Members of the Marquette Senior High School wrestling team pose with the trophy for capturing the title at the Marquette County Meet held at Westwood High School on Thursday. (Photo courtesy of Brandon Van Schyndel)

ISHPEMING — The wrestling team at Marquette Senior High School posted dual-meet victories over Gwinn and Negaunee to take the championship of the Marquette County Meet held at Westwood High School on Thursday.

The Sentinels opened with a 57-9 win over the Modeltowners, then in the finals, outscored the Miners 53-28.

Nine MSHS wrestlers had undefeated days — Billy Baker, Connor D’Ambrosio, Harland Dombroski, Eric Gerou, Brecken Goodwin, Etta Kudej, Trent Sadler, Beepsee Teeple and Antanie Villarello.

“I think the team performed well today, but there’s definitely things we need to improve on,” said Sadler, who is a senior. “This championship means a lot to me, as it feels great to end my career as a Marquette County champ.”

“We’ve put in a lot hard work on the mat and it show in our matches,” said Teeple, another of the Sentinels’ seniors. “It’s amazing to see the support and cheering on the bench even if it’s a win or loss.”

“Coach (Brandon) Van Schyndel’s quote of the week a few weeks ago was ‘You deserve what you earn’ and I definitely feel like we’ve put in the work to earn this championship,” Villarello said, another MSHS senior. “I’m very proud of my teammates for the hard work and effort they’ve put in tonight and this season. However, the job’s not finished for the season.”

The Marquette team — and just about every other Upper Peninsula wrestling squad — is readying for the Upper Peninsula Invitational to be held at the Sentinels’ gym at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

Story contents based on email received from Marquette Senior High School head coach Brandon Van Schyndel. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.