Pirates Earn Statement Road Win, Bengel Reaches 1,000-Points
Bengel Reaches 1000pt Milestone
Pewamo-Westphalia made the trip to Grand Rapids on Tuesday night and delivered a performance packed with milestones, clutch moments, and a signature victory.
The celebration started almost immediately. In the opening moments of the game, senior Elly Bengel etched her name into the record books by scoring her 1,000th career point, a testament to the consistency and impact she has had on the Pirate program. The historic basket gave PW an early surge of energy and set the tone for what would become a hard-fought night.
Facing a Division 2 state-ranked Grand Rapids Catholic Central squad on its home floor, the Pirates built a lead but had to withstand a furious Cougar comeback in the second half. Catholic Central battled all the way back to tie the game at 53–53 in the closing seconds, creating a pressure-packed finish.
With just three seconds remaining, Alonna Thelen stepped to the free-throw line and delivered in the biggest moment of the night, calmly knocking down two clutch free throws to lift PW to a 55–53 victory.
The Pirates were powered by a balanced and relentless effort on both ends of the floor:
Adrianna Eklund led the way with 21 points and 10 rebounds, recording a dominant double-double.
Elly Bengel finished with 13 points and 4 steals, capping her milestone night in winning fashion.
Elyse Thelen added 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals, providing key plays throughout the contest.
The win stands as one of PW’s most impressive results of the season — a road victory over a ranked opponent, highlighted by a career milestone and late-game poise.
The Pirates continue to build momentum as they head into the final stretch of the season, showing once again their ability to perform in big moments against top competition.
All the Action: Results & Schedules
Last Week’s Results
Girls Basketball:
W 47-34 at Laingsburg: Adrianna Eklund 14pts, & Alonna Thelen 12pts.
W 49-24 at Bath: Clinched a share of the CMAC title behind Elly Bengel’s team leading 13 points.
Boys Basketball:
Clinched a CMAC league championship with a 71-33 victory over Laingsburg. Logan Farmer 21pts, Grady Eklund 16pts, & Tyler Spitzley 7pts.
W 72-37 at Bath: Grady Eklund 30pts, Trent Piggott 9pts, & Luke Martin 8pts.
W 72-54 vs. Kalamazoo Phoenix: Grady Eklund 31pts, Logan Farmer 13pts, & Trent Piggott 9pts.
Wrestling Regionals:
Luke Paxton qualifies for the individual MHSAA state finals, following a 30 second pin on the #4 ranked wrestler in the state. This will be Lukes third straight finals appearance. He will wrestle at Ford Field on March 6-7th.
Bowling:
Started the week with a 28-2 win on Senior Night, celebrating senior Sam Simon.
Team Regionals: Team finished 3rd at regionals with 3,160 total pins. They had a season high Baker (257), and a strong performance in the Peterson format with back-to-back 800+ games.
Individual Regionals: Sam Simon tied for 6th place to advance to the state finals at Skore Lanes on Saturday 2/28. Other Results (out of 59 bowlers): Ryan Klingbiel 11th, Ben Rehman 24th, Will Pung 25th, Brady Thelen 29th, Gracin Stowell 41st. The top 7 bowlers advance to the state finals.
Cheerleading Districts:
The Pirate Cheer team won a district championship at Vassar, scoring a season high 780.08!
All the Action: Scores & What’s Next
Last Week’s Results
Girls Basketball:
W 65-9 at Dansville: Adrianna Eklund & Elly Bengel 13pts. Team with 11 three pointers.
W 71-29 vs. Potterville: Elly Bengel 28pts, & Adrianna Eklund 17pts.
Boys Basketball:
W 60-14 vs. Dansville (Senior Night): Logan Farmer 13pts, Tyler Spitzley 8pts, & Josh Bengel 7pts.
W 78-44 at Potterville: Trent Piggott 16pts, Grady Eklund 16pts, & Ty Thelen 14pts.
W 70-46 vs. Detroit Country Day: Grady Eklund 20pts, Logan Farmer 17pts, & Trent Piggott 12pts.
Wrestling:
Luke Paxton placed 4th and will head to Regionals! Deagan Thurlow won a match, then was defeated. Eli Wieber pinned the conference champion in his first match, and lost his second. Gavin & Deegan Bearup and Luke Schneider lost their first match, ending their great seasons.
Bowling:
Team defeated Coleman with season high scores of 919 and 840. Notable scores: Sam Simon 199, Brady Thelen 197, Ryan Klingbiel 193, Will Pung 191, Ben Rehman 188, Owen Thelen 185.
Cheerleading:
Team took first place at the Comstock Park Invitational on Wednesday. On Saturday, they earned a D4 season high score of 765.24 taking first place in their division, and second overall at the Grandville Invitational!
Grady Eklund’s Big Season Earns Spot on Mr. Basketball Watch List
Pewamo-Westphalia senior forward Grady Eklund has been named a contender for MLive’s 2025–26 Mr. Basketball award. A Northwood commit, Eklund recently became P-W’s all-time leading scorer and is putting together a huge senior season, averaging 20.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.7 steals per game. He has the Pirates sitting first in the CMAC and ranked No. 2 in Division 3 according to BCAM.
The 2025–26 MLive Mr. Basketball Watch List highlights the top senior players across Michigan. The list also includes Braden James of Grand Ledge (Wayne State commit) and KJ Torbert of East Lansing (Bowling Green commit).
Other players named to the watch list include: Jaylohn Allen (Wayne Memorial), Jake Bascom (Rockford), Jaylin Cooper (Saginaw Heritage), RJ Chapman (East Kentwood), Jovaan Daniels (Hudsonville), Adam Dugener (Freeland), Greg Grays (Brother Rice), Steven Jones (Detroit King), James Martin (Muskegon), Cam Ryans (Northview), Isaiah Theodore (Kalamazoo Central), and Jacob Plamondon (Glen Lake).
All the Action: Scores & Schedules
Last Week’s Results
Girls Basketball:
W 63-24 vs. Saranac: Alonna Thelen 13pts, Adrianna Eklund 11pts, & Elly Bengel 11pts.
W 62-31 vs. Fowler: Elyse Thelen 16pts, & Adrianna Eklund 15pts
Boys Basketball:
W 77-28 at Saranac: Grady Eklund 25pts, Logan Farmer 11pts, & Cam Nurenberg 10pts.
W 55-46 at Fowler: Grady Eklund 28pts, Ty Thelen 6pts, Logan Farmer 6pts, & Sam Thelen 6pts.
Wrestling:
Team placed 4th in the CMAC Tournament. Luke Paxton 1st, Alaina Driver 2nd, Domenica Guzman 2nd, Deegan Bearup 3rd, Luke Schneider 3rd, Deagan Thurlow 3rd, Carter Osborn 4th, Eli Wieber 4th.
From P-W to Portland: Coach Luke Pohl Earns 500th Career Victory
Portland High School Head Coach Luke Pohl earned his 500th career victory Friday night with a 44–31 win over Parma Western, a milestone celebrated with many Pewamo-Westphalia alumni in attendance. Pohl has recorded 59 wins at Portland High to date.
Before his time in Portland, Pohl coached at Pewamo-Westphalia for 39 years, including 23 seasons as the varsity head coach. During that span, he compiled 441 victories and guided P-W to an incredible 21 consecutive seasons with 15 or more wins — the longest such streak in Michigan — highlighted by a state championship in 2019.
Beyond the wins, Coach Pohl is known for the values he instilled in his players. Two of the messages he preached most often were: “To those who have much, much is expected.” and “Always look out for those who are struggling or at a disadvantage. Help those who need help.”
Ty Thelen Commits to Northwood University Football
Pewamo-Westphalia senior QB/ATH Ty Thelen has committed to continue his football career at Northwood University. During his senior season, Thelen delivered a historic performance for the (11-1) Pirates, passing for 1,337 yards and a school-record 33 touchdowns. He was equally dynamic on the ground, recording 157 rushing attempts for 1,324 yards and 23 touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, Thelen added seven interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.
His outstanding season earned him multiple statewide honors, including MHSFCA All-State First Team Defensive Back, Detroit Free Press First Team Quarterback, and All-State Quarterback selections by both the Associated Press and Detroit News. Additional 2025 accolades include CMAC First Team Quarterback and Defensive Back, CMAC Offensive Player of the Year, Lansing State Journal Dream Team Quarterback, and MHSFCA All-Region selections at both quarterback and defensive back.
Thelen also set many school records, including passing touchdowns in a season (33) and passing touchdowns in a single game (five vs. Bath; four vs. North Muskegon). He also ranks among Pewamo-Westphalia’s all-time leaders in several single season categories, placing fourth in passing attempts (147), third in passing yards (1,337), third in completions (75), fourth in interceptions (7).