While Gavin Craner and Wyatt Jenkins of Whitehall delivered the biggest wins with state titles during last weekend's state wrestling finals at Ford Field, they were just two of eight all-state wrestlers from the area.
The six others to earn all-state status included state runner-up Kassie Sapp of Whitehall, at 115 pounds in the girls' division; Reeths-Puffer's Ian Cook, who placed third at 144 in Division 1; Montague's Ava Pelton, fifth in the girls' division at 145; Whitehall's Liam Leeke, who was fifth at 157; Montague's Fletcher Thommen, seventh at 150; and R-P's Secrest, eighth at 215 in Division 1.
Sapp's run to the finals was an impressive one, as she scored two straight pins to start the state meet, then defeated Franklin's Kennedy Perez, the bracket's top seed, by a 13-2 major decision in the semifinals. In the championship match, Sapp ran into old nemesis Gracey Barry of Grand Haven, who defeated her in both the district and regional finals and was a state runner-up last season. This time, Sapp battled Barry for six hotly-contested minutes, but came up just short in a 4-3 decision. The good news for Sapp, who had an outstanding freshman campaign, is that Barry is a senior and won't be in her way in 2026.
"Making the finals as a freshman is an incredible feat," Zeerip said. "Kassie had a really good weekend."
Cook, undefeated entering the state tournament, had championship aspirations but settled for an impressive third-place finish and 48-1 season record to cap his career. He made Rocket history as the program's first-ever four-time all-state wrestler and will graduate as the all-time team leader in wins. After two straight wins to get rolling in the meet, Cook met his match in Davison's Tanner McDunnah, who edged Cook 4-3 in the semifinals. Cook bounced back with a consolation win, then squeaked by Brighton's Xander Courneya 4-3 in the third-place match.
Pelton finished up one of the best careers in the short history of girls
wrestling in Muskegon County with her fifth-place finish. A four-time
state qualifier and the first county girl to achieve 100 career wins,
Pelton had the misfortune of running into four-time state champion Margaret Buurma of Fowlerville in the quarterfinals. She scored a first-period pin in the blood round and later pinned Grant's Markie Davis to take fifth.
Montague's Ava Pelton grapples with Portage Northern's Harleigh Toepfer during a consolation match Friday at Ford Field. Pelton picked up a pin victory to secure her all-state spot and ultimately finished in 5th place.
"Ava wrestled great the entire state tournament," Montague coach Kris Maddox said. "Her weight class was
loaded with multiple state placers and former state champions...Ava has bested four different state finalists in her career."
Leeke fought his way through the consolation bracket after taking a quarterfinal defeat. After a blood-round decision victory, Leeke won again by technical fall. After being sent to the fifth-place match, Leeke capped his season with a 9-6 victory over Allegan's Ryan Sparks.
Zeerip said Leeke achieving his spot as a sophomore was impressive and that the best is yet to come.
"He wrestles at a really high pace and wears guys out a lot," Zeerip said. "He'll keep climbing that podium."
Leeke's teammate, Craner, spent much of the season sparring with him and believes Leeke will be the next Viking state champion.
"Liam isn't only a good practice partner for me, he's one of my best friends," Craner said. "I know he's worked really hard...I'm really glad for him."
Thommen took the hard way to placing seventh, winning consecutive consolation matches after a first-round defeat. In his seventh-place match against Tri-County's Tristan Vantimmeren, Thommen avenged a district finals loss by wrestling "a perfect game plan," Maddox said, and earned an 8-3 victory. He ended the season with a 42-8 record.
Secrest rounded out local all-state wrestlers, scoring consecutive consolation wins after a first-round loss to secure his placement.
Earning single wins at the state meet before falling in the blood round were Whitehall's Caden Varela and Montague's Taylor Moore. Zeerip said Varela wrestled all season with a torn labrum (he wore a protective sleeve over one shoulder all year) and credited him with displaying impressive toughness.
"I couldn't be prouder of him and his career," Zeerip said of Varela.
Whitehall's Cody Manzo and Billy Darke Jr., Montague's Isaac French and Maverick Osborne, and Reeths-Puffer's Max Knowlton each also competed at the state meet and posted 0-2 records. Darke reaching state as a freshman at a high weight class (215 pounds) was a great feat in itself, and Manzo, Zeerip said, was in a good position in both his matches and just came up short.
"If a couple scrambles go differently, he's probably on the podium," Zeerip said.
