James Burks of Omaha Burke and Tyler Pawloski of Pleasanton are the stars of the show Saturday.
But only one of the two wrestlers bidding for their fourth state titles can go last.
That will be Pawloski. With returning champions in two of the other three classes, the NSAA elected to put Pawloski’s 132-pound weight class as the last of the 14 to be wrestled starting at 2 p.m. at CHI Health Center.
Burks, 59-0 at Class A 160, will be in the fourth round of matches and have a fuller arena to witness history. The state’s career leader in wins, with 215, after beating Omaha Westside’s Nolan Miller-Johnston 12-6 meets Columbus senior Avery McMeekin (46-7).
Pawloski (26-0) will face Neligh-Oakdale senior Andrew Herley (43-7) after beating Thayer Central’s Damian Stewart 18-3 in his semifinal.
Supporting casts will have a big impact in three of the four team races, which pick up Saturday morning in the wrestlebacks with Millard South in the lead in Class A, seven-time defending champion Omaha Skutt and Grand Island Northwest tied for the lead in Class B — five teams are within 10 points of the pair — and Plainview and Fremont Bergan sharing the Class D lead.
Only Valentine could sleep relatively well as the two-time defending champion leads Class C by 28 points.
Class B hasn’t been this tightly packed since the Skutt dynasty — 20 titles in 21 years — began in 1998. The SkyHawks got to 75 points first on senior Eli Jensen’s overtime win at 182 over McCook sophomore Alec Langan that returned the SkyHawk to the state finals.
But Northwest tied them with Cooper Kiser’s third pin of the day in the consolation rounds at 285.
“It’s crazy,” Northwest coach Brian Sybrandts said. “We were sitting 11th yesterday and probably some people thought we wouldn’t have a chance, but our kids battled all year.
“It’s going to be crazy tomorrow. Like you said, it’s going to be close. I think it’s anybody’s, but if I were predicting I’d say Scottsbluff is in the driver’s seat because they have three finalists and they are dang, dang tough. But with the kids we have battling in the morning, I think we have a shot, too.”
Skutt is trying to be the first team champion in Class A or B with five qualifiers since Omaha North in 1991.
“We were projected not to win, but honestly, it doesn’t matter,” Jensen said. “It’s about mindset and getting the job done.”
Wahoo and York are tied for third, three points back, with Hastings at 68 1/2, Lakeview at 66 and Scottsbluff, which led for part of Friday night’s semifinals and third-round consolations, at 65.
Millard South took a 135 1/2-121 lead over defending Class A champion Lincoln East. The Patriots have four in the finals, East three.
Plainview and Bergan are knotted at 99 points, but Bergan has four in the Parade of Champions and the Pirates three. A key semifinal was Caden Arps of Bergan edging Plainview freshman Scout Ashburn 4-2 at 113.
Valentine has four in the finals and leads Broken Bow 127-99, with David City at 97 1/2.
Two finalists beat returning champions. Malcolm senior Hadyn Deinert got a takedown in sudden victory over undefeated Pierce senior Ryder Fuchs at Class C 195. Twin Loup junior Colby Coons decisioned Morrill senior Austin Garcia 8-6 at Class D 152.
Class A: Despite four wrestlers in finals, Millard South prepared for a fight to the finish
Millard South coach Nate Olson will gladly take having a lead going into the final day of the state tournament over the alternative.
He’s just not going to get comfortable there.
Olson’s top-ranked Patriots won four of six semifinals Friday night to surge to the top of Class A through two days at the CHI Health Center.
But tough draws in Saturday’s championship round and one less medalist than defending champion Lincoln East will make it a race to the finish.
“I love having a lead. It’s better than coming from behind,” Olson said. “But I’m still nervous.”
Fourth-ranked Caleb Coyle got the Patriots off on the right foot with a 4-0 win over No. 2 Juan Pedro of Grand Island at 106 pounds.
The enthusiasm was quickly dampened when senior Blake Jackson was bounced in the consolation semifinals at 113. Jackson, a senior, is the Patriots’ last state champion (in 2017) but won’t medal this year.
“Wrestling sometimes will slap you in the face,” Olson said. “Just when you think you’re on a roll.”
Freshmen Antrell Taylor and Tyler Antoniak righted the ship, winning ranked showdowns at 132 and 138 pounds, respectively.
Taylor, ranked second, beat No. 3 Nolan Niemiec of Papillion-La Vista in a 14-5 major decision to advance to the finals. He’ll meet top-ranked Phillip Moomey of Kearney, a Cornell recruit, for the third time this season in Saturday’s championship.
Antoniak will have his hands full, too, matching up with No. 1 Maxx Mayfield of Lincoln East. That after Antoniak beat fifth-ranked Preston Mort of Lincoln Northeast 8-3.
Senior Isaac Trumble gave Millard South a fourth finalist with an 11-0 major decision over second-ranked AJ Muthersbaugh of Lincoln East. Trumble, ranked No. 1, is in the finals for the second straight season.
The Patriots will have seven medalists, one fewer than No. 3 Lincoln East. The Spartans, who finished Friday 14 1⁄2 points behind Millard South, have finalists in Mayfield, Nathan Rizek (120 pounds) and Chance Fry (152).
Second-ranked Burke is a half-point behind East in third place, ahead of day-one leader Columbus. Burke will have three going for gold — Jakason Burks, James Burks and Dillyn Miller — while Columbus has a pair of finals qualifiers in Avery McMeekin and Kasten Grape.
Team scoring
Millard South 135.5, Lincoln East 121, Omaha Burke 120.5, Columbus 118, Kearney 107, Omaha Central 67, Papillion-La Vista 66.5, Grand Island 58, Papillion-La Vista South 57.5, Bellevue East 56, Millard West 48.5, Norfolk 48, Gretna 45, Omaha Bryan 40, Omaha Westside 38, Creighton Prep 34, Lincoln High 33, Lincoln Southeast 27, Lincoln Northeast 26, Elkhorn South 24, Millard North 23.5, South Sioux City 22, Fremont 15, Lincoln Pius X 11, Bellevue West 10.5 Elkhorn 10, Omaha Northwest 8, Lincoln North Star 7, Omaha North 7, Lincoln Southwest 5, Omaha Benson 4, Omaha South 2.
Quaterfinals
106 pounds: Caleb Coyle, Millard South, dec.Juan Pedro Jr., Grand Island, 4-0. Gabe Grice, Bellevue East, dec. Brandon Baustert, Lincoln East, 2-1 TB-1. 113: Garrett Grice, Bellevue East, dec. Blake Cushing, Grand Island, 9-4. Emilio Haynes, Central, major dec. Hunter Nagatani, Kearney, 10-1. 120: Nathan Rizek, Lincoln East, pinned Peyton Martinez, South Sioux City, 1:33. Jakason Burks, Burke, tech. fall Tanner Kobza, Columbus, 25-10. 126: Ladamien Sturdivant, Bryan, dec. Cody Carlson, Fremont, 9-4. Camden Russell, Millard West, dec. Cody Niemiec, Papillion-La Vista, 1-1 UTB. 132: Phillip Moomey, Kearney, dec. Carter Kucera, Columbus, 11-9. Antrell Taylor, Millard South, major dec. Nolan Niemiec, Papio, 14-5. 138: Maxx Mayfield, Lincoln East, pinned Blaine Miller, Burke, 2:44. Tyler Antoniak, Millard South, dec. Preston Mort, Lincoln Northeast, 8-3. 145: Nick James, Kearney, pinned Trey Nielsen, Burke, 2:54. Levi May, Millard West, dec. Deon Davis, Central, 10-3. 152: Chance Fry, Lincoln East, pinned Deson Stapleton, Burke, :58. Cole Price, Papillion-La Vista, dec. Alex Irizarry, Papio South, 3-1 SV-1. 160:James Burks, Burke, dec. Nolan Johnston, Westside, 12-6. Avery McMeekin, Columbus, pinned Carter Abels, Kearney, :40. 170:Cole Huss, Gretna, pinned Kale Dawson, Bellevue West, 3:45. Isaiah Alford, Lincoln High, pinned Blayze Standley, Columbus, 5:22. 182: Isaac Trumble, Millard South, major dec. Andrew Muthersbaugh, Lincoln East, 11-0. Trajen Linear, Papio South, pinned Carson Zwingman, Columbus, 4:30. 195: Dillyn Miller, Burke, major dec. Josh Trumble, Millard South, 12-4. TJ Huber, Gretna, dec. Anthony Deanda, Columbus, 3-2 UTB. 220: Kasten Grape, Columbus, pinned Chris Karmazin, Lincoln East, :56. Tony Pray, Creighton Prep, dec. Gavin Peitzmeier, Millard South, 7-1. 285: Conner Cowling, Norfolk, dec. Jack Hasz, Creighton Prep, 3-2. Cade Haberman, Westside, dec. Jacob Frezell-McClinton, Central, 6-2.
Class B: Grand Island Northwest looking to unseat seven-time defending champ Omaha Skutt
If Friday night was a prelude to Saturday, the final day in Class B is going to be interesting.
It’s no surprise Omaha Skutt is battling for a title. But Grand Island Northwest flipped the script at CHI Health Center.
After sitting in 11th place after the first day, the third-ranked Vikings came back to tie Skutt with 75 points for the lead.
No. 3 Wahoo and York are both three points back of the Vikings and SkyHawks for third.
Two finalists helped Northwest’s cause as Grady Arends and Grady Griess both earned pins at 106 and 195 pounds, respectively.
“I’m so proud of what the kids did today,” Northwest coach Brian Sybrandts said. “We just pulled together after such a bad first day. We came together and got some pins during the course of the day. That helped get us back up there. It was a team effort today.”
Griess, No. 2 at 195, wasted little time in getting his sixth pin of the season over Adams Central’s Conner Brown. This time he stuck Brown in 55 seconds. Now he gets a rematch with Wahoo’s Sam Kolterman, who defeated Griess 9-2 in last year’s final.
“He’s had an outstanding season and now he’s got the match that everyone wanted to see,” Sybrandts said. “I know he’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”
Arends, No. 2 at 106, made the most of his final appearance after not even being a state qualifier last year. He stuck Skutt’s Zac Ourada, who is No. 4, in 4:24. He takes on No. 1 Quinton Chavez, who defeated No. 3 Caden Svoboda of Aurora 7-2.
“I couldn’t be any prouder for him,” Sybrandts said of the sophomore Arends. “For him to come back and be a state finalist in his first year is just awesome. That just says a lot about his character.”
What also helped Northwest was getting Collin Quandt (126) and Cooper Kiser (220) to battle through the consolation rounds to get medals. In fact, Kiser won three matches by pin to get himself a medal.
“What Cooper did today is so tough to do, especially for a senior,” Sybrandts said. “He’s got a lot of heart and you can’t count out Collin ever. He battled well today as well.”
With the team race as close as it is, Sybrandts said Saturday should be a fun day for everyone involved, which includes No. 1 Hastings (fifth with 68.5), No. 6 Columbus Lakeview (sixth with 66) and No. 8 Scottsbluff (seventh with 65).
He added every match in the consolation rounds and finals during Saturday is going to be big.
“It’s crazy,” Sybrandts said. “It’s so close that it’s almost anybody’s game.”
Skutt put three in finals with Caleb Lazure (No. 2 at 126), Nicholas Stoltenburg (No. 2 at 138) and Eli Jansen (No. 1 at 182).
Team scoring
Grand Island Northwest 75, Omaha Skutt 75, Wahoo 72, York 72, Hastings 68.5, Columbus Lakeview 66, Scottsbluff 65, Lexington 61, Plattsmouth 55.5, Sidney 55.5, North Platte 55, Blair 51.5, Waverly 50, Schuyler 44, Cozad 42, Aurora 39, Gering 30, Chadron 26, Beatrice 25, Adams Central 24, Norris 24, Ralston 23, Central City 22, Raymond Central 21, Gothenburg 20, O’Neill 19, Boys Town 18, Fiarbury 17, Seward 17, Wayne 16.5, Crete 16, Alliance 14, Nebraska City 14, Ogallala 14, Bennington 12, Auburn 11, Conestoga 10, McCook 10, Holdrege 7, West Point-Beemer 7, Columbus Scotus 4, Falls City 0, Elkhorn Mt. Michael 0, Omaha Concordia 0, Omaha Gross 0.
Quaterfinals
106 pounds: Grady Arends, GI Northwest, pinned Zach Ourada, Skutt, 4:24. Quinton Chavez, Gering, dec. Caden Svoboda, Aurora, 7-2. 113: Paul Garcia, Scottsbluff, pinned Jaylan Ruffin, North Platte, 3:29. Jace Russman, Cozad, tech. fall Tanner York, Beatrice, 18-2. 120: Jackson Nielsen, Blair, major dec. Paul Ruff, Alliance, 18-8. William Lomax, Boys Town, dec. Drew Arnold, Beatrice, 3-2. 126: Caleb Lazure, Skutt, dec. Nate Rocheleau, Gering, 2-1. Darian Diaz, North Platte, dec. Gage Perry, Columbus Lakeview, 6-1. 132: Wyatt Hotz, Gothenburg, dec. Brady Fago, Lexington, 5-1. Jerryd Hernandez, Scottsbluff, dec. Izaak Hunsley, Hastings, 6-4. 138: Trey Arellano, Sidney, pinned Joel Lemburg, Columbus Lakeview, 1:44. Nicholas Stoltenberg, Skutt, major dec. Mason Brumbaugh, Hastings, 15-6. 145:Devontae Gutierrez, Scottsbluff, major dec. Brody Raines, Sidney, 16-4. Trystan Berry, Lexington, pinned Kole Ligouri, Auburn, 5:30. 152: Kaleb Canoyer, Waverly, dec. Carson Core, Seward, 6-4 SV-1. Harrison Gocke, York, dec. KC Higer, Sidney, 4-3. 160: Zeth Gerkensmeyer, Columbus Lakeview, dec. Jake Lemmon, Chadron, 9-6. Riley Kopf, Lexington, major dec. Gabriel James, Ralston, 14-4. 170: Evan Canoyer, Waverly, major dec. Ace York, Fairbury, 10-2. Damen Pape, Hastings, tech. fall Gavyn Brauer, North Platte, 20-3. 182: Eli Jansen, Skutt, dec. Alec Langan, McCook, 3-1 SV-1. Jacob Frenzen, Columbus Lakeview, dec. Clark Riesen, Chadron, 6-4. 195: Grady Griess, GI Northwest, pinned Conner Brown, Adams Central, :55. Sam Kolterman, Wahoo, pinned Dylan Meyer, Norris, 1:28. 220: Jesus Maganda, Schuyler, dec. Garett Menke, Bennington, 13-6. Devin Pfeifer, Plattsmouth, tech. fall Gabe Rand, Blair, 20-5. 285: Noah Stafursky, York, dec. Trevor Brown, Waverly, 3-2 TB-1. Jack Sutton, Wahoo, dec. Josh Stallbaumer, Cozad, 6-5.
Class C: No Valentine’s Day hangover — Badgers in position for third straight title
Badgers own 28-point lead over Broken Bow in bid for a third straight championship
By winning four of its five semifinal matches, Valentine has set itself up for a third consecutive Class C state championship. Following Friday night’s action at the CHI Health Center, the Badgers led second-place Broken Bow 127-99, while David City sat in third with 97½.
Valentine’s big guns all came through with impressive semifinal victories. Chris Williams (113), Gage Krolikowski (132) and Caleb Long (160) are all defending state champs and ranked No. 1 in their respective weight classes by the Nebraska Scholastic Wrestling Coaches Association.
Williams improved to 37-1 by pinning Wood River’s Carson Thompson in 3:39. The Badger scored with a first-period takedown, then chose the down position to start the second and worked for a reversal before recording the fall.
Unbeaten Kroliowski needed just 1:18 to pin Jacson Valentine of David City and Long, also unbeaten, took just 19 seconds more to take care of Ethan Dozler of Boone Central/Newman Grove.
The fourth Badger to earn a spot in Saturday’s parade of champions, 145-pound junior Chase Olson, finished second last year and third as a freshman. He improved to 34-3 with a 7-2 victory over Joseph Hinrichs of Sutton.
“That kid was pretty good — a sophomore — he’ll be pretty good again next year,” Olson said. “I felt like experience helped out a lot, since I’ve been in that situation before and he hasn’t. I think experience makes a big difference when it gets to these last couple matches.”
Top-ranked Justin White of David City awaits No. 2 Olson in Saturday’s final. The Badger wrestler will undoubtedly take some time to work out a strategy with his coach, Shane Allison. But something else had his attention Friday night: food.
“Cutting weight gets kind of old after awhile,” he said. “I’ll be on full-feed tomorrow, so I’ll have a lot of fun.”
Team scoring
Valentine 127, Broken Bow 99, David City 97.5, David City Aquinas 81, Battle Creek 73.5, Arlington 61, Wood River 53, Milford 48, Logan View 46, Boone Central/Newman Grove 41, Malcolm 40, Perkins Coutny 37, Kearney Catholic 33, Pierce 31, Bridgeport 29, Sutton 28.5, Wahoo Neumann 25, Syracuse 25, Winnebago 25, North Bend Central 23, Centennial 22, Fillmore Central 22, Gibbon 22, Oakland-Craig 20, Tekamah-Herman 20, Johnson County Central 19, Ord 18, Centura 17, Ravenna 17, Chase County 16, Hershey 16, Hemingford 15, Hartington Cedar Catholic 14, Norfolk Catholic 13, Loomis/Bertrand 12, Cross County/Osceola 11, Gordon-Rushville 11, Twin River 11, Cambridge 9, St. Paul 9, Wakefield-Allen 9, Louisville 8, Shelby-Rising City 6, Stanton 6, HTRS 4, Lincoln Christian 4, South Central Nebraska Unified District No. 5 4, Southern Valley 4, BRLD 3, Freeman 3, Minden 3, Wilber-Clatonia 3, Kimball 2, Madison 2, Doniphan-Trumbull 0, Mitchell 0, Ponca 0, Yutan 0.
Quarterfinals
106 pounds: Dylan Ancheta, Wood River, dec. Brock Bolling, Pierce, 4-3 UTB. Casey Benavides, Bridgeport, dec. Konner Schluckebier, Milford, 12-6. 113: Chris Williams, Valentine, pinned Carson Thompson, Wood River, 3:39. Zach Zitek, DC Aquinas, major dec. Dru Mueller, Logan View, 8-0. 120: Caydon McCracken, Battle Creek, pinned Spencer Gaffney, Broken Bow, 3:40. Hunter Gilmore, Arlington, dec. Ryan Zoucha, Malcolm, 5-3 SV-1. 126: Brandon Schram, Tekamah-Herman, dec. Justin Davis, Hemingford, 6-0. Daniel Escandon, Gibbon, dec. Casey Faulkenberry, Broken Bow, 12-6. 132: Gage Krolikowski, Valentine, pinned Jacson Valentine, David City, 1:18. Jeaven Scdoris, Milford, pinned Christopher Feldner, Kearney Catholic, 4:45. 138: Evan Waddington, Wood River, dec. Jefferson McNeill, Oakland-Craig, 8-3. Damien Kersten, Battle Creek, majord dec. Wyatt Smydra, Norfolk Catholic, 12-4. 145: Chase Olson, Valentine, dec. Joseph Hinrichs, Sutton, 7-2. Justin White, David City, dec. Josh Miller, Arlington, 2-1. 152: Cole Ulmer, Broken Bow, dec. Ty Heimes, Battle Creek, 6-5. Noah Styskal, David City, pinned Kile Bentley, Centura, 2:34. 160: Dylan Vodicka, David City, major dec. Brett Tinker, Pierce, 9-1. Caleb Long, Valentine, pinned Ethan Dozler, Boone Central-Newman Grove, 1:38. 170:Lathan Duda, Broken Bow, dec. Alex Chapa, Ravenna, 4-3. Zach Borer, North Bend, major dec. Lane McGinley, Valentine, 11-0. 182: Luke Fairbanks, Wahoo Neumann, dec. Kobe Wilkins, Arlington, 11-6. Joseph Reimers, DC Aquinas, pinned Drew Sprinkle, Cambridge, 2:37. 195: Beau Wood, Perkins County, pinned Colton Duda, Broken Bow, 1:19. Haydn Deinert, Malcolm, dec. Ryder Fuchs, Pierce, 3-1 SV-1. 220: Jon Merten, Boone Central-Newman Grove, dec. Austin Marx, Battle Creek, 5-1. Remington Gay, Arlington, pinned Kalten Bauers, Centennial, 2:38. 285: Prosper Gilpin, Winnebago, pinned Jake Ingwersen, David City, :55. Riley Moses, Fillmore Central, dec. Drew Drake, Broken Bow, 3-0.
Class D: Freshman Will Gunning earns monumental win to aid Plainview in hunt of team title
The biggest victory in the Class D state semifinals belonged to Will Gunning.
The Plainview freshman accomplished something no other wrestler had all season long — beating Maxwell senior Brett Riggs.
Gunning earned his spot in the 145-pound state final with a 7-5 sudden-victory at CHI Health Center.
Gunning produced the clinching takedown 14 seconds into the extra period.
“It really hasn’t totally sunk in yet,” Gunning said moments after his monumental win. “I’m just tired after wrestling my match.”
Riggs brought a 50-0 record into the match.
Gunning’s win also was huge for Plainview in the team race. The Pirates are tied with Fremont Bergan after two days, both with 99 points. Amherst is a distant third with 60.5 points.
Keeping his composure was something Gunning did well in his semifinals match. He grabbed a 2-0 lead with a takedown in the first period.
Midway through the second period, Riggs reclaimed a 4-3 advantage, by way of a pair of reversals. Riggs’ lead held up until Gunning produced a reversal of his own with 49 seconds left in the third period. Riggs was awarded an escape point 14 seconds later to even the match at 5-5.
“He’s an outstanding wrestler,” Gunning said of Riggs. “I knew it was going to be a close match from beginning to end. I have some of the best coaches in the state. They taught me everything I know. I did my job and came out on top.
“The win was very big for our team. Hopefully it gets us to another state championship.”
In all, Plainview advanced three wrestlers to the finals.
Junior Nate Christensen solidified his spot in the 126-pound finals with a 6-2 win over Palmer’s Ruger Reimers. Christensen had two takedowns and a near fall.
“Each round, I see it as one more step to becoming a state champion,” Christensen said. “I’m in it for the team race. I just have to keep going for my team.”
Sophomore Eli Lanham opened the semifinals with a 7-4 win over Shelton’s Jesse Sauceda. Lanham held a 5-0 lead after the first period, thanks to a takedown and a near fall. He added a pair of escapes in the second period.
Neligh-Oakdale had a pair of wrestlers win in the semifinals. Senior Cameron Wilkinson (113 pounds) cruised to a 9-1 win over Mullen’s Teven Marshall. Teammate Andrew Herley secured his spot in the 138-pound finals with an 8-3 win over Cedar Valley’s Trigger Pokorny.
Wilkinson began his match strong against Marshall, jumping to an 8-0 lead after the first period. Wilkinson had a takedown and two near falls in the opening two minutes.
“I knew if I scored a lot in the first period or so, that would be enough to be conservative throughout the rest of the match to win it,” Wilkinson said.
Herley finished his match against Pokorny with one takedown, one reversal and two near falls.
In other semifinal matches, Elkhorn Valley’s Joshua McFarland gets his opportunity to repeat as state champion. The 160-pound senior pinned High Plains’ Dylan Soule in 2 minutes, 59 seconds.
Creighton’s Bryce Zimmerer and Randolph’s Noah Scott will face one another in the 170-pound title match.
Zimmerer recorded two takedowns and a near-fall during his win over Amherst’s Jarin Potts.
Scott had four takedowns and three near-falls during his convincing 16-2 major decision over Franklin’s Chase Hausserman.
Also advancing to the championship finals were Howells-Dodge’s Carter Throener and Clearwater-Orchard’s Clay Thiele.
Throener topped Wisner-Pilger’s Landon Beaver 14-5 in their 220-pound semifinals match. Throener outscored Beaver 12-3 in the third period, with the help of three takedowns and two near- falls.
Thiele surprised Winside’s Michael Jensen by earning a 4:36 pin. Prior to the pin, Jensen led the match 9-6.
Team scoring
Fremont Bergan 99, Plainview 99, Amherst 60.5, Elkhorn Valley 57, Central Valley 56, Mullen 55, Burwell 48, Neligh-Oakdale 47, Thayer Central 39, Clearwater-Orchard 38, Howells-Dodge 35, Nebraska Christian 35, Weeping Water 34, High Plains 33, Randolph 31, Sutherland 31, Winside 31, North Central 29, Bayard 27, Twin Loup 27, Maxwell 26, Shelton 25, Overton 24, Pleasanton 23.5, Creighton 22.5, Elwood 22, Morrill 22, Stapleton 22, Friend 21, Southwest 18, Alma 15, Wisner-Pilger 15, Arcadia/Loup City 14, Garden County 13, Hitchcock County 12, Medicine Valley 12, North Platte St. Patrick’s 12, Ainsworth 11, Ansley-Litchfield 11, Harvard 11, Tri County 11, Palmer 10.5, Axtell 10, Hyannis 10 Arapahoe 9, Brady 9, Franklin 9, Fullerton 9, South Loup 9, O’Neill St. Mary’s 8, West Holt 8, Elm Creek 6.5, Laurel-Concord-Coleridge 4, Sandhills/Thedford 4, Anselmo-Merna 3, Dundy County Stratton 3, Hay Springs 2, Crawford 1, Pender 1, Clarkson-Leigh 0, East Butler 0, Red Cloud/Blue Hill 0, Southern 0, West Point GACC 0, Wilcox-Hildreth 0.
Quarterfinals
106 pounds: Logan Russell, High Plains, dec. Hunter Bennett, Elkhorn Valley, 6-1. Eli Lanham, Plainview, dec. Jesse Sauceda, Shelton, 7-4. 113: Cameron Wilkinson, Neligh-Oakdale, major dec. Teven Marshall, Mullen, 9-1. Caden Arps, Fremont Bergan, dec. Scout Ashburn, Plainview, 4-2 SV-1. 120: Shaye Wood, Central Valley, dec. Jeremy Larson, Brady, 2-1. Zach Hamilton, Fremont Bergan, tech. fall Isaiah Shields, Amherst, 16-0. 126: Nate Christensen, Plainview, dec. Ruger Reimers, Palmer, 6-2. Quentyn Frank, Amherst, dec. Keegan Casey, Thayer Central, 5-3. 132: Andrew Herley, Neligh-Oakdale, dec. Trigger Pokorny, Central Valley, 8-4. Tyler Pawloski, Pleasanton, tech. fall Damian Stewart, Thayer Central, 18-3. 138: Joel Ostrom, Burwell, major dec. Cole Laible, West Holt, 9-1. Enrique Martinez, Central Valley, pinned Connor Sonderup, Fullerton, 3:50. 145: Will Gunning, Plainview, dec. Brett Riggs, Maxwell, 7-5 SV-1. Jacob Johnson, Fremont Bergan, major dec. Samuel Florell, Amherst, 11-3. 152: Colby Coons, Twin Loup, dec. Austin Garcia, Morrill, 8-6. William White, Sutherland, major dec. Conner Schutz, Elwood, 10-2. 160: Joshua McFarland, Elkhorn Valley, pinned Dylan Soule, High Plains, 2:59. Seth Simants, Stapleton, dec. James Polen, North Central, 9-5. 170: Bryce Zimmerer, Creighton, dec. Jarin Potts, Amherst, 6-1. Noah Scott, Randolph, pinned major dec. Chase Haussermann, Franklin, 16-2. 182: Corey Dawe, Burwell, pinned Ethan Villwok, Fremont Bergan, 4:00. Edwen Baptista, Friend, dec. Dylan Horejsi, Howells-Dodge, 10-5. 195:Karsen Hunter, Bayard, pinned Collin Gale, Plainview, 1:14. Clay Thiele, Clearwater-Orchard, pinned Micheal Jensen, Winside, 4:36. 220: Carter Throener, Howells-Dodge, major dec. Landon Beaver, Wisner-Pilger, 14-5. Peyton Cone, Fremont Bergan, dec. Donaven Nolze, Clearwater-Orchard, 6-2. 285: Marcus Cave, Weeping Water, pinned Jakob Jerabek, Arcadia/Loup City, 2:28. Kien Martin, Overton, pinned Christian Yaw, Elkhorn Valley, 5:48.
Nebraska state wrestling finals to watch
Class A
145: Nick James, Kearney (45-2), vs. Levi May, Millard West (43-5): James, a returning champion, beat the Wildcat in the district finals.
160: James Burks, Omaha Burke (59-0), vs. Avery McMeekin, Columbus (46-7): Burks goes for history against an opponent he hasn’t faced this season.
182: Isaac Trumble, Millard South (54-0), vs. Trajen Linear, Papillion-La Vista South (40-0): Only clash of unbeatens in any class. When Trumble won Metros, Linear wasn’t there.
113: Garrett Grice, Bellevue East (48-0), vs. Emilio Haynes, Omaha Central (44-1): Grice, a freshman, owns a 1-0 decision against the junior.
132: Phillip Moomey, Kearney (45-1), vs. Antrell Taylor, Millard South (53-3): Moomey, a Cornell recruit and two-time champion, hasn’t met the freshman since winning 2-1 and 15-6 in December.
Class B
138: Trey Arellano, Sidney (45-2), vs. Nick Stoltenberg, Omaha Skutt (34-1): Arellano, now in the 200-win club, beat Stoltenberg 5-0 in the 2017 semifinals. Both are returning state champions, with Arellano going for his third.
182: Eli Jansen, Omaha Skutt (35-3), vs. Jacob Frenzen, Columbus Lakeview (41-7): Jansen, who needed overtime to return to the finals, beat Frenzen 6-1 in their district final.
195: Grady Griess, Grand Island Northwest (46-1), vs. Sam Kolterman, Wahoo (43-0): A highly awaited rematch. Kolterman won last year’s 195 final 9-2.
126: Caleb Lazure, Omaha Skutt (25-2), vs. Darian Diaz, North Platte (47-1): Lazure goes for his second title in three years and his points could be in play for the team title.
132: Wyatt Holz, Gothenburg (39-6), vs. Jerryd Hernandez, Scottsbluff (19-7): Holz won their district final 9-7. Hernandez wrestled last year for Lincoln North Star.
Class C
138: Evan Waddington, Wood River (53-1), vs. Damien Kersten, Battle Creek: Waddington joins James Burks and Tyler Pawloski in making the Parade of Champions walk for a fourth time. He was runner-up as a freshman and sophomore.
160: Dylan Vodicka, David City (43-7), vs. Caleb Long, Valentine (36-0): Long bids for a third state title.
170: Lathan Duda, Broken Bow (49-2), vs. Zach Borer, North Bend (48-0): Borer is going for a bookend state title to match the one he won as a freshman. He’s in the 200-win club.
113: Chris Williams, Valentine (37-1), vs. Zach Zitek, David City Aquinas (26-0): Zitek is first and Williams second in the Huskermat ratings.
132: Gage Krolikowski, Valentine (40-0), vs. Jeaven Scdoris, Milford (44-7): Krolikowski is the only junior able to be a four-time champion next year.
Class D
152: Colby Coons, Twin Loup (40-2), vs. William White, Sutherland (49-2): White beat the junior 3-1 at the Sandhills Invitational.
285: Marcus Cave, Weeping Water (56-3) vs. Kien Martin, Overton (38-4). Cave made the finals by pinning previously undefeated and 2018 runner-up Jakob Jerabek of Arcadia-Loup City.
106: Logan Russell, High Plains (41-0), vs. Eli Lanham, Plainview (41-3): Russell could be the fifth and last three-time champion coached by the retiring Norm Manstedt in his 50 years.
120: Shaye Wood, Central Valley (48-6), vs. Zach Hamilton, Fremont Bergan (25-2): A repeat title for Hamilton could make the 126 final that follows very interesting for team honors.
126: Nate Christensen, Plainview (43-3), vs. Quentyn Frank, Amherst (43-3): Christensen beat the freshman 5-2 in their district final.
LIVE RESULTS
Nebraska
Iowa
Missouri
