Perkins County wrestlers qualify four for state at district meets
The Perkins County boys and girls wrestling teams wrapped up district competition this past week, sending four wrestlers on to the Nebraska State Wrestling Championships after strong performances on the mat.
The boys competed at the district tournament held February 13–14 at Southwest Public School, while the girls wrestled earlier on February 6 at Ogallala High School.
Senior Hayley Dunn was the lone representative for the Perkins County girls team and placed fourth at districts, earning a spot at the state championship scheduled for February 17–18 in Omaha. The qualification marks Dunn’s second appearance at the state tournament.
“Hayley was able to earn her second state qualification at districts in Ogallala,” said head coach Austin Thelander. “She wrestled smart and picked up some crucial wins in the early rounds that gave her a smooth pass in the wrestle-back rounds. She has a tough draw early at the state tournament but is ready to step up and wrestle. If she continues to peak at the right time like she has been, I think she will earn some pretty important wins at the state tournament.”
On the boys side, three Perkins County wrestlers punched their tickets to state. Leighton Fryzek placed third at districts, while Carson Green and Ernesto Perez each earned fourth-place finishes. The boys state wrestling championships will take place February 19–21 in Omaha.
“Leighton moved up from 106 pounds to 113 about a month ago and hasn’t looked back since,” Thelander said. “He seemed healthier and stronger at that weight class and picked up big head-to-head district wins leading into the tournament. Like Hayley, he peaked at the right time of year and booked his first trip to Omaha. That’s a huge accomplishment as a freshman in the largest district in Class D wrestling.”
Green, a sophomore, qualified for his second consecutive state tournament in one of the toughest brackets at districts.
“Carson punched his second ticket to the state tournament,” Thelander said. “132 pounds was a stacked weight class that started with 18 kids. Coming out of that bracket as a state qualifier is something Carson and all of the coaching staff were proud of. We all knew he was capable of it.”
Perez also earned his second trip to state despite limited mat time this season.
“Ernie also punched his ticket to his second state tournament,” Thelander said. “He wrestled really well for as little mat time as he’s had this season. It was another tough weight class with numerous upsets, and Ernie stepped up and wrestled his best when it mattered.”
Thelander acknowledged that all four state qualifiers face challenging opening-round matchups but expressed confidence in their readiness.
“All four qualifiers snagged a pretty tough draw to kick off their state run. However, they’re ready to take on the challenge,” he said. “Three of our four wrestlers are returning qualifiers, which helps tremendously with the nerves of wrestling on the big stage.”
Reflecting on the season, Thelander praised the toughness and support surrounding the program.
“I’m really proud of all of the wrestlers this season,” he said. “They battled through injury and illness all season and competed really well in stacked boys and girls district tournaments. On behalf of the coaching staff, I’d like to give a big thank you to all the parents of our wrestlers, our remaining wrestlers for a hard-fought season, and our two seniors, Ryan Long and Hayley Dunn.”
District results and state qualifiers will be featured in the next edition of the Great Tribune Sentinel. Congratulations to all the Perkins County wrestlers on a strong postseason showing.