Meet the Holland Sentinel All-Area Wrestling Team, boys and girls
A look at the Holland Sentinel All-Area Wrestling Team, featuring both the boys and girls.
Here is a look at the team:
Tyler Block
SCHOOL: Hamilton
GRADE: Sophomore
CLASS: 165
ON THE MATS: Went 25-13. Finished fourth at district to qualify for regionals.
COACH'S VIEW: "Tyler wrestles with a lot of heart and grit. He never gives up no matter the circumstance." - Trenton Holyfield
Israel Castro
SCHOOL: Holland
GRADE: Senior
CLASS: 144
ON THE MATS: Finished 41-8. Lost in the district blood round.
COACH'S VIEW: "Israel is the embodiment of excellence on and off the mat. Israel not only excels in wrestling, but also radiates integrity, hard work, and kindness. Israel was the 144 lb Conference Champion and a 100 win wrestler who had an incredible journey during his tenure filled with success." - Nick Lewin
Jacob Chase
SCHOOL: Hamilton
GRADE: Junior
CLASS: 157
ON THE MATS: Finished 37-10. Took second at districts and fourth at regionals to qualify for state.
COACH'S VIEW: "Jake is very dedicated to wrestling. His conditioning is the best on our team." - Trenton Holyfield
Aiden Chavez
SCHOOL: Zeeland West
GRADE: Sophomore
CLASS: 106
ON THE MATS: Went 25-7. Was OK Green Conference champ and a state qualifier.
COACH'S VIEW: "Aiden has put a lot of off-season work in, and it showed this season. The future is bright for Aiden and we look forward to watching him achieve his goals." - Cody Stewart
Shane Dams
SCHOOL: Hamilton
GRADE: Junior
CLASS: 215
ON THE MATS: Went 16-5 overall. Finished second at districts to qualify for regionals.
COACH'S VIEW: "Shane is a strong and technical wrestler. He understands all positions very well." - Trenton Holyfield
Ben DeLost
SCHOOL: Zeeland East
GRADE: Sophomore
CLASS: 150
ON THE MATS: Went 25-14. Won OK Green Conference title.
COACH'S VIEW: "Ben followed up a promising freshman year with a successful sophomore campaign. Ben really started to find his stride toward the end of year resulting in a Conference Championship and a tough loss in the blood round at Districts losing to eventual state qualifier Rickey Lynch from Plainwell. I am confident Ben will be able to ride that momentum into his junior year." - Marty Landes
Gavin Drenten
SCHOOL: Zeeland East
GRADE: Junior
CLASS: 138
ON THE MATS: Went 45-4. Won the OK Green Conference title, won districts, was regional runner-up and finished sixth at state to earn all-state honors.
COACH'S VIEW: "Gavin has been the pacesetter for our team for the past few years. Gavin leads by example in the room and you can see that all of our wrestlers around his weight have improved each year. Gavin’s success is built upon his work ethic and drive to succeed. His goal was higher on the podium this year but a potential injury impacted his State Tournament. Considering his limitations he still wrestled well against State Champions, Runner-ups, and former returning State Champions. His senior year should be a fun one to watch." - Marty Landes
Alessandro Fillmore
SCHOOL: Holland
GRADE: Senior
CLASS: 285
ON THE MATS: Finished 37-15. Qualified for state and finished 12th.
COACH'S VIEW: "He is a heavyweight powerhouse whose presence commands the attention to all foes. With an impressive season he finished his career at ford field at the state finals. Allesandros journey is more than a series of victories; it’s a testament to his unwavering commitment and tireless dedication to the sport and his teammates." - Nick Lewin
Dylan Flores
SCHOOL: Holland
GRADE: Junior
CLASS: 215
ON THE MATS: Went 21-7 and finished tied for 12th in the state. Won OK Green Conference title.
COACH'S VIEW: "Dylan is renowned for his unstoppable strength and fierce competitive spirit. His will to overcome a serious injury and still qualify for the state finals shows a lot about his character and grit." - Nick Lewin
James Foster
SCHOOL: West Ottawa
GRADE: Sophomore
CLASS: 144
ON THE MATS: Went 35-13, finishing second in the OK Red, fourth at districts to qualify for regionals.
COACH'S VIEW: "James did an amazing job for us this year, having a complete turn around from his freshman year to his sophomore year. He was chosen as a team captain as a sophomore. He led the team with the most wins, pins, and team points this year." - Mathias Sarli
Remington Foster
SCHOOL: Hamilton
GRADE: Senior
CLASS: 190
ON THE MATS: Finished 36-10. Took second at districts and regionals to qualify for state for the second year in a row.
COACH'S VIEW: "Remy wrestles very physical and tough. He is very strong in all positions." - Trenton Holyfield
Diana Garcia
SCHOOL: Fennville
GRADE: Senior
CLASS: 105
ON THE MATS: Finished 16-10 and third at regionals before becoming first girls state qualifier for Blackhawks.
COACH'S VIEW: "In only her 2nd year of wrestling, she accomplished something that has never been done at Fennville. She was the first girls' state qualifier in school history," - Steve Fries
Anthony Jaramillo
SCHOOL: West Ottawa
GRADE: Senior
CLASS: 132
ON THE MATS: Went 28-14. Took fourth in the OK Red and lost in the blood round at Division 1 districts.
COACH'S VIEW: "Anthony had a great career at West Ottawa and is one that you wish you could have back for another year. He led by example and put in the extra work that helped him become a tremendous wrestler at West Ottawa. Though we hope his journey isn't over with wrestling and we hope to see him compete at the next level." - Mathias Sarli
Malachi Kapenga
SCHOOL: Hamilton
GRADE: Junior
CLASS: 120
ON THE MATS: Finished 42-4. Won districts was second at regionals and eighth at state to earn all-state honors.
COACH'S VIEW: "Malachi's commitment to wrestling is unmatched. He is always looking for areas of improvement in his wrestling." - Trenton Holyfield
Emmaline Kouw
SCHOOL: Zeeland West
GRADE: Freshman
CLASS: 110
ON THE MATS: Finished 20-14 overall, missed qualifying for state by one match.
COACH'S VIEW: " Emmaline was the only girl in the Dux wrestling team this season. Despite this, she worked hard with some of the toughest wrestlers in the room. Emmaline was just one match away from qualifying for the state tournament this year. She is now looking forward to next season and hoping to make it to the podium at Ford Field." - Cody Stewart
JJ Ledford
SCHOOL: Zeeland East
GRADE: Freshman
CLASS: 113
ON THE MATS: Went 43-3. Won the OK Green Conference title, won districts and regionals and finished third at state to earn all-state honors, the highest freshman placer in Chix history.
COACH'S VIEW: "JJ had an amazing freshman campaign – actually the best in Zeeland East history. JJ is simple an artist with his technique on the mat. He never panics even in bad situations and simple just wrestles through all situations to come out on top. His positional awareness and technique have been honed by his years of experience in club and national tournaments. His only losses this year were to the D2 113lb State Champion and State Runner-up as well as the D4 106 State Champion. JJ has a bright future for the East Wrestling team and I am sure he will continue to re-write many of our other season and career records." - Marty Landes
Trace Lopez
SCHOOL: Hamilton
GRADE: Freshman
CLASS: 165
ON THE MATS: Went 38-7. Took third at districts to qualify for regionals.
COACH'S VIEW: "Trace is very gifted in his strength and athletic ability. His effort on the mat is unquestioned." - Trenton Holyfield
Bryce Morrison
SCHOOL: Hamilton
GRADE: Sophomore
CLASS: 132
ON THE MATS: Went 24-5 overall. Took third at districts, fourth at regionals and surged to fifth at state to earn all-state honors.
COACH'S VIEW: "Malachi's commitment to wrestling is unmatched. He is always looking for areas of improvement in his wrestling." - Trenton Holyfield
Kham Phothisan
SCHOOL: Zeeland West
GRADE: Senior
CLASS: 120
ON THE MATS: Went 16-8. Qualified for regionals.
COACH'S VIEW: "Kham has been a great leader for our young room. He has battled adversity all season long and set a great example for the young guys with his work ethic. Kham’s presence will be missed in our room next season." - Cody Stewart
Aiden Segovia
SCHOOL: Holland
GRADE: Sophomore
CLASS: 113
ON THE MATS: Went 39-13. Qualified in regionals before losing in the blood round, one match from making state.
COACH'S VIEW: "Aiden was just short of qualifying for the state tournament. Aiden beat many ranked, and all state wrestlers this season. Aiden was the Traverse City Holiday Tournament Champion, the Portage Northern Corey Fuller Invitations champion, and also went undefeated during some team tournaments. Aiden is the embodiment of dedication and resilience on the wrestling mat and his dedication and unwavering determination has demonstrated some really big wins this season." - Nick Lewin
Andreas Valkema
SCHOOL: Holland
GRADE: Sophomore
CLASS: 175
ON THE MATS: Went 36-18. Won the OK Green and finished 12th at the state tournament.
COACH'S VIEW: "Andreas is a great combination of agility, strength, and finesse to outmaneuver opponents and emerge victorious time and time again. Andreas is a dependable hard working teammate who comes up big during high stake competitions." - Nick Lewin
Abrielle VanderZwaag
SCHOOL: West Ottawa
GRADE: Junior
CLASS: 155
ON THE MATS: Finished one match away from qualifying for the state tournament.
COACH'S VIEW: "Abby is an amazing wrestler. Unfortunately due to injuries this season, she wasn't able to be at full strength. Though her best wrestling was toward the end of the season where she was only one win away from making it to state despite her injuries." - Mathias Sarli
Kaydence Vesper
SCHOOL: Holland
GRADE: Senior
CLASS: 120
ON THE MATS: Finished 6-3. Was ill and unable to compete at regionals where she was favored to qualify for the state tournament for the third time.
COACH'S VIEW: "Kaydence is a trailblazer for our wrestling program and a force to be reckoned with on the wrestling mat. As the first girl to qualify for the state championship in our school’s history, she shattered barriers with her fearless spirit and toughness." - Nick Lewin
Le'Anna Zavala
SCHOOL: West Ottawa
GRADE: Sophomore
CLASS: 170
ON THE MATS: Finished 19-10 overall. Finished second at regionals and sixth at state to earn all-state honors.
COACH'S VIEW: "Le'Anna is all grit and she hates to lose. She made a heck of a run at regionals, upsetting the #2 ranked girl in the state. Then at State, she was just one win shy from being in the State finals. She is a force to be reckoned with. Le'Anna is now a two-time placer." - Mathias Sarli
Second Team
Gabe Amid, Zeeland East
Marcus Delgado, West Ottawa
Ethan Goodwin, Hamilton
Gerrit Hartman, Zeeland West
Damion Jordan, Holland
Romeo Keels, Holland
Alexzandir Kladder, West Ottawa
Joey Klein, Hamilton
Tommy Le, Zeeland East
Joel Morin, Holland
Brandon Olsen, Hamilton
Michael Olsen, Hamilton
Eli Ramsey, Hamilton
Elia Ruiz, Fennville
Julian Segovia, Holland
Austin Ulberg, Zeeland West
Anders Tibbs, Zeeland East
Broden VanWieren, Hamilton
Jacob Williams, Fennville
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Meet the Holland Sentinel All-Area Wrestling Team, boys and girls
