Shelby’s wrestling team looks to take another step forward this year behind the leadership of its two state qualifiers from a year ago - Jaylin Henderson (who was all-state) and Brody Fessenden.
The Tiger duo has had quite a year since then, leading Shelby to a historic district title in football, and now they’ll step back on the mat looking to achieve more heroics.
“Brody and Jaylin have both matured so much mentally and physically this past season,” Shelby coach Dustin Dean said. “Brody has a tenacity and mat awareness that is a lot of fun to coach. Brody is able to understand the situation at hand and what needs to be done. Jaylin is the type of wrestler that an opponent can never rest on. Jaylin is so explosive that he can make almost anything happen. Both of these young men have grown into leaders that our wrestlers want to follow and emulate.”
The Tigers also bring back returning starters Antonio Cano and Cesar Cadena. Cano is a senior and Cadena a sophomore, but both are key cogs in the lineup, as are up-and-comers Max Hagstrom, Colin Fenton and Axel Moritz, who were all part of the Tigers’ football program this fall as well.
“These three are all seniors that I think will be integral to our lineup,” Dean said of the trio. “We have a wonderful class of freshmen that will also be fun to watch as well.”
Dean said the team hopes to bring more than two wrestlers to the individual finals at Ford Field, a goal he deems achievable if the team works for it.
Shelby is hoping to fight its way into the conversation of being atop the Rivers division portion of the West Michigan Conference, though local rival Hart boasts major credentials. That dual match is always a county highlight, and the burgeoning rivalry between Shelby and Hesperia, two tradition-rich programs, brings excitement to that annual matchup as well. The Tigers will get plenty of opportunities to match up against power programs within the WMC as well as in competitive tournaments.
The growth of the girls’ program is another reason for excitement in Shelby, as six girls are wrestling this year, four of them returners.
“I am excited about the level these young women are at right now,” Dean said. “These young women are trailblazers in our program and I am excited to see how they do this year.”
