This week, the Rangers started their season off going 2-1. The boys traveled to Byron Center to face three opponents to kick off the season. The Rangers started their night off against the East Grand Rapids Pioneers. The Pioneers only had five wrestlers on their team, therefore the boys were able to breeze by East with the 9 voids that they gave up. This gained the boys six points each time East Grand Rapids did not have a wrestler in a weight class.

Following a commanding 69-4 win, the boys faced the Grand Rapids Christian Eagles. The Eagles also had six voids where they did not have wrestlers in specific weight classes. That was a big help in the boys’ commanding 74-4 win, but sophomore Blake Jacobs had a huge pin as well to gain a comfortable lead. Although the Rangers were able to beat both of their first opponents, their toughest challenge came last.

For the Rangers’ last match of the day, they faced off against their toughest opponent yet, Byron Center. The match was a back and forth battle as both teams had several top-tier wrestlers. Senior Isaac Gurley started the match off strong by getting a huge pin for the Rangers early on. Also, freshman Greyson Ripmaster made a huge impact and gave the team another burst of energy as he got a pin in his first varsity match. Although the boys battled hard, the Bulldogs were victorious in the end 51-21.

The boys are now 2-1 in their regular-season record, as well as their conference record. Next up, the boys varsity wrestling team travels to Sparta for an out-of-conference quad this Saturday at 10:00 AM.