Plainsmen Wrestlers hit the mat at Elwood, Broken Bow

Perkins County wrestlers will open their season with back-to-back tournaments this weekend. 

They travel to Elwood Friday for the Hi-Line tournament. 

From there, they travel to Broken Bow for their invitational Saturday. 

Second-year Coach Tanner Collins has 11 wrestlers on his squad this season. 

He returns three seniors, Jace Wid, Kyler Bullock and Trye Hickey. They will be joined by senior Matt Aerni who joined the team this season.

Junior Brandon Knoles returns this season and will be joined by junior Bryder Hickey, who also came on board this season. 

All three sophomores return from last year’s squad including Ashton Meyer, Austin Meyer and Colton Pouk.

Freshmen include Kannaon Palu and Brient Wood. 

Collins will especially look towards Wid and Knoles for their experience and leadership this season. 

Wid, at 160 lbs., was a state qualifier in his freshman year and will be looking to return there this year. 

Knoles, who will wrestle at 220 again this year, was just one win away from qualifying for the state meet last year. 

Collins said they will be able to fill 10 of the 14 weight classes this season.

The only double-up for the team will be the Meyer twins. The sophomores both wrestle in the heavyweight class. 

Collins said they will each get to wrestle at meets during the season but only one will be able to wrestle at the Class C district meet. 

In Class D, a team is allowed to enter more than one wrestler in the same weight class. 

Friday’s Hi Line meet will be a 14-team meet including  Perkins County, Arapahoe, Maxwell, Cambridge, Medicine Valley, Chase County, Overton, Dundy County Stratton, Garden County,  SEM,  Hi-Line, Sutherland,  Lexington JV and Wauneta-Palisade. 

Wrestling begins at 12 noon MT on Friday.

Teams competing at Broken Bow Saturday include Broken Bow, GICC, Perkins County, Ord, Gordon-Rushville, Chase County, South Loup, Southern Valley, Twin River, St. Paul, Mitchell, Malcolm and Kearney Catholic.

Saturday’s wrestling action begins with jayvee matches at 9:30 a.m. CT.