t want to be better than anyone else; I want to be better than I was yesterday,” echoes Penn State coach Cael Sanderson. From the leaders of two of the most successful programs in NCAA history, these quotes capture the true essence of wrestling—a sport that is both brutally honest and deeply personal. There are no shortcuts, no hiding, and no one else to credit or blame. What you put into wrestling is exactly what you get out of it, whether that means extra practices, going 100 percent in every drill and live session, or staying late to polish the smallest details of a skill. Progress is often made in quiet, unglamorous moments when no one is watching, but every rep matters and every opportunity to improve counts.

That same individual accountability carries directly into team success. Wrestling is one of the few sports where the outcome of a dual meet is built entirely on individual performances. A pin is worth six team points, a technical fall earns five, a major decision four, and a decision three, while tournaments add advancement and placement points—all tied directly to what one wrestler does on the mat. Yet despite that individual scoring system, no wrestler succeeds alone. Each athlete relies on teammates in the room every day to push the pace, sharpen skills, and raise expectations. In wrestling, personal growth fuels team success, and the team, in turn, helps each individual reach a level they could not reach on their own.

St. Johns traveled to Fowlerville this week to take on the Gladiators, a traditionally top Division 2 program in the state. The Redwings came out strong, opening the dual with a technical fall from Tristan Densmore (21–5), followed by a major decision from Hayden Billings (18–8). Doug Thurston kept the momentum rolling with a pin at 3:37, giving St. Johns an early 15–0 lead. Fowlerville responded with three major decisions of their own over Brady Heibeck (19–6), Jackson Densmore (14–1), and Abram Matice (10–1) to cut the lead to 15–12. Gavin Moreno answered with a pin at 4:51 to extend the Redwings’ advantage to 21–12.

Momentum shifted as Jackson Armstrong faced the No. 1-ranked heavyweight in Division 2 and fell by technical fall (21–4). With St. Johns forced to void the 106- and 113-pound weight classes, Fowlerville picked up 17 points and moved ahead 29–21. Johnny Infante was pinned (3:04), Reagan Ward dropped a major decision (16–2), Donovan Quinn earned a major decision victory (15–2), and Owen Parker was pinned (0:52). The final score saw Fowlerville come away with a 45–25 win over the Redwings.

At the same time, the Redwings girls team faced off against Fowlerville’s girls squad. Fowlerville claimed the dual, 54–18. St. Johns picked up wins from Mia May and Addyson Ney by forfeit, while Peyson Sova earned a victory by fall at 5:16.

Several junior varsity wrestlers also saw action on Wednesday, with Leo Marila (1:55), Keegan Hamilton (5:02), and Roman Berkhousen (2:38) all winning by pin. Michael Grow added a major decision victory (12–0).
The JV squad stayed busy, traveling to Grand Ledge for the team’s second JV Jamboree of the season. Picking up wins for the Redwings were Elliot Lor (1–1), Noah Demo (2–1), Nathan McGillis (1–2), Leo Marila (2–1), Jackson Felzke (1–2), Emerey Rosekrans (1–2), Santy Alamillo (1–2), Alex Shepard (1–2), Paden McConnell (2–1), Aedin Besonen (3–0), Austin Clark (1–2), Ayden Marchek (2–1), and Madden Rademacher (1–2).

On Friday, four Redwings traveled to Hudson for the opening day of the Hudson Super 16. Doug Thurston (3–0) and Gabe Osborne (3–0) each finished first, while Hayden Billings (2–2) placed fourth and Greyson Osborne (4–1) finished fifth.

Saturday brought even more action at the Hudson Super 16, one of the toughest tournaments of the season, featuring programs like Hudson, Hartland, Oxford, Dundee, and St. Louis. St. Johns finished 18th out of 30 teams. Regan Ward went 2–2, falling in the consolation semifinals. Donovan Quinn had an outstanding day, going 4–0, avenging last week’s loss to Owen Fogel of St. Louis, and defeating two state champions on his way to a first-place finish. Tristan Densmore went 3–2 to place eighth, Brady Heibeck went 2–2 with an overtime loss in the consolation semifinals, and Gavin Moreno went 0–2.

Also on Saturday, the Varsity B team traveled to Ithaca for the Mike Doran Invitational, finishing 10th out of 18 teams. Placing for the Redwings were Jaxson Densmore (5th), Kael Whitaker (6th), Oliver Nobis (4th), and Jameson Halsey (5th).

Sunday saw the Redwings girls travel to Owosso for the Trojan Takedown, where they delivered an impressive performance by finishing first out of 28 teams and bringing home championship hardware. Placing for St. Johns were Annabelle Longoria (4–0) 1st, Mia May (1–2) 3rd, Peyson Sova (3–0) 1st, Olivia Pettigrew (3–1) 2nd, Lori Morris (4–0) 1st, and Addyson Ney (2–1) 2nd.

Coach Pettigrew said, “(I’m) very proud of all of our wrestlers this week. Long days with big tournaments. This is a very busy part of our season as we prepare for the postseason.”

The schedule remains busy this week. JV travels to Lowell on Monday for another JV Jamboree. The girls head to O-E on Friday, Varsity B travels to O-E on Saturday, and St. Johns hosts the Tristan Bancroft Memorial Team Dual Tournament on Saturday. Wednesday is Senior Night, with the Redwings welcoming a tough Williamston team and an even tougher St. Louis squad. Come out and support the seniors as they strive to be better than they were yesterday.