Wrestlers’ quest for state berth begins Friday

Perkins County wrestlers ended their regular season last weekend, competing in a dual at Kearney Catholic Friday night and then on to Doniphan invite Saturday. 

They used the matches for their final tune-up as they begin their quest for a state tournament berth.

This year, the NSAA changed the format for the district tournaments in Classes B, C and D districts.

Instead of district meets with a large number of schools, especially in Classes C and D, each district was broken into two subdistricts, with the district meet the following week.

The top four finishers from each subdistrict advance to an eight-person district where the top four in each weight class advance to the state tournament. 

This week’s subdistrict for the Plainsmen will be held Friday at North Platte St. Pat’s, beginning at 3 p.m. MT.

The D-4 district meet will be held in Sutherland Saturday, Feb. 13.

Head Coach Tanner Collins said his team peaked right at district time last year and likes the chances for that to happen again this year. 

The Chadron meet originally scheduled for Jan. 23 was called off. That gave his team the opportunity for a good week of practice and some time to rest up. 

Collins said they will get practices in this week before subdistricts and again next week before the district meet. 

He said they go into this week with everyone healthy and is expecting some good outcomes over the next two weeks. 

DUAL AND INVITE

In their dual with Kearney Catholic Friday, there were only five matches.

The Plainsmen won two and lost three. 

Colton Pouk moved up a weight class, wrestling at 145 for the dual and came away with a pin. 

Brandon Knoles captured the other win, also with a pin. 

At Doniphan, Knoles continued his winning ways and improved his record to 24-3 with a pair of pins to take first at 220.

Pouk was the only other Plainsmen to medal, taking second at 138.

Austin Meyer will take a 26-8 record into subdistricts, collecting a pin in the first round before going down twice in the consolation rounds. 

Collins said Pouk and Meyer made some mistakes in their matches that they shouldn’t be making at this point in the season.

He noted Brient Wood and Bryder Hickey were just a win away from placing at Doniphan. 

Wood held a 5-0 lead in the consolation semis but a miscue led to him getting pinned. 

Hickey suffered a loss in the third round of consolations on what Collins called a freak move by his opponent, giving up a fall to end his day. 

Those experiences could serve as a good wake-up call, Collins noted, as it’s now win and advance, or go home. 

He said it’s possible all eight of his wrestlers could advance to next week’s district meet. 

Other teams competing in the Plainsmen’s subdistrict include St. Pat’s, Banner County, Crawford, Dundy County Stratton, Garden County, Hay Springs, Hitchcock County, Medicine Valley, Sioux County and Sutherland.

Results from the final weekend of the regular season are as follows:

Doniphan-Trumbull Invite

120 Mason Toner (8-20)-—Rd. 1: Colton Kirby (Cross County/Osceola) 18-15 won by decision over Toner (Dec 4-2); Cons. Rd. 1: Toner (Bye); Cons. Rd. 2: Brink Stawniak (Conestoga) 14-17 won in tie breaker - 1 over Toner (TB-1 3-2).

 138 Colton Pouk (18-5) 2nd place—Rd. 1: Pouk won by fall over Ta`jonne Baxter (Lincoln Southeast JV) 0-2 (Fall 2:53); Quarterfinal: Pouk won by fall over Dalton Noble (Cross County/Osceola) 10-20 (Fall 0:47); Semifinal: Pouk won by major decision over Wyatt Urkoski (High Plains Community) 32-13 (MD 11-3); 1st Place Match - Hunter Heath (Minden) 38-3 won by decision over Pouk (Dec 12-7).

145 Brient Wood (11-12)—Rd. 1: Wood won by fall over Abreham Stutzman (Doniphan Trumbull) 3-6 (Fall 1:44); Quarterfinal: Wood won by fall over Bakhovaddin Ahmedov (Lincoln Lutheran) 13-10 (Fall 4:30); Semifinal: Jasper Birkestrand (Minden) 14-20 won by major decision over Wood (MD 15-1); Cons. Semi - Devin Zerr (Minden) 11-13 won by fall over Wood (Fall 1:59).

152 Bryder Hickey (13-17)—Rd. 1: Hickey (Bye); Quarterfinal: Christopher Feldner (Kearney Catholic ) 28-4 won by fall over Hickey (Fall 1:20); Cons. Rd. 2: Hickey won by fall over Kyan Hanson (Lincoln Southeast JV) 0-2 (Fall 0:49); Cons. Rd. 3: Jesus Hernandez (Gibbon) 11-11 won by fall over Hickey (Fall 0:44).

160 Henry Taylor (2-25)—Rd. 1: Alex Banuelos (Minden) 39-2 won by fall over Taylor (Fall 0:47); Cons. Rd. 1: Henry Taylor (Perkins County) 2-25 (Bye); Cons. Rd. 2: John Paul LaPlante (Lincoln Lutheran) 4-13 won by fall over Henry Taylor (Perkins County) 2-25 (Fall 0:37).

220 Brandon Knoles (24-3) 1st place—Quarterfinal: Knoles (Bye); Semifinal: Knoles won by fall over Jackson Masek (Lincoln Lutheran) 14-15 (Fall 3:58); 1st Place Match - Knoles won by fall over Daulton Kuehn (Minden) 26-18 (Fall 4:09).

285 Austin Meyer (26-8)—Rd. 1: Meyer (Bye); Quarterfinal: Meyer won by fall over Daniel Yepez (Gibbon) 16-13 (Fall 2:00); Semifinal: Brayton Branic (Sandhills Thedford) 38-6 won by decision over Meyer (Dec 8-5); Cons. Semi: Jordy Baland (Doniphan Trumbull) 17-9 won by decision over Meyer (Dec 5-1).

285 Huntin Taylor (8-14)—Rd. 1: Taylor (Bye); Quarterfinal: Zachary Pittman (Grand Island JV) 12-8 won by fall over Taylor (Fall 0:38); Cons. Rd. 2: Cooper Johnson (Lincoln Southeast JV) 1-6 won by fall over Taylor (Fall 0:23).

Team scores—1, Minden, 194.5; 2, Cross County/Osceola, 122.0; 3, Conestoga, 112.5; 4, Tri County, 101.5; 5, Grand Island JV, 94.0; 6, Kearney Catholic , 73.0; 6, Sandhills Thedford, 73.0; 8, Gibbon, 67.0; 9, Perkins County, 60.0; 10, Lincoln Lutheran, 46.0; 10, Lincoln Southeast JV, 46.0; 12, Doniphan Trumbull, 45.0; 13, Hastings St. Cecilia, 41.0; 14, High Plains Community, 31.5; 15, Hastings JV, 25.0.

Kearney Catholic dual

106—open

113—open

120—Sam Luther (KC) over Mason Toner (PCS) (Fall 0:36)

126—Jacob Van Matre (KC) won by forfeit

132—Caleb Wood (KC) won by forfeit

138—open

145—Colton Pouk (PCS) over Alan Fick (KC) (Fall 1:01)

152—Christopher Feldner (KC) over Brient Wood (PCS) (Fall 2:12)

160—Clay Gilg (KC) over Bryder Hickey (PCS) (Dec 7-2)

170—Henry Taylor (PCS) won by forfeit

182—open

195—open

220—Brandon Knoles (Perkins County) over James Sucha (KC) (Fall 2:43)

285—Austin Meyer (PCS) won by forfeit

Team Score—KC-27, PCS 24