By BUTH HARMON
Meridian heavyweight wrestler Eric Fader responded with a big “oorah!” when asked to talk about the Division 3 state championship he had just won at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
That’s because he was not only stoked about winning a state title in overtime against an undefeated wrestler, but also because he will be leaving to become a United States Marine when school gets out this spring.
Fader, who ended his season with a 48-5 record, defeated Glenn Geurink of Allendale 7-6 in overtime in the 285-pound final. The loss was the first of the season for Geurink, who came in with a 46-0 record.
“I just wanted to go out and to do my best,” Fader said. “I had to grind it out, do some set ups, and hit my blast double.”
Fader did just that in a match that went back and forth and then went to overtime.
Fader received a boost of confidence from an assistant coach who told him that he had defeated Geurink the previous summer in a tournament match. “I just found out a few days ago that I had beaten him during the summer,” Fader said.
The win was a little bittersweet for Fader. “I felt bad at the end, because I knew this was going to be the last time I wrestled,” he said. “It’s been my whole life, being out on the mat and wrestling. I’m going into the Marines now.”
A big oorah to that!