Owen Foster, Gavin Drenten win districts, lead 11 local wrestlers to regionals
West Ottawa wrestler Owen Foster made some school history on Saturday, becoming the first wrestler to win back-to-back district titles in a decade.
He received a bye in the first round and went on to win all of his matches, including the first place match against Jaxon Siler of Hudsonville.
Foster was one of 11 local boys wrestlers to advance to individual regionals.
It was the first repeat district title since Miguel Correa accomplished the feat in 2013.
With his second district title in hand, Foster now sets his sights on the regional competition, where he will look to continue his winning ways.
"Owen Foster's historic win in securing his second district championship was a testament to his determination and skill on the mat. He truly delivered a dominant performance and has set a high bar for future West Ottawa wrestlers to strive towards," said West Ottawa coach Ryan Lancaster. "I also want to acknowledge and thank the senior class who competed in their final high school wrestling event on Saturday. Payton Vanbuskirk, Baylin Vanderwal, Alias Mao, and Vincent Jang each leave behind a lasting legacy in the program, having dedicated so much time and effort to the sport."
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Zeeland East competed at the Division 2 individual districts in Allendale.
Gavin Drenten continued East's five-year streak of having a district champion by winning the District Championship at 126.
Drenton started the day by defeating Killian Prewitt of Fremont by pin at 0:50 in the quarterfinals. Prewitt would finish the day in 4th overall. Gavin then defeated Otsego's Brendon Bohl in the semifinals by pin at 5:35. Bohl was ranked by Michigangrappler at 16th in the state.
The final saw Gavin defeat Bryce Morrison of Hamilton by a score of 12-5. Morrison was ranked by Michigangrappler at seventh in the state. Morrison also qualified for regionals.
With his title and victories Drenton has extended his season record to 44-1 on the season.
For Holland, Luis Barajas ended up taking third place out of 16 wrestlers, and Isreal Castro ended up taking fourth out of 18 wrestlers to qualify for regionals.
"Today is always a hard day when some of the seniors wrestle their last match. Mikey Vallejo, Josh Mendoza, and Gustavo Alonzo ended their high school wrestling career today. These guys have been the heart and soul of the team for years. These young men have put in many long hours and a lot hard work over the years. These seniors will be missed for the days to come. We appreciate everything they have done for the program," Holland coach Nick Lewin said.
Hamilton's Jacob Chase made the semifinals and took fourth at 144.
Remington Foster took third at 190 to qualify for regionals, snagging his 100th career win along the way.
Shane Dams was district runner-up at 215 to advance, falling in a close 3-2 decision to Allendale's Leyton Detter.
Hamilton's Malachi Kapenga was runner-yp at 113, defeated in the finals by Jack Guerrero of Allendale by a 5-1 decision.
Ethan Goodwin won a 5-2 decision in the third-place match to advance.
Branden Olsen took third at 138 to qualify.
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Owen Foster, Gavin Drenten win districts, lead 11 local wrestlers to regionals
