Reeths-Puffer wrestlers Jake Rozycki and Nathan Stafford earned their first trips to the individual state finals with strong performances at Division 1 regionals on Saturday, while teammate Ian Cook earned his third trip to the finals.
Rozycki and Cook each finished in third place in their respective weight classes while Stafford finished fourth. The top four in each weight class advanced to the state finals.
Jake Rozycki
Rozycki, a sophomore, won two of his first three matches at 120 pounds, nailing down a berth at state, then finished his day by defeating Jenison’s Tomaz Mendez 10-0 in the third-place match. Rozycki is now 48-3 on the season.
Cook, a junior battling in the very tough 132-pound division against five top-ranked wrestlers in the state, won his first match, lost his second by a single point, then won a pair of grueling 1-0 matches to finish his day. Cook, who is also 48-3 on the season, beat Kaleb Smith-Baldwin 1-0 in the third-place match.
Ian Cook
Stafford, a scrappy senior heavyweight with a 37-15 record, won his first match, lost his second, then won his third match over Muskegon’s Malik Thompson 5-2 to secure his first trip to the state finals. He went on to lose the third-place match and ended the day with a 2-2 record.
The MHSAA state finals will be March 1-2 at Detroit's Ford Field.
R-P junior Arin Maynard, the Rockets’ fourth regional qualifier, finished 1-2 on Saturday and missed out on the state finals at 106 pounds. He finished his season with a 41-10 record.
Nathan Stafford
“I am so proud of each of these guys and how they battled today,” said R-P Coach Jared Fleming. “Everyone is good at a tournament like this, and it comes down to who is mentally ready to take that next step. I’m so happy for Jake, Ian and Stafford representing the R-P community well heading into the state tournament. Arin had a tremendous season, as well, and has nothing to be ashamed of.”
