No Excuses
By Dan Ward

“Every day, it’s something, hits me all so cold
You find me sittin’ by myself, no excuses, that I know”-Alice in Chains

One of the greatest things about wrestling is this: records don’t matter. Rankings don’t matter. Once you step into the circle, none of it matters. It’s just you and your opponent on the Resilite. You win some. You lose some. No excuses.

St. Johns traveled to DeWitt on Wednesday to defend their District title. When the Redwings and the Panthers meet, anything can happen. St. Johns won the first matchup earlier this season. DeWitt hadn’t forgotten. They were ready for revenge.

The duel started at 126 pounds with Corey Heck earning a 20–8 major decision. Donovan Quinn followed with a fall in 1:25 at 138. But momentum can flip fast in wrestling. DeWitt answered by taking the next five weights — pins over Keegan Hamilton, Noah Demo, Hayden Billings, and Doug Thurston, plus a decision over Brady Heibeck — swinging the score to 27–10 in favor of the Panthers.

The Redwings didn’t flinch.

Will Wharton delivered a pin in 2:52. Abram Matice followed with a fall in 4:22. Greyson Osborne added an 11–2 major decision. Just like that, it was 27–26 DeWitt. The fight was on.

But in wrestling, small moments decide everything. DeWitt secured a defensive pin over Gavin Moreno, then added pins over Mia May and Annabelle Longoria to stretch the lead out of reach. Reagan Ward closed the night with a 44-second pin, but the final score stood at 45–32, DeWitt.

Coach Pettigrew said “You have to wrestle with intensity and a purpose. Every point matters in the post season.”

In the District Championship, Portland defeated DeWitt decisively, 55–18.

Saturday brought Individual Districts at Williamston — one of the toughest Districts in the state. Portland, Eaton Rapids, Mason, and Fowlerville are all ranked among the state’s best. Add DeWitt, Battle Creek Harper Creek, and Charlotte, and there are no easy draws.
District brackets are either 16- or 32-man fields. If there are more than 16 wrestlers in a weight class, it becomes a 32-man bracket. That means one thing: you must win before you can afford to lose. Lose your first match in many cases, and your season is over. It’s an unforgiving day.

Results weren’t what we hoped for.
Jameson Hasley went 0–1.
Keegan Hamilton went 0–1, losing to a regional qualifier.
Hayden Billings went 0–1.
Doug Thurston went 0–1.
Logan Finn went 0–1, losing to the District Runner-up.
Will Wharton went 1–2, also losing to the District Runner-up.
Abram Matice went 0–2, falling to a regional qualifier.
Gavin Moreno went 2–2, losing to two regional qualifiers.
Kael Whitaker went 0–1.
Jackson Armstrong went 1–2, losing to a regional qualifier.
Reagan Ward went 2–2, losing to two regional qualifiers.

For Reagan, Abram, Gavin, and Jackson, those were their final matches in a St. Johns singlet. That’s the brutal side of this sport. There’s no senior night ceremony waiting at the end of Individual Districts. You shake hands, and it’s over. We are proud of what they accomplished and the contributions they made to this program year after year.

There were bright spots.

Brady Heibeck placed 3rd, going 4–1 with his only loss coming to the District Champion. Donovan Quinn was your District Champion, going a dominant 5–0. Donovan allowed only three total points the entire day, recording two falls, a technical fall, and a major decision.
No excuses. Just results.

Brady and Donovan advance to Saturday’s Regional Finals in Fowlerville.

Click for Individual District (highlights) photo gallery by Glenn Armstrong

On Sunday, the girls traveled to Mt. Morris for Individual Districts. Unlike the boys, the girls keep team scores at Districts to determine a team champion. The Lady Redwings placed a strong 5th out of 41 teams.

Individual results were:
Mia May 0–1.
Annabelle Gothberg 0–1.
Lori Morris 1–2, losing to two regional qualifiers.
Alexa Benner 0–1, losing to a regional qualifier.
Addyson Ney 1–2, losing to two regional qualifiers.

The encouraging part? Not a single senior on this girls’ roster. Every one of them returns next season. The foundation is being built the hard way.

Advancing to Regionals for the Lady Redwings:
Peyson Sova placed 3rd, going 4–1.
Olivia Pettigrew went 2–1 to place 2nd.
Annabelle Longoria went 3–1 to finish 3rd.
Haley Prohaska placed 4th with a 2–2 record.
Congratulations to Annabelle, Haley, Peyson, and Olivia. The girls advance to Sunday’s Regional Finals at Warren Mott High School.

Advancing in wrestling is never given — it’s earned. So congratulations to Donovan, Brady, Olivia, Peyson, Annabelle, and Haley.

This time of year, illness creeps in. Injuries pile up. Weight cuts get harder. Workouts get tougher. The competition gets better. The grind intensifies.
But that’s wrestling.
There are no shortcuts.
There are no guarantees.
And there are no excuses.