By Dan Hardenbrook
Newberry’s varsity wrestling team had one of its largest and toughest tests of the season last weekend in Manistique. The Indians were one of five teams competing in a weekend of head-to-head competition against four different opponents.
Newberry’s co-op group, also featuring wrestlers from Engadine, faced off with the host Emeralds, longtime SAC rival Rudyard, Bark River-Harris and Gwinn. It was an up and down day for the Indians, who impressed despite shorthanded numbers. The Indians were an even 2-2 overall on the day, missing a 3-1 mark after losing the match with Manistique via a tie breaker.
That meeting with the Emeralds was ultimately decided by who filled more weight classes. The Emeralds had the slight edge, with 10 wrestlers competing compared to Newberry’s 8. While the Emeralds used strength in numbers to pick up most of their points, the Indians were the better team on the mat. In the six weight classes that featured head-to-head matchups, Newberry won four and dropped two.
Winners against Manistique were Quentin Bliss, Gaijye Depew, Kamron Blau, and Craig Whalen. Aiden Hall and Bianca Briggs put up great efforts before falling to tough opponents. Both teams finished the match with 36 points.
Outside of a lopsided loss to a great Gwinn team, Newberry put up a strong showing, especially in their team wins over Rudyard and Bark River-Harris. Against the Bulldogs, it was a convincing victory 45-24 (individual wins are worth 3 or 6 points). Again, there were quite a few voided classes, but Newberry made it count in head-to-head matchups, sweeping the key showdowns with Rudyard. Depew, Gabe Hamilton, and Delaney Bliss all beat Bulldog opponents.
The battle with Bark River-Harris was another close call with both teams in the end separated by one single result. Newberry edged Bark River-Harris 30-24 behind big wins from Gabe Hamilton, Delaney Bliss, and Quentin Bliss, while earning multiple empty class victories to make a come-from-behind win.
