Whitehall picked up a couple of dramatic victories Saturday to win
the championship at the Rockford Duals, which featured top competition.
In
the finals, the Vikings defeated Division 1 No. 8 Temperance Bedford
43-31. Three pins - by Tanner Woodworth, Billy Darke and Robert Belinger
- and a forfeit in four consecutive bouts proved to be the
decisive stretch of the match.
Liam Leeke and Cody Manzo also
earned pin victories against Bedford. Max Krukowski won a bout by major
decision and Kolten Weiler won a decision.
Whitehall also won
an exciting match over Greenville during the meet, 39-31. There were
several lead changes in the match, but Darke's pin at 285 pounds put the
Vikings ahead for good. Belinger took the final bout, at 106, facing
Carter Giles, a top-5 ranked opponent, and merely needed to last all six
minutes to secure the team win; instead, he picked up an impressive 5-3
victory, finishing the Vikings' triumph with a flourish.
Whitehall also defeated Jackson Northwest (47-28), Zeeland East (64-12) and Stevensville Lakeshore (52-19).
Darke,
Leeke and Manzo were the Vikings' top performers in the meet, each
racking up 5-0 records. Darke pinned all five of his opponents, and
Leeke scored three pins and two technical falls. Manzo won twice by pin
and picked up a technical fall and two major decisions.
Also for Whitehall, Max Krukowski, Blake Wallace and Dom Zygmuntowski each went 4-1.
"They
all showed up in prime condition today, showed who they are and what
they're capable of," the Whitehall program posted to Facebook. "Such an
exciting day. Some of our guys brought down heavy hitters ranked higher
and in a higher division."
