Throughout wrestling’s regular season Elijah Dennis reminded his Lansing Eastern coach Adam Fedewa that the junior needed a team district title.
The Quaker coach replied “keep working hard and keep pushing your teammates and you’ll get a district title.”
It took Elijah Dennis (160 pounds) just 25 seconds to pin his Sexton opponent Wednesday night. Lansing Eastern defeated Sexton, 63-18 in the district final.
Dennis and his teammates worked hard and quickly Wedenesday night in posting a 63-18 district championship win over Lansing Sexton.
“It feels good,” exclaimed Dennis. “Last year we were so close. This is the first district title since I’ve been here and it feels good.”
For the Fewewa coached Quakers it was their second district title in five years and Fedewa’s third in eight years at the helm of Lansing Eastern wrestling.
“This is the most well put together, solid, balanced team of the three district champions I’ve coached at Eastern,” Fedewa said. “I had a good feeling coming into the season because of the personnel and who was returning.”
Eastern took care of business in the district semi final with 68-3 blowout over Haslett. Meanwhile, its city rival, Sexton, outlasted Lansing Catholic 46-36.
In the finals, the Quakers jumped out to a 30-0 advantage with five consecutive pins from 103 through 125. Shukarani Nybenda (103) got things started with a pin a 1:00 of the first period. Antonio Garcia (112) followed with a third period pin at 5:28. Chris Janes (119) and Aaaron David (125) posted pins at 18 and 47 seconds respectively. Juaquin Sanchez (130) added six more when he won via a void.
For the second time in five years a Lansing Eastern wrestling team was crowned district champion. Eastern defeated Sexton 68-13 in the Division 2 district final.
Sexton won its only two matches on the mat at 135 and 140 pounds. Jamelle Peebles posted a pin at 4:51 of the third period and Greg Davenport followed with a pin at 1:10. The Big Reds only other win came via an Eastern void at 215 against D-Kwan Guerrero.
“The boys came out tonight and took care of business,” Fedewa said. The Quakers will travel to the Linden regional on Wednesday, Feb. 15 to face the South Lyon district champion in a regional semifinal. The other half will see the Fenton and Chelsea district champions face-off.
Eastern strung together five matches in row from 145-189. Ryan Tranthan, Guibensen Saint Jean and Elijah Dennis all recorded pins.
“Saturday’s loss in the conference final put me in my place and got me back to the basics (staying in position),” explained Saint Jean. “It was a good lesson for me.”
Jon Sarmiento (171) won via a void and Trever Keenan (189) scored on a reversal in the final five seconds to defeat Kyle Duke 3-1.
In the final match of the night, Travis Stouffer pinned Sexton’s Evan Galina at 16 seconds of the first period.
“This win tonight is special because this group has a legitimate shot at becoming regional champions,” Fedewa concluded.
Filed under: Lansing Eastern, Wrestling
