Howell Puts Heart Into Memorial Meet

KENT CITY – The summer before his freshman year, Kent City’s Sammy Anderson admittedly was unsure of his potential as a wrestler.  

That all changed, however, when the season began and a talented group of seniors altered the course of Anderson’s future on the mat.

“We went to a CMU camp in July and to be honest, I was not very confident in myself,” Anderson said. “From there, I didn’t know how my first high school season was going to go, but there were a ton of great seniors that really pushed me and motivated me to be the best I could be at this sport.

“Those seniors gave me a lot of confidence, and I just kept working hard throughout the season and I made it to state and found out that I could be good if I kept working hard at it.”

Kent City wrestling coach Chad Kik remembers those seniors showing Anderson the ropes and helping guide him through his first season.

“When he hit the high school scene he was in a good situation to learn,” Kik said. “We had a good handful of upperclassmen he got to work out with during those first two years in the room.

“He’s taken on their approach to wrestling, as well as learning lessons as far as work ethic and how to be a leader from them.”

Fast forward to Anderson’s senior year, as he has blossomed into one of the top wrestlers at 126 pounds in Division 3.

Earlier this month, Anderson reached a career milestone while competing at the Fruitport Legends Tournament.

Anderson went 5-0 on the day, winning his final match 10-6 against an opponent who had beaten him at Regionals last year, to earn a career milestone with his 150th win.

He became the 14th wrestler in school history to accomplish the feat and attributes his success to that group of seniors.

“It’s a pretty nice milestone to hit, and a bunch of the seniors from my freshman year really pushed me to be really good in the sport,” Anderson said. “I wanted to be like them, and wanted to get to 150 and maybe even surpass them.”

Anderson owns a 165-36 overall record, including 35-4 this winter as he eyes a return to the Individual Finals.

“He has a great demeanor for wrestling,” Kik said. “He never gets too high after a win, or too low after a loss. He keeps things in perspective. He’s very good at going back and analyzing the things he needs to work on or what went wrong. He’s able to move forward rather quickly, and he’s fun to watch.

“He’s constantly in motion, constantly on the attack and he wears down a lot of opponents, because he just comes at you.”

After his early success, Anderson failed to qualify for the Finals as a sophomore with a one-point loss in the blood round at Regionals.

While disappointing, he used that tough loss to refocus.

“I was trying to make state again and, unfortunately, took that loss, which happens,” Anderson said. “It just drove me and motivated me a lot more for my junior year, and I wanted to do well that year.

“Coach always preaches to keep moving forward and don't look back. Every tough match has a purpose, and take it as an opportunity to grow yourself, learn from it and do better next time.”

Anderson rebounded with a terrific campaign last winter and garnered fifth place at 120 pounds to achieve all-state status.

“He had that setback his sophomore year, but he came back strong and was focused on getting back to state,” Kik said. “He had an incredible state meet, and it’s been fun to watch him grow.

“This year he has a chance to be District and Regional champ and set himself up for a top-four seeding to hopefully make a run.”

Anderson has been the catalyst for a squad that is currently ranked No. 10 in Division 3.

The Eagles won the Kent City Kickoff Classic to open the season and claimed the top honor at last week’s Hopkins Invitational.

They also took third at the 20-team Kent County Classic, finishing behind only Rockford and Byron Center.

“I think we had high expectations coming into the season,” Kik said. “We returned quite a few from last year with some new additions that have been helping our team as well.

“We set goals of conference champs, District champs and then contending for a Regional championship. Those are our goals every year, and we thought coming in we had a good chance to put ourselves in position to try and achieve those goals.”

Kent City achieved one of them Wednesday night by clinching the Central States Athletic Association title with victories over Reed City and Central Montcalm to finish the league dual schedule with an unbeaten record.

The Eagles have four wrestlers with more than 30 wins so far, including Anderson, Dylan Russo (106), Sam Kik (113) and Adam Hunter (138).

Jayden Loomis-Sandison (144), Travis Pike (132), Hunter Gustinis (150), Victor Vasquez (157) and Jackson Carr (165) all have won 23 or more matches.

“At the beginning of the season there were some pretty high expectations,” Anderson said. “This is one of the best teams we've had in a minute, I think, and I think we can go far this season.

“I’ve been trying to be a leader and push the guys in the room that don’t have as much experience, and I think we can make a run in the postseason if we stay healthy and things can go our way.”

The Eagles will meet Grant in Team Districts next month with Newaygo and Fremont on the other side of the bracket.

“If we continue to grind and wrestle the way we have,” Chad Kik said, “then I think we have a chance to do well in the postseason.”

Dean Holzwarth has covered primarily high school sports for Grand Rapids-based WOOD-TV for five years after serving at the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years along with shorter stints at the Ionia Sentinel and WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties. 

PHOTOS (Top) Kent City’s Sammy Anderson works to break his opponent’s grasp during a match this season. (Middle) The Eagles take a team photo after winning their Kent City Kickoff Classic. (Photos courtesy of the Kent City wrestling program.)