The Boys are Back
By Dan Ward

Photo links below

Turn up the Dropkick Murphys and clear some space, because the boys were back—and they weren’t there for a quiet goodbye. Senior Night for the St. Johns Redwings wrestling team was about grit, pride, and one final regular-season battle on their home mat. This last regular-season home meet served as a sendoff for a senior class forged through sweat, brutal practices, and matches where nothing was handed out and everything had to be earned. Wearing black and red one more time at home, the seniors took to the Resilite, determined to leave no doubt about who they were and what they stood for.

The line-up only added to the edge of the night. Recent rival Williamston Hornets rolled in wearing green and white, ready to scrap, bringing the familiar tension of a CAAC Red Division matchup. Sharing the mat were the St. Louis Sharks, ranked No. 2 in Division 4 by the MHSAA, a red-and-black powerhouse that left no room for anything but full effort. Between rivalry pride and top-tier competition, there were no easy matches and no breathing room—just the kind of pressure-packed environment that made Senior Night feel less like a ceremony and more like one final proving ground.

The first duel was the Redwings versus the Hornets. The Hornets jumped out to an early lead with falls over Annabelle Longoria and Elliot Lor. Reagan Ward won by forfeit to put the Redwings on the board, and Corey Heck wasted no time tying it up 6-6 with a 1:04 pin. Jameson Halsey extended the lead 2:34 seconds later with a tech fall. The Hornets pulled back out in front with a fall over Owen Parker, making the score 18-17. St Johns and Williamston traded pins in the next two matches, with Tristan Densmore getting a pin at the 3:58 mark and Timothy VanLake losing by fall, making the score 24-23 Williamston. Doug Thurston won by forfeit, and Brady Heibeck won by Major Decision (13-3), putting the Redwings up by a score of 33-24. Williamston edged closer, 33-30, with a pin over Jaxson Densmore, but Abram Matice closed the door with a 4:00 pin. Greyson Osborne locked it up with a win by forfeit, and Jackson Armstrong was pinned. The final score was 45-36, St. Johns beating Williamston for the first time in a few years.

“This is the largest senior class that I have been a part of. Finishing with 10 seniors is astounding. Wrestling is the toughest high school sport out there, and investing four years in the program shows a level of toughness that cannot be matched. They have shown a huge commitment to the sport, and the results are paying off,” said Coach Pettigrew
We thank the seniors, a group whose leadership, work ethic, and toughness have left a lasting mark on the program both on and off the mat. Through example, accountability, and a willingness to do the hard things, these seniors helped set the standard for what it means to be a Redwing. As they move forward, each carries that leadership into the next chapter of their lives. Jackson Armstrong plans to continue competing by playing college football, while Jaxson Densmore will work for BWL as he attends LCC. Brady Heibeck is set to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and Abram Matice plans to continue power lifting while working toward a career as an anesthetist. Ayden Marchek will seek a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity, while Gabe Mares plans to study cybersecurity and computer science. Gavin Moreno will play football in college while pursuing a degree in the medical field. Oliver Nobis plans to attend Michigan State University, major in American History, and one day teach history. Greyson Osborne will serve in the Marine Corps while pursuing a degree in law enforcement, and Reagan Ward plans to run track and cross country for LCC while studying Mechanical Engineering. The Redwings are proud of the leaders these seniors have been and are excited to see the impact they will continue to make beyond the wrestling room.

After that, Williamston and St. Louis wrestled with St. Louis taking the dual 49-22.
Then it was time for the age-old questions: who would win between a Redwing and a Shark, and why is St. Louis, Michigan, called The Sharks? The answer to the second question is still unknown. The answer to the first question is, unfortunately, a shark.

St. Louis rolled off pins over Reagan Ward, Gabe Mares, Jameson Hasley, and Leo Marilla, jumping out to an early 24-0 lead. Keegan Hamilton was able to put some points on the board with an 11-1 Major Decision. The Sharks added nine more with a win over Timothy VanLake and a fall over Doug Thurston. Brady Heibeck scored a Major Decision, 9-0, to make the score 33-8. Ayden Marcheck was pinned. Abram Matice scored a 10-5 decision, and Gavin Moreno ended the scoring for the Redwings with a 6-0 Decision. The Sharks finished out the dual with pins over Oliver Nobis, Annabelle Longoria, and Elliot Lor. The final score was 57-14.

Afterward, Coach Pettigrew said that St. Louis is the #2 D4 team in the state. However, four of our regular starters were out due to injury and illness. Put those wrestlers in the line-up, and we most likely split the weight classes 7-7. Then it comes down to who scores bonus points.

The fun didn’t end there, though. This was an extremely busy week for St. Johns. Our Monday night JV Jamboree in Lowell was canceled due to the weather. However, we still had a girls’ tournament in Ovid Elise on Friday night, a boys’ dual meet tournament on Saturday, and a Varsity tournament in Ovid Elise on Saturday.

The girls tournament was fun. We have a great group of girls wrestling this year, and they are amazing. St. Johns placed 10th out of 28 teams. Placing for St. Johns were Peyson Sova (4th), Lori Morris (3rd), and Addyson Ney (4th).

The Varsity B team went to Ovid Elise on Saturday. We had nine wrestlers face off against teams from St. Louis, Ovid-Elsie, Grayling, and Plainwell. Sending our wrestlers who aren’t quite making the Varsity Line-up to a tournament where they are facing off against solid varsity teams is a great way to get some mat time and valuable experience for their Varsity careers next season and beyond. Our results were Noah Demo 0-2, Keegan Hamilton 1-2, Timothy VanLake 0-2, Roman Berkhousen 3-2, Logan Finn 2-2, Bridger Haviland 1-2, Austin Clark 1-2, Kael Whitaker 2-2, and Oliver Nobis 0-2.

Finally, we get to the Tryston Bancroft Memorial Tournament. For those who are unaware, Tryston was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident before the start of his senior year. Tryston was a kid who came out for wrestling in his Sophomore year and immediately took to the sport. He was well-liked by the coaches and teammates alike and was defined by his relentless work ethic.
We had some last-minute cancellations for this one, but we were able to bring in 5 other teams. St. Johns started off beating Grand Ledge 57-22. Followed up by a tight one against Jackson Northwest that came down to Annabelle Longoria getting a pin in the last match to secure the win 38-36. St. Johns rolled the rest of the day, beating Midland Dow 61-11, New Lothrop 63-18, and Milford 71-12. St. Johns walked away with the trophy, with Jackson Northwest placing 2nd. St. Johns results were: Annabelle Longoria 3-2, Elliot Lor 1-4, Reagan Ward 5-0, Corey Heck 3-0, Gabe Mares 2-1, Donovan Quinn 5-0, Colton Robbins 2-0, Jameson Halsey 0-2, Tristan Densmore 5-0, Hayden Billings 4-1, Doug Thurston 3-2, Brady Heibeck 5-0, Ayden Marchek 1-1, Jaxson Densmore 1-0, Will Wharton 3-0, Abram Matice 4-0, Greyson Osborne 2-0, Gavin Moreno 2-2, Jackson Armstrong 3-0 and Gabe Osborne 1-0.

Also picking up his 100th win was Brady Heibeck. I talked to Brady on Sunday, and I asked him what it meant to reach 100 wins and what his most memorable match was. “Most memorable was definitely against Fowlerville’s Waylon Lampkin at Regionals. He was ranked higher than me and supposed to beat me, but I teched him.”

“To reach 100 feels amazing and worth the countless hours that I put in. Wrestling is one of the sports where you get what you put in, and for what I put in, I am stoked to have reached 100.” “All thanks to the coaches such as yourself who gave me confidence and a great wrestling experience as well,” Brady added.

Coach Pettigrew wrapped up the week saying, “This week was a huge week of wrestling at St. Johns. Girls Varsity competed in two tournaments, taking 1st place at the Owosso tournament. Varsity Boys had 7 duals this week, all at home, and they finished with a 6-1 record as a team. The only loss was to D4 #2 St. Louis. We had several boys head over to Ovid-Elsie as well to get some varsity experience, and they competed well. Opportunities for wrestling and mat time are growing, and our sport is growing too. I will do whatever I can to give every kid the chance to wrestle at a big tournament. Managing two Varsity line-ups and a Varsity Girls team has created a hectic schedule, but I believe it is paying off. Younger wrestlers are developing and growing to prepare for the future. We had a JV tournament cancelled due to weather, but those kids will be in action at St. Johns on Monday, the 26th.”

That’s a lot. This week, we slow down slightly, and we host a JV Jamboree on Monday, 1-26. Wrestling should start around 5:00. The Varsity Boys will travel to Three Rivers on Wednesday. We are taking the weekend off to rest up for the postseason.

Wrestling Senior Night Photos
Varsity Wrestling host Dual (Williamston/St. Louis) 1/21/26
Tryston Bancroft (Awards) photos by Glenn Armstrong
Tryston Bancroft Memorial photos by Glenn Armstrong