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MCP/OCP Sports Coverage is presented by: Baker Ford Ludington, Fresh Coast Foam, Mission Graphics, Quick-Way, Inc., Squires Chiropractic, Smith & Eddy Insurance, and VanderHaag Car Sales & Rentals.
Three Ludington High School wrestlers will advance to regionals following successful district matches over the weekend. Two of the three are female wrestlers, a first for LHS.
The Ludington boys wrestling team competed Saturday at the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s Individual District Tournament hosted in Gaylord, with sophomore Chase Gable delivering a standout performance by earning a third-place finish at 215 pounds and advancing to next week’s regional tournament in Cadillac.
Gable opened his day in the quarterfinal round, where he faced Alex Harroun of Cedar Springs. Harroun secured a fall at the 1:55 mark, sending Gable into the consolation bracket. Undeterred, Gable responded with an impressive run, beginning with a fall over Escanaba’s Robert Sobol in 1:36 during the first consolation round.
He continued his strong performance in the consolation semifinals, pinning Parker Hill of Spring Lake in just 1:18 to advance to the third-place match. In a rematch against Harroun, Gable turned the tables and secured a decisive fall in 1:38 to claim third place and earn a spot at the regional tournament.
The Ludington girls wrestling program reached a historic milestone on Sunday at Whitehall as Katie Gable and Laela Rice delivered strong performances at the Girls District Wrestling Individual Championships.
Both wrestlers placed third in their respective weight classes, earning spots in the MHSAA Girls Individual Regional Tournament — making them the first female wrestlers in Ludington school history to advance to this level.
Katy Gable opened the tournament with a first-round bye. She won by fall over Abby Willoughby of Mason County Central in just 34 seconds. Gable advanced to the semifinals, where she faced Mia Hickox of Ada Forest Hills Eastern and battled through a tough match before falling by decision, 15–9.
Gable then earned a 6–2 victory over Grace Ann Eckert of Shelby in the consolation semifinals. In the third-place match, Gable capped off her strong tournament performance with a 9–6 decision over Ashton Wright of Rockford to secure third place.
Laela Rice also earned a third-place finish after an impressive run through the bracket. She received a first-round bye and then pinned Emma Trevino of Montague in 1:56 during the quarterfinal round. She advanced to the semifinals but fell to Easton Wright of Rockford by fall at the 3:06 mark.
Rice then wrestled in the consolation bracket with a fall over Judith Santizo Lopez of Comstock Park in 1:40, earning a spot in the third-place match. She closed out her tournament with an 8–1 decision victory over Errika Herin-Balcom of Fremont to secure third place.
Several other Ludington wrestlers competed against a strong field but were unable to advance past the opening round.
At 132 pounds, Wayne Uerling fell to Gaylord’s Joseph Cummings by technical fall, 20–5. Owen Young dropped a 12–1 major decision to Coopersville’s Ethan Spytma at 138 pounds. Patrick Carsten was pinned by Marquette’s Harland Dombrowski at 157 pounds, while Corbin Duffield was pinned by Gaylord’s Brock Young at 175 pounds. At 190 pounds, Preston Nickelson was pinned by Fruitport’s Colton Smith.
In the girls meet on Sunday, Anastasia Parks competed with a strong performance, pinning Abigail “Abby” Vetitoe of Ada Forest Hills Eastern in 3:42 during the opening round. Parks advanced to the quarterfinals but was defeated by Adalyn Holmes of LeRoy Pine River by fall in 55 seconds. She continued in the consolation bracket before falling to Judith Santizo Lopez of Comstock Park by fall in 4:02.
We welcome submitted photographs. Deadline is 10 p.m. the evening of the event: sports@mediagroup31.com.
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MCP/OCP Sports Coverage is presented by:
Baker Ford Ludington, 3045 W. US 10-31, Ludington, 888-856-9116, bakerfordludington.com
Fresh Coast Foam, 7440 W. 5 Mile Rd., Irons; 231-510-9513, www.freshcoastfoam.com
Mission Graphics, 113 S. Blaine St., Scottville, 231-845-7030, mymission.graphics
Quick-Way, Inc., 1004 Conrad Industrial Dr., Ludington, 231-845-6520, qkwa.net
Smith & Eddy Insurance, serving west Michigan since 1902, 231-757-4743, smith-eddy.com
Squires Chiropractic, 414 W. US 10, Scottville; 231-757-3356, squireschiropractic.com
VanderHaag Car Sales & Rentals, 1680 W. US 10-31, Scottville, 231-757-2727,vanderhaagcarsales.com.
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