WHAT HAPPENED:

The Grand Haven wrestling team dueled against Hudsonville last night in its home gym for Bucs Pride night. The purple match not only brought families and friends to the match but also featured a special appearance from a few retired army veterans.  From the very beginning, the Bucs came out as a dominating force, with an astonishing six pins in a row. Leading the team to a victory with an end score of 65-14.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN:

This particular win feels even sweeter than any other win for these boys. They were able to overtake Hudsonville, something that hasn’t been done for three years, but to have that victory on pride night, winning for the people on the back of their uniforms means everything to these Bucs. Now that the boys have this win under their belts, they’re hoping to keep it going for their future conference meet, more importantly, to come back and beat Rockford. 

KEY PLAYERS:

• Senior Ben Hanna shocked the audience with a pin in his heavyweight category. 
• Senior Alec Spangler who at the start of the match came off losing came back and was able to beat his competitor with a pin. 

KEY MOMENT: 

For the Bucs’ last night, the moment that stood out was the very first match of the dual. When Dayne Arnett won with a pin right off the bat. This victory not only meant that the Bucs gain major points from the start, but the win sparked an extra boost of energy and confidence for the bench, that stayed with them throughout the night. 

THEY SAID IT:

“Pride night is important because it reminds us that we are not wrestling for ourselves, but for the names on our back. Wrestling for somebody makes everything mean so much more,” Senior Bronsen Jewell said. 

WHAT’S NEXT:

The boys will be traveling this weekend, Saturday, Jan. 25 to face Kalamazoo Central at 9:30 a.m for the Kalamazoo Central invite.