Friday was a big a day for the Neligh-Oakdale wrestling squad, as the Warriors took home the team title at the Twin Loup-Sargent Invitational.
N-O scored 177.5 team points, 19.5 points better than second-place Burwell. Niobrara/Verdigre recorded 14 team points. Senior Jayden Arehart (182) recorded his 100th career win with a first-round fall over Elwood's Ben Tiede. Arehart finished second in his weight class with a 3-1 record. Warrior senior Cameron Wilkinson placed first at 113-pounds. Cameron Wilkinson scored four pins on his way to an individual title. Andrew Herley (138), Kaleb Pofahl (170), Dawson Kaup (195) and Colton Klabenes (220) each took second place, while Griffin Claussen (106) was fourth. Dallas Snyder (138), Jose Luna (152) and Conor Dempsey (160) each won three matches, Brock Kester (120), Caleb Payne (145) and Cade Wilkinson (152) each won two matches and Cody Booth (113) Isaias Juarez (126) each won a match. Toby Ives (132) led the Cougars with a 2-2 record. Hudson Drobny (160) and Gavin Chohon (182) each went 1-2, while Beau Hrbek (195), Evan Ruzicka (170) and Trey Sucha (152) went 0-2. Niobrara/Verdigre travels to Osmond Saturday, Dec. 15, at 10 a.m. Neligh-Oakdale competes at the Cambridge Invitational Saturday, Dec. 15, at 10 a.m. In two closely contested games, the Neligh-Oakdale girls were narrowly edged out by Creighton, while the Warrior boys were able to defend their home court in the final seconds.
The Lady Warriors started the game with a quick pass from Paige Furstenau to Haley Kerkman for a layup and one, giving the girls a 3-0 advantage right out of the gate. Creighton answered with a trey to tie it up, but a Claire Whitesel jumper put the N-O girls back in the lead. Maycee Zimmerer drained a three and Charlize Wilmes hit a field goal to put Creighton ahead, 8-5. Warrior sophomore Brooke Frey got her hot hand started with a shot behind the arc to knot up the score at 8-all. Zimmerer laid one in to bounce the 2-point lead back to the Bulldogs. Kerkman put in a bunny shot and Frey added a baseline jumper to give Neligh-Oakdale a 12-10 advantage after the first quarter. After nearly three scoreless minutes in the second, Furstenau took it to the hoop for a 14-10 lead. Creighton's Jessica Stevens scored on a put back and then teammate Ashtyn Fritz added a couple more unanswered jumpers to go ahead, 16-14. Furstenau drove the lane for two more and tied it back up. Fritz sunk another before Wilmes stole the ball for a layup and a 20-16 Creighton lead. Furstenau drew a foul and went 1-2 at the charity stripe, followed by another three-pointer from Frey for a 20-20 halftime score. At the start of the third, Zimmerer poured in another three to regain the lead for Creighton. In more see-saw scoring, Frey drove to the hoop on back-to-back trips down the court, drawing fouls and going 3-4 from the line to tie it up again. Stevens nailed a three for a Bulldog advantage, but Trinity Kurpgeweit grabbed a Warrior rebound and put it back in. A couple Creighton free throw shots and an easy bucket for Bryna Fanta swung the momentum back to the Bulldogs. A Frey layup put the Warriors within three, trailing 30-27. A missed shot gave Zimmerer a put back and Creighton a 32-27 lead heading into the fourth. Beginning the final quarter, Fritz hit a field goal for Creighton and Furstenau was fouled and hit both N-O free throws, 34-29 Zimmerer and Furstenau trade buckets again before Whitesel goes 2-2 at the line to put the Lady Warriors within three, 36-33. Fanta sunk 7 of her 9 points in the last minutes of the game to give Creighton a boost. A couple free throws by Furstenau and a field goal and trey by Frey put the Warriors within reach, 45-40, with just two minutes left in the game. Kurpgeweit rebounded the ball for a put back, but as the clock wound down, Neligh-Oakdale was forced to foul. The hard-fought contest ended in a Bulldog win, 50-42. Frey led the Lady Warriors with a career-high 18 points, half of them coming from beyond the arc. She was a perfect 3-3 from three-point land. Rounding out the N-O scoring were Furstenau with 11, Kerkman 5 and Whitesel and Kurpgeweit 4 apiece. Frey said the Lady Warriors improved their ball movement, which helped her take more open shots. "I feel like our team did a really good job of moving the ball around and finding each other in open spots," Frey said. "We were working together well." In the boys game, Beau Murray started things off with a three-pointer and Isiac Kurpgeweit put in 1-2 at the line for a 4-0 Warrior lead. Alex Homan and Brayden Zimmerer answered with Creighton layups to knot it up. Hunter Charf drained an open trey and Cole Belitz went 2-2 from the free throw line to regain the lead for N-O. Conner Hammer went 2-2 from the line for Creighton and teammate Brian Johnson added two more to tie it at 9-9. Charf drew a foul and sunk both free throw shots before Belitz added another free throw and Kurpgeweit grabbed an offensive board for a put back, giving the Warriors a 14-9 lead after one quarter. Carson Lilly had a big second quarter for Creighton, scoring 8 of the team's 12 points. Zimmerer and Sam Van Metre each added a field goal as well. For the Warriors, half of Austin Rice's points came right before half, 3-4 free throws and a put back after an offensive board. Murray poured in another trey, Belitz scored on a layup and Kurpgeweit added one free throw. The N-O boys headed into the break with a 25-21 advantage. The Warriors picked up a bunch of easy buckets in the third—6 points by Belitz and 2 apiece by Murray, Kurpgeweit and Rice. Johnson hit a field goal and Hammer adds 4 points to put Creighton within 10 at the end of the third, 37-27. The Bulldogs kept fighting and Lilly added two before Homan put in a trey. Rice hit a bunny shot and went 2-2 for the Warriors while Hammer hit a field goal and a layup for Creighton, 41-36. Kurpgeweit pulled down a board for a put back to put N-O up, 43-36. Zimmerer hit back-to-back threes to pull within one, 43-42. A missed Creighton free throw and Rice is fouled on the rebound. He goes 1-2 from the line for a score of 44-42 with 20 seconds left. Hammer pushes the ball up the court, puts up a shot and is blocked by Murray—his first and only blocked shot of the night with 17 seconds left. Kurpgeweit is fouled on a rebound on the other end and headed to the line with just 12 seconds left. He went 2-2 on free throw shots. Belitz is fouled and repeats 2-2 to ice the game. The Warriors picked up a 48-42 victory in their first home game of the season. In a balanced scoring attack, Belitz led the Warriors with 13 points and 4 steals, followed by Austin Rice with 12 points and 8 rebounds. Kurpgeweit had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Murray added 8 points and Charf had 5. "Coming into this match up, we knew Creighton was hungry," N-O Coach Ethan Larsen said. "Coach Nilson does a good job with them and I know he's only had a short time with them because they had such a great run in football. With that being said, we knew it would be a tough physical, man-to-man game." Larsen said he knew it would come down to "who was going to be mentally strong for four quarters." "We went with a short bench tonight," he said. "We knew physically we were going to have some mismatches if we got in too deep. I asked a lot of the guys there. And I asked a lot of Garret Belitz. I'm proud of him for stepping up. He came in when we had a little bit of foul trouble before halftime, and he came in at the end when Hunter kind of blew a wheel a little bit. For that, and the other guys out on the court, that's a big gut win for us and that does a lot for our confidence." Neligh-Oakdale will host St. Mary's at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. There will be no JV girls, but there will be four quarters of JV boys, followed by varsity girls and varsity boys. Junior high wrestlers from Neligh-Oakdale and Clearwater-Orchard were successful as they traveled to O'Neill for a tournament on Tuesday.
Neligh-Oakdale O`Neill JH Wrestling - 57-74Guaranteed Places
O`Neill JH Wrestling - 85-97Guaranteed Places
O`Neill JH Wrestling - 94-98Guaranteed Places
O`Neill JH Wrestling - 95-109Guaranteed Places
O`Neill JH Wrestling - 102-110 AGuaranteed Places
O`Neill JH Wrestling - 102-110 BGuaranteed Places
O`Neill JH Wrestling - 110-121Guaranteed Places
O`Neill JH Wrestling - 117-122Guaranteed Places
O`Neill JH Wrestling - 127-137Guaranteed Places
O`Neill JH Wrestling - 127-134Guaranteed Places
O`Neill JH Wrestling - 128-135Guaranteed Places
O`Neill JH Wrestling - 130-138Guaranteed Places
O`Neill JH Wrestling - 135-146Guaranteed Places
O`Neill JH Wrestling - 140-150Guaranteed Places
O`Neill JH Wrestling - 151-160Guaranteed Places
O`Neill JH Wrestling - 161-175Guaranteed Places
O`Neill JH Wrestling - 182-191Guaranteed Places
O`Neill JH Wrestling - 195-219Guaranteed Places
A milestone was achieved Tuesday night when the Elkhorn Valley girls basketball team defeated Madison, 68-38.
Lady Falcon coach Brendan Dittmer recorded his 200th career win at EV with the 30-point triumph over the Lady Dragons. "I'm just humbled to be apart of such a tradition of hard working, talented young ladies," Dittmer said. "I have been extremely lucky to be surrounded by a supportive community and school. 200 wins are special, each in their own right. I've been blessed to be involved in this game for so many years, and I'm very lucky walk the sidelines for Elkhorn Valley." After taking a 27-24 lead into the locker room, the Lady Falcons exploded for 41 second-half points, while holding Madison to just 14 points in the final 16 minutes, to improve to 2-0 on the year. Olivia Nall led Ev with a double-double after recording 14 points and 10 rebounds. Hannah Ollendick recorded 22 points, four assists, eight steals and five boards, Sierra Rystrom tallied 10 points and five rebounds, Kaylee Bacon accounted for 9 points and eight boards, Amber Miller pitched in 6 points, three assists and two steals, Carney Black had 3 points, while Bria Gale and Haley Fleetwood each had 2 points. In the boys contest, Elkhorn Valley lost to Madison, 71-53. Trailing by two at the break, the Dragons outscored the Falcons, 34-14, to rally past EV (1-1). Braedyn Ollendick led the green and white with 17 points, eight rebounds, two assists and four steals. Carter Rautenberg recorded 14 points and five boards, Derek Hahne tallied 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, Julio Sierra accumulated 8 points and 11 boards, Brandon Evans added 4 points and four rebounds and Bryson Anderson snagged boards. Elkhorn Valley hosts Santee Friday at 4 p.m. The Clearwater/Orchard girls and boys basketball teams split their Tuesday night matchup against Riverside.
The Lady Cyclones cruised past Riverside, 43-21. "I thought we played a lot better," stated OC girls mentor Scott Leisy. "That was the best half of basketball, in the second half, we've played. You could see our confidence growing and we executed better than we had in two-and-a-half games. When you get almost 30 (points) out of your post players, you feel really good. Avery (Cheatum) and Katie (Stearns) had really nice games tonight. When you get 30 out of them, you're going to put yourself in position to win a lot." Offense was hard to come by in the opening quarter, as both teams combined to make seven baskets and turned the ball over 18 times. "Coach (Leisy) told us to slow down and make sure we had the pass before we made it," spoke Cheatum. "We needed to make sure they were open before we made the pass." Tied at eight after the first, OC's defense was able to pick up where the offense struggled, shutting out the Lady Chargers in the second quarter and taking a 14-8 lead into the break. Stearns and Morgan Haschke were the two lone offensive bright spots for their respective teams in the first half. Haschke scored all eight of Riverside's (0-1) first-half points, while Stearns netted 10 of the Lady Cyclones' 14 in the first. The offense finally going in the third, as OC (2-1) outscored Riverside, 12-3, in the quarter. The Lady Cyclones sealed the win with a 17-10 run to end the game. "We really worked the ball into our post tonight, and that really helped us," Cheatum said. "Katie (Stearns) really took advantage of the game. Katie and I worked well tonight, especially on the boards. Everyone worked together really well." Following a sloppy start, OC calmed down and played better down the stretch, especially defensively. The Lady Cyclones held the Lady Chargers to three points in a two-quarter span and turned 26 Riverside turnovers into 11 points. "We've struggled to score and that's going to be a common theme for us this year," Leisy noted. "It's something we're going to have to keep improving at, but we have to win on the defensive end. I was proud of the way we played for about two-and-a-half quarters. I thought we got a little lazy towards the fourth quarter. We got a little handsy and got undisciplined, but we set the tone, We extended the lead in the second quarter and anytime you can hold someone scoreless, you really feel good about where you are at. Through three games, I really can't complain about the way we played defensively. I'm really happy with the way they've adjusted." Stearns led OC with a game-high 16 points, nine rebounds, two steals and three assists. Cheatum recorded 12 points, eight boards, two steals and an assist, Julian Tuttle and Kaci Wickersham each netted a 3-pointer, Julia Thiele, Taylor Sanne and Holly Schacht each tallied 2 points and Elly Herley had 1 point. The green and black won the rebound battle, 32-27, and scored 12 second-chance points in the win. "Those (second-chance points) were really important tonight," Cheatum remarked. "We had a little bit of a size advantage, and we normally don't have a size advantage, but tonight we did. That really helped us." In the boys contest, Riverside shot past OC, 81-52. “We knew Riverside coming in had some really, really nice players returning, who were all-state a year ago,” commented OC boys coach Jim Schutt. “(Tredyn) Prososki showed that you better find him when he comes out of the locker room with the way he shoots. He proved tonight that he's one of the premiere guards in the state. (Joseph) Bloom, the big kid, compliments him. They have a lot of good pieces and are a very athletic team. That was a nice team we played tonight." After falling behind 10-3, the Cyclones went on a 5-3 run to cut the deficit to five, but the Chargers answered with an 11-4 run to end the quarter. A 14-2 run to start the second, increased Riverside's (1-0) advantage to 38-14. Leading 61-38 heading into the final stanza, the Chargers scored 20 of the first 30 points in the fourth to seal the win. Despite a 32-point loss, there were numerous positives for the Cyclones. OC (2-1) put up 52 points against one of the top teams in Class D2, snagged 28 rebounds and won the turnover battle, 18-12. “After we study the tape and look on paper, you might go 'We didn't play all that bad',” Schutt said. “They (Riverside) just played awful, awful well. There was things we can do better, find the shooters and close out and maybe I should of got out of our defense and that's on me, but we will learn from it. Second half, our kids really competed hard. They could have hung there heads and quit, but they competed well." Bloom and Prososki combined to score 48 of the Chargers’ 81 points in the win. Blake Hoke led the Cyclones with 20 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals. Gage Clifton netted 10 points, Ryan Wilhelm recorded 10 points and seven boards, Chris Kester had 6 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, Gage Switzer added 4 points and Mason Hoke pitched in 2 points. Clearwater/Orchard returns to action Friday as the Cyclones travel to Niobrara to face the Cougars. The girls begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by the boys. “They're a lot like us,” Leisy said. “They're a scrappy, defensive team and they'er better than they were last year, and I think we are too. It should be a good game. We have to go on the road and it's never easy to win on the road. We saw that last week when we went to (O'Neill) St. Mary's and played. We have to play how we did tonight, build off of that second half and carry that over into Niobrara." “They have to remember to take one game at a time,” Schutt concluded. “Every game is going to be tough and you have to learn from that. I'm a rearview mirror type guy. After it's over, I like to put that one in the rearview mirror and we have to keep looking forward because that's where we are headed." In an all-Antelope County matchup, Neligh-Oakdale and Elgin Public/Pope John split games in Elgin on Tuesday night with the home team picking up the girls win and the Warriors leaving with the boys victory.
The girls started out by trading buckets, with a 4-4 score early in the first, but the Lady Wolfpack picked up the pace and went on a run. Their press forced several Warrior turnovers and EPPJ capitalized, finishing out the quarter with a 25-9 lead. "I thought the girls came out right away and played well," EPPJ Coach Randy Eisenhauer said. "One thing we pushed the last couple days at practice was tempo. We're a team that's going to get out and run. We did trade buckets right away back and forth, and I told the girls, 'Let's go. I want to get out and keep going.' With our defense we're going to go out and put on a lot of pressure. Then our defense is going to lead to our offense, and I thought that it did that first quarter." The second quarter was a little more even with EPPJ adding 9 more and the Lady Warriors posting 8 points for a 34-17 halftime score. "At halftime I told the girls I wanted to keep pushing," Eisenhauer said. "We run and that's where we're going to get a lot of buckets. I thought in the third quarter it looked to me like they got a little gassed and our girls kept going. And we got a lot of points from layups and that helps." The Lady Wolfpack put up 28 more points in the second half for a 62-39 victory. Leading all scorers was EPPJ senior Kaylee Martinsen with 18 points and 8 rebounds, followed by senior teammate Allyson Wemhoff with 16 points. Rounding out the Wolfpack scoring was Kayce Kallhoff with 13, Kirsten Krebs 9, Grace Rittscher 4 and Lexi Bode 2. Three girls each swiped 8 steals as well—Martinsen, Wemhoff and Kallhoff. "We stepped up our defense from last week," Martinsen said. "We knew that we needed to stop some girls, go after every ball and just try our best. And we needed to run hard and just keep going and keep pushing, no matter how tired you are. We just had to keep going and it helped us out a lot tonight in our transition." She said Coach Eisenhauer has told them they just "need to be one game better each time." "Last week was our first game so we had some jitters, and today we came out and we had a whole bunch of chemistry and just clicked," Martinsen said. "We had so much fun playing tonight." Eisenhauer said he was pleased with how much improvement his team showed from Friday to Tuesday. "I thought our girls came out and worked harder on defense for me and it showed," he said. "We've got a big week. We've got Friday and Saturday yet and then we turn around and we've got three games next week again, so it's back to the drawing board again. We need to figure some things out that we need to improve on defensively and offensively and see what happens from there." The Neligh-Oakdale coaches credited EPPJ with a solid game in the win. "Elgin was a very good team with pressure and forcing us into turnovers," Coach Tanner Knutson said. "They're going to be a good team throughout the year. They are very well coached." Christy Knutson agreed and said the game showed them some areas to work on. "Turnovers and fundamentals are where we will concentrate," she said. "We've been too focused on learning all these new things that we haven't really focused on the little things." Paige Furstenau and Trinity Kurpgeweit led the way for the Lady Warriors with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Haley Kerkman and Brooke Frey each added 6. In the boys game, Neligh-Oakdale didn't waste any time getting their offense going as they jumped out to an 8-0 lead before Warrior senior Isiac Kurpgeweit put an exclamation point on it with a slam dunk and a 10-point advantage. Austin Rice scored all 5 of his points in the first quarter and Cole Belitz got warmed up with 4. Beau Murray and Hunter Charf each added a bucketand Kurpgeweit went 2-2 from the free throw line for a couple more. EPPJ's Kyle Schumacher hit a jumper to add the only points to the Wolfpack's scoring column in the first as they trailed 17-2. Belitz doubled his efforts in the second, putting up 8 points in 8 minutes, while Kurpgeweit added 2 more. For the Wolfpack, Schumacher drained a bucket and went 2-2 from the charity stripe, Colton Wright went 1-2 on free throws and Adam Dreger hit a field goal. The Warriors led 27-9 at the break. In the third, N-O's Belitz and Charf each added 4 more points, while Murray and Kurpgeweit put in 2. For the Wolfpack, Dreger hit a two and one, R.J. Lierman drained a trey, and Schumacher and Conor Ramold each tallied two points. The Warriors led 39-19 heading into the final quarter of play. Belitz capped off the game by hitting a field goal and two shots from behind the arc in the fourth. Warrior teammates Charf and Murray added 3 and 2 more, respectively. Ramold went 1-2 from the line and Wright made a field goal to finish out the Wolfpack scoring. In the end, N-O topped EPPJ, 52-22. Schumacher led the Wolfpack with 8 points and 5 rebounds, followed by Dreger with 5 and Ramold, Lierman and Wright with 3 apiece. "First off, hats off to Neligh, they had a good game plan," EPPJ Coach Michael Becker said. "They forced us into some early turnovers and got out and ran and made us get up and down the floor and defend the whole floor instead of just half court. I thought our kids did well on the defensive end when we made them play a half court game. We just have to continue to improve on the offensive side to take care of the ball and get some high percentage looks and knock down those shots when we have a chance. We missed some easy ones early on to maybe help us get going in the right direction, and then we got a little discouraged and didn't have a chance to right the ship." The Warrior team was able to accomplish what they set out to do, according to Belitz and Coach Ethan Larsen. "I thought the game we played tonight was much more complete and well rounded than our past couple," Belitz said. "We did a much better job of playing together and working off of each other's actions. We did a nice job of getting touches on defense and running the court with each other. We still have plenty to improve, but it was definitely an improvement upon last week." Belitz led all scorers with 24 points, followed by Charf with 9, Kurpgeweit 8, Murray 6 and Rice 5. "The game plan coming in was to kind of stick to our strengths," N-O Coach Ethan Larsen said, "We feel like we've got an inside presence and we have the ability to kind of control the tempo in whatever game we play. We tried to do what we do best. And tonight was a night where I think we came out, executed the game plan, and ultimately, even with some changes with the flow of the game, came out with a pretty good win." The EPPJ teams will travel to Plainview on Friday and to Riverside on Saturday, while Neligh-Oakdale will host Creighton in their first home games of the season. The Clearwater/Orchard boys basketball team picked up a 49-29 triumph over Chambers/Wheeler Central Friday.
Tied at eight, the Cyclones (2-0) used a 32-12 run in the next three quarters to pull away. Blake Hoke led the team with 21 points and eight rebounds. Chris Keter recorded 10 points, six steals and four assists, Ryan Wilhelm and Gage Clifton each netter eight points and Gage Switzer grabbed eight boards. The Lady Cyclones (1-1) dropped their home opener to the Lady Renegades, 66-16. A 19-1 run to start the game, put CWC ahead for good. Clearwater/Orchard hosts Riverside at Clearwater, with the girls varsity playing at 6:30 p.m. The Elgin Public/Pope John girls and boys basketball team kicked off their 2018-19 campaigns against Niobrara/Verdigre Friday evening.
In the girls contest, the Lady Wolfpack surged past N/V, 59-38. “We came out right away nervous and the girls were tense,” stated EPPJ girls mentor Randy Eisenhauer. “We had three new starters and girls who had very little varsity experience. I thought we would be nervous and tense and it showed right away. I told them to keep battling, fighting and working. We pride ourselves on our defense and our defense makes everything else work.” EPPJ got off to a sluggish start, scoring just 26 points in the first half and turning the ball over 13 times. “Coach (Eisenhauer) told us to relax (at halftime),” commented EPPJ senior Allyson Wemhoff. “He knew we were playing nervous and he told us to go out there and play our game. Once we started to relax, things started to go our way.” After a Megan Cook layup gave the Lady Cougars a 29-28 lead in the third quarter, Wemhoff drilled back-to-back 3-pointers and the Lady Wolfpack went on a 10-3 run to end the quarter. “We work on shooting and constancy in practice,” Wemhoff added. “We work on coming down and finding momentum and the girls were open and shot too. It was a fun game.” EPPJ (1-0) took over in the fourth, outscoring N/V, 21-7, in the final stanza to win its season opener. “We got the first game jitters out,” Wemhoff said. “We only had two starters back and we came out and started finding some chemistry. It was a beginning game to get used to each other.” After a sloppy start, the red and white calmed down in the second half. EPPJ recorded just five turnovers in the second half, while forcing 20 Lady Cougar turnovers in the second half, which turned into 24 points. “At halftime my first few words was we gotta quit turning the ball over,” Eisenhauer noted. “Their pressure did it, but not all of it. We needed to a better job of attacking seems and once we attacked seems, that’s when it opened everything else up. Defensively, I made a few adjustments. I moved our guard around to put more pressure on them and I had out bottom people play higher and they got more steals down low. That led us to the transition and we got rid of the careless turnovers.” Cook and Chaney Konopasek each recorded nine points to lead N/V (0-2). Wemhoff led the Lady Wolfpack with 20 points. Kaylee Martinsen tallied 10 points and five rebounds, Grace Rittscher and Kayce Kallhoff each netted eight points and Kirsten Krebs snagged nine boards. In the boys contest, Niobrara/Verdigre held on for a 43-38 win over EPPJ. “It’s good to get a win,” said N/V boys coach Todd Runnels. “I tried to play a lot of guys and I feel good about it, but at the same time I wish we could have kept the same intensity. I wanted them to finish, but I had to put the starters back in and they need to to learn a few things because they didn’t close out a game how I’d like them to.” The Wolfpack jumped out to an early 6-0 lead thanks to a triple by Conor Ramold, put back basket by Kyle Schumacher and an Adam dredger free throw. The Cougars responded with a 33-12 run through the next two and half quarters. Through three quarters of play, N/V was dominating the turnover battles, 20-8, and scored 13 points off of EPPJ’s 20 turnovers. “The turnovers were nice,” Runnels said. “We’re not the greatest half-court team, so when we get a turnover and get the guys running down the floor, it gives us a chance to get a bucket without having to call a play. That was a good plus to see.” A Ken Justo steal and basket, gave the visitors a 39-19 lead with under six minutes remaining in the game. With the back-ups in, the Wolfpack made their run. EPPJ (0-1) went on an 18-1 run to cut the deficit to three with 45 ticks remaining. “The cobwebs were definitely there early,” spoke EPPJ boys coach Michael Becker. “Towards the end of the third, we decided we were just going to go out and let the kids play basketball. We let them complete, play with each other and not worry about what the offense requires and just be aggressive. It showed with the amount of free throws we shot in the fourth quarter The Cougars reentered their starters midway through the run and made enough free throws down the stretch to escape with a win. “I thought we played extremely tough and our effort was tremendous from the get go,” Becker continued. “We had to be creative with how we did somethings and our kids responded and battled through. We couldn’t get the ball through the hoop at the end, but the effort was there.” Tayshaun Kitto led N/V (1-1) with 10 points. Justo had nine points, Camden Eisenhauer accumulated eight points and Logan Reynolds had six points. “We feel like we have 10 players that can play,” Runnels said. “We may not be able to switch out five for five, but we have 10 guys that can play. They are all alike and that’s how our team is going to look this year. We don’t have one dominant player. We’ll see how this progresses.” Schumacher scored nine of his game-high 16 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed eight rebounds. Dreger accounted for 12 points, R.J Lierman pitched in five points, Ramold added four points and Colton Wright recorded eight boards. Niobrara/Verdigre travels to O’Neill St. Mary’s Tuesday, with the girls beginning at 6:30 p.m “We have something to coach and will get back to work Monday,” Runnels said. Elgin Public/Pope John hosts county rival Neligh-Oakdale Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Pope John. “Now the nerves are out,” Eisenhauer concluded. “I told the girls they have played in a game now and they need to be ready to play right away. We can’t come into games tense, there will be teams that will jump all over us. I told them to relax this weekend and be ready to come in Monday. We have a big game Tuesday. Neligh is a good team and well coached. Our girls have to be ready to go.” Elkhorn Valley swept Neligh-Oakdale as they hosted the Warriors in their home openers on Friday.
The EV girls started off the winning ways with a 53-42 victory and then the boys finished out the night with a 48-36 win over the Warriors. Quickly putting points on the board, the Lady Falcons jumped out to an early 6-0 lead. Neligh-Oakdale responded with some offense of their own, and midway through the first quarter, knotted up the game at 11-11. EV went on a 5-point run to end the first period with a 16-11 advantage. The Lady Falcons boosted their lead a bit in the second as they headed into the break, 28-21 . The Lady Warriors continued to fight their way back. They were down by a dozen and were able to cut the margin to eight. The EV girls were determined to keep them from getting any closer and widened the gap, taking a 13-point lead into the final quarter. The Lady Falcons even stretched their lead to as much as 16 points in the fourth, but the N-O girls battled back, eventually falling, 53-42. "I thought we played good defense," EV Coach Brendan Dittmer said. "Neligh shot the ball incredibly well, so hats off to them. And their execution was good. For playing back to back nights, I didn't think they had a step lost." Dittmer said he looks for his team to grow as the season continues. "You know, there are a little bit of growing pains," he said. "We have a couple freshmen out there playing with us and it's just going to take some getting used to each other, and I think that will come as the season goes along and we'll grow from here." Dittmer said his team did a good job forcing turnovers. "We had a lot of opportunities with turnovers and I thought we created a lot with our defense, but then we just didn't convert on the other end," he said. "So that's going to take some getting used to each other and maybe just the speed of the game and getting in a little better shape as we go along. I think as those things improve, we'll get a lot of layup opportunities and convert those layups." Amber Miller led the Lady Falcons with 14 points, followed by Hannah Ollendick with 13 points, 6 steals and 5 rebounds; Olivia Nall with 9 points, 7 steals and 7 rebounds; and Sierra Rystrom with 7 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Carney Black added 4 points and Kaylee Bacon, Haley Fleetwood and Bria Gale each had 2 apiece. "For our first game, I thought we played together really, really well, and our defense came along as our quarters kept going," EV senior Sierra Rystrom said. "Overall talking to each other helped a lot and just knowing where to be and who to play with and telling the freshmen to just come together as a team...I think this season is going to go really, really well." Leading all scorers was Neligh-Oakdale sophomore Paige Furstenau with 17 points, followed by Brooke Frey with 11, Claire Whitesel 9, Haley Kerkman 3 and Trinity Kurpgeweit 2. "They played hard," N-O Coach Christy Knutson said. "Turnovers have hurt us again, once we start cleaning that up, and start clicking offensively, we will be fine. I was very happy about our defense tonight, they fought hard and gave everything they had. Overall, I like the progress we are making from yesterday’s game to today. I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of the progress throughout the season as we continue to work hard and improve." In the boys game, neither team could get much offense going in the first half. The Warriors led 9-6 after the first quarter and held onto a narrow 17-15 halftime advantage. "Going into halftime it was a close game, but coach told us good teams come out and play a third quarter and we gotta show them what we got, so we came out and worked hard and got things done," EV sophomore Braedyn Ollendick said. The Falcons started their surge midway through the third quarter and were able to tie it up 23-23. At first, the Warriors were able to hold them off, going on a 5-point run of their own, but EV wasn't done. Fighting back within two, Ollendick was fouled on a layup and converted it into a 3-point play, giving EV their first lead of the game, 28-27, with just a couple minutes left in the third. Freshman Carter Rautenberg added two more to give the Falcons a 3-point lead heading into the final quarter of play. EV hit their stride early in the fourth quarter, putting in a couple buckets to extend their lead, 34-27. Ollendick hit a jumper for two and then drained a trey on the next trip down the court, making it 39-27. Warrior senior Beau Murray dropped a three to cut EV's lead to 39-30. EV got a couple more on a Bryson Anderson layup and Rautenberg field goal. Isiac Kurpgeweit hit 1-2 from the charity stripe with just over 4 minutes to play. The Falcons went into their stall offense, burning a minute off the clock before turning over the ball. However, N-O couldn't convert on the other end. On the next play, Ollendick was fouled and hit both shots. For the Warriors, Cole Belitz took it to the hoop for a layup and drew a foul. A missed free throw gave Kurpgeweit the opportunity for a put back and two more. The Warriors trailed 45-35 with 1:21 left in the game, forcing them to foul. After a few free throws, the game ended in final score of 48-36. "The biggest thing is we got some shots to fall, got some confidence, stepped up more on defense," EV Coach Derric Werner said of his team's second half performance. The coach said their defense was probably their biggest strength in the game. "We gave up some height, we gave up some quickness maybe a little bit, but we played together well as a team, which was phenomenal," he said. Werner said the win will help the Falcons going forward. "Number one, I think it gives them more confidence," he said. "And I told them, now they don't have any excuses because now they can see what they can do. Honestly, I think that's the tip of the iceberg on what they can play like, which is very nice." Ollendick had a big night with a double-double, 18 points and 10 rebounds. Rounding out EV's scoring were Rautenberg with 8 points, Julio Sierra and Brandon Evans 6 each, Bryson Anderson 5, Derek Hahne 3 and Trevin Hanson 2. N-O Coach Ethan Larsen said the Warriors struggled with adversity in Friday's game, but hopes his players can grow from it. "As a team, we got away from some of our strengths and had miscues defensively," he said. "We will use this as a learning experience and use it to improve as the season is still young." Kurpgeweit led the Warriors with 12 points and 9 rebounds, followed by Austin Rice with 9 points and 10 rebounds, Cole Belitz with 7 points, Beau Murray 5 and Hunter Charf 3. The Elkhorn Valley teams will host Madison on Tuesday, while the Warriors will travel to Elgin for their third-straight road game. The Elkhorn Valley wrestling squad kicked off the season with a pair of victories Thursday evening.
The Falcons defeated High Plains Community, 62-6. Josh McFarland (160), Mitchell Petersen (170), Christian Yaw (285) and Hunter Klinetobe (138) each scored a pin. Adam Miller (126) picked up a 5-4 decision win, while Reed Bennett (132) scored a tech fall, 19-4. Brock Schaecher (182), Gavyn Clause (195), Hunter Benett (106), Haiden Sleister (113) and Prestin Vondra (145) won by forfeit. EV completed the sweep with a 57-24 triumph over Meridian. McFarland, Schaecher, Hunter Bennett and Clause won by fall, Schaecher Petersen recorded an 8-3 decision victory, while Miller, Reed Bennett, Klinetobe, Vondra and Ashton Gullickson (152) took home forfeit wins. After Saturday’s Creighton Invitational was postponed until Dec. 18, Elkhorn Valley has to wait until Dec. 8 to return to the mats for the Osceola Invite. The Neligh-Oakdale wrestling team got off to a hot start this season with three wins at the Bishop Neumann quad Thursday.
The Warriors defeated Bishop Neumann 66-12. Andrew Herley (138), Conor Dempsey (160), Kaleb Pofahl (170), Jayden Arehart (182), Colton Klabenes (220) and Cameron Wilkinson (113) each won by fall. Cody Booth (120), Brock Kester (126), Isaias Juarez (132) and Griffen Claussen (106) scored wins by way of forfeit. N-O scored a 56-21 triumph over Mount Michael Benedictine. Claussen, Cameron Wilkinson, Kester, Dempsey, Pofahl, Arehart and Dawson Kaup (195) recorded a pin, while Cade Wilkinson (152) won by major decision. Booth and Klabenes won by forfeit. Finally, the Warriors won against Omaha Concordia, 54-30. Kester, Pofahl, Arehart, Klabenes, Cameron Wilkinson and Booth picked up falls for N-O, while Kaup and Dallas Snyder (145) scored a win by forfeit. Pofahl, Cameron Wilkinson and Arehart each tallied three pins Thursday night. Kester and Klabenes had a perfect 3-0 record. Neligh-Oakdale wrestles in the York Dual Tournament Saturday at 8:30 a.m. Clearwater/Orchard opened the 2018-19 campaign with two wins Thursday night.
It was all OC in the first match, as the Cyclones defeated Wisner-Pilger, 63-6. Codey Snider scored a first-period pin over Aidan Sateren in :53 second at 182 pounds. Tommie Peed scored a 5-3 decision win at 285 Houston Marino (160), Austin Pokorny (170), Clay Thiele (195), Anthony Ferris (106), Rafe Grebin (126), Eli Thiele (120), Alex Arroyo (145), Donaven Nolze (220) and Gaby Gamez (152) each won by forfeit. In their second match, the Cyclones defeated Wayne, 42-36. Marino, James Kester (132) and Snider each won by fall. Clay Thiele, Nolze, Ferris and Eli Thiele won by forfeit. Clearwater/Orchard returns to the mats Saturday at the Howells-Dodge Invitational at 9:30 a.m. The Clearwater/Orchard girls and boys basketball teams came away with two hard-fought victories Thursday evening in O'Neill.
In first varsity contest, the defense led the way for the Lady Cyclones in their 29-24 triumph over St. Mary's. “It wasn’t pretty,” stated OC girls coach Scott Leisy. “I’ve done this (coached basketball) for 11 years, and I don’t know if I’ve ever won a game 29-24. Defensively, we played as well as we did Monday (OC’s scrimmage against O’Neill Public). We scrapped, we kept them out of what they wanted to do offensively and we couldn’t have asked for more defensively. Offensively, we didn’t shoot very well in the first half. We let them hang around. In the fourth quarter, we executed better, got really good looks, got to the free throw line and we found a way to win. We executed the last two minutes perfectly.” The green and black forced 23 Lady Cardinal turnovers and held St. Mary's to just six made shots from the field. “Coach (Leisy) told us on the bench that defense was going to win this game,” spoke OC senior Katie Stearns. “We knew since we aren’t very good offensively, we needed to work on defense. We got in their head and picked up what we needed to pick up.” It was a sloppy opening to the contest, as both teams combined for 13 turnovers in the first quarter. Stearns got off to a hot start, scoring six of the Lady Cyclones' eight points, to give OC an 8-4 lead after the first eight minutes of play. “We knew O’Neill was a scrappy team and we had to work it (the ball) inside,” Stearns recalled. “We got the ball underneath and scored.” The Lady Cardinals converted their first bucket of the game, with nearly a minute gone in the second, on a Jadyn Eby 3-pointer. The turnover bug plagued the Lady Cyclones in the second, as OC coughed the ball up seven times, and St. Mary's turned it into six points, to take a 13-12 lead into the break. A 6-2 run by OC to start the third gave the visitors an 18-15 edge to start the third. Charley Mlnarik's jumper knotted the game at 18 heading into the fourth. Buckets by Taylor Sanne, Stearns and Elly Herley put the Lady Cyclones ahead 24-18 with four minutes remaining on the contest. Triples by Abby Everitt and Faith Williamson cut the deficit to three, but a pair of free throws by Stearns and Julie Thiele each iced the win for OC. “Tonight we played for people who had cancer,” Stearns said. “We wanted to play for Leisy and get the win. We all worked together and got the W." Williamson led the Lady Cards with seven points and Abby Hedstrom added six. Stearns led all scorers with 15 points. Thiele pitched in six points, Sanne recorded four points, while Herley and Avery Cheatum accounted for two points apiece. With a lack luster offensive performance, OC used its defense to create offense. The Lady Cyclones turned 23 St. Mary's turnovers into 12 points. “When you score 29 points and you get 12 in the ballgame off of turnovers, there’s almost half your points,” Leisy noted. “When we got the turnovers, we did something with them. Verses when we turned it over, they (St. Mary's) didn’t get a lot out of them. That was the difference. Defensively we have to force turnovers and our 1-3-1 played really well tonight. We found enough ways to get enough points down the stretch to get a lead." In the final contest of the evening, the OC boys rallied from an early deficit to oust St. Mary’s, 50-49. “It was up and down and we fell down real early,” commented OC boys mentor Jim Schutt. “They jumped on us and they were ready to play. I thought we were ready to play, but they (St. Mary’s) came out and did some good things and got us down. Credit to my kids, they just kept battling and turned the tides. We got a nice lead, but then got into foul trouble and injuries. We played some kids I wasn’t ready to play in the first game, but they grew up in a hurry. A credit to my kids for just competing and I’m very proud of them for coming out of a tough environment with a win.” After falling behind 10-0, the Cyclones went on a 17-4 run to snag the lead. “Coach (Schutt) told us to stay positive,” recalled senior Blake Hoke. “There’s going to be ups and downs tonight. We knew that and he says it before every game. We knew it was a down, but we came back up.” After a Hoke steal and layup, Cole Gaughenbaugh banked in a half-court buzzer beater, tying the contest at 17 after one period of play. Following a Grady Semin 3-pointer, OC scored 11 of the next 13 points, taking a 30-24 advantage into the locker rooms. Trailing heading into the final stanza, the Cardinals used a 7-0 run to claim a 45-44 advantage with two minutes remaining in the game. Hoke reclaimed the lead for the Cyclones on three different occasions, putting the green and black ahead for good on a put back bucket with under 30 second to play. “I try to stay positive and calm most of the time,” Hoke said. “I think the underclassmen feed off that when I’m calm. We know it’s just a game and if we stay calm, we’ll come out good.” OC stayed alive down the stretch thanks to seven misses at the charity stripe by St. Mary's. The Cards had a final shot to win the game, but Semin's triple attempt was off the mark at the buzzer. “We beat O’Neill (in Monday’s scrimmage) by one point and St. Mary’s by one point, so we’re making it tough on ourselves,” Hoke continued. “We got the win so that’s all that matters.” A big key to the rally was OC picking up the defensive pressure and capitalizing off Cardinal turnovers. The Cyclones turned 19 St. Mary's turnovers into 18 points. “We’ve been working more on pressing, controlling tempo and throwing them out of sync,” Schutt remarked. “That worked for us tonight. We hurried them into shots and turnovers, which we turned into points. It’s a grind every night, so you have to figure out ways to beat people.” Semin netted 12 of his 20 points in the final eight minutes of play. Hoke led the Cyclones with a double-double, with 20 points, 12 rebounds and seven steals. Kester recorded 14 points, Gage Clifton netted eight points, Ryan Wilhelm and Anthony Umphress tallied four points apiece and Gage Switzer had two points. “Our starting guys are solid and return from last year,” Schutt added. “I wanted to build depth this year and I thought we could build depth, but I didn’t think we would grow up after one game. I think we grew up tonight.” Clearwater/Orchard hosts to Chambers/Wheeler Central Friday at Clearwater. The Lady Cyclones (1-0) begin at 5 p.m., with the boys (1-0) playing the Renegade at 6:30 p.m. “We got our hands full with Chambers,” Leisy said. “They’re one of the best teams in D1. You look at the preseason rankings and I think they’re a little disrespected where they are. Coach (Laurel) O’Malley is a really good coach for a really good program. They don’t have a senior on that team and they’re going to be solid. We’re going to have our hands full tomorrow afternoon and we’re just going to play. It’s just like Monday when we played O’Neill Public, we’re going to go out, play and see where we are at. We got nothing to lose and we’re going to play our tails off like we did tonight.” “The Renegades are always tough and are hard-nosed kids,” Schutt concluded. “Jon Sladek always has them playing well. It’s just another night in the Niobrara Valley Conference.” Even though it was a foggy trip home, the Warrior coaches were clearly pleased with their teams' first-game efforts.
The Neligh-Oakdale girls dropped a 50-37 road game to Ewing, while the Warrior boys cruised to a 58-31 win. "I think we did a lot of things great," Christy Knutson said of her Lady Warriors. "It's just confidence-building on the floor. We have little things that we have to tweak and fine tune and everything's going to be good." Ewing jumped out to a 20-4 first quarter lead, forcing the N-O girls to battle their way back. They held the Lady Tigers to just 8 points in the second, while adding 13 of their own for a 28-17 halftime score. Coach Tanner Knutson said the first quarter was a rough start for the girls. "But the second, third and fourth we showed what kind of a team we can be and how we play," he said. "Offensive rebounding and rebounding hurt us, but I think we'll be alright." The Lady Warriors pulled within eight in the third quarter, but couldn't close the gap any further, eventually falling by 13. Trinity Kurpgeweit led the team with 12 points, followed by Haley Kerkman with 8; Paige Furstenau and Claire Whitesel, 6 each; and Brooke Frey 5. "We have a very young team," Christy Knutson concluded. "They have to overcome that fear of finishing and there are a lot of things mentally that they need to fix. It's just our first game though. I saw a lot of good things and I have nothing but hope for the future." In the boys matchup, Neligh-Oakdale started off a bit rocky, but seemed to find their groove as the first quarter wound down with the Warriors holding onto a 16-7 lead. They extended their advantage, 28-15, heading into the break. "Tonight, as first games go, they're not clean, you maybe don't execute as well," Coach Ethan Larsen said. "I think at times we executed really well, but overall I think it was a typical first game. We made our mistakes, but I think we overcame adversity pretty well." The Warriors held the Tigers to just 2 points in the third quarter while draining 16 of their own to roll into the final quarter. The teams were even in the fourth and N-O ended the game with a 27-point victory. "Coming out of halftime, I thought the boys did a nice job making adjustments, settling down and doing what we needed to do to come away with a win," Larsen said. Isiac Kurpgeweit and Austin Rice led the Warriors with 14 points apiece, followed by Cole Belitz with 9; Beau Murray and Hunter Charf 8; Gage Dawson and Talon Krebs 2; and Carson Jones 1. Neligh-Oakdale will travel to Elkhorn Valley on Friday. Class: D
Coach: Dan Roeber Returning letter winners: Clay Thiele Sr., Austin Pokorny Sr., Codey Snider Sr., Tommie Peed Sr., Donavan Nolze Sr., Eli Macke Jr. Wrestlers to watch: Tyson Rix Fr., Alex Arroyo Fr., Colton Thiele Fr., Logan Mueller Fr. 2018 outlook: “We have some good experience back on this year’s team. The majority of our team will be juniors and seniors, so we hope that they can lead us on the mat and in the practice room.” Coach Dan Roeber Our take: With 11 of their 21 wrestlers being an upperclassman, the Cyclones looked poised for a solid season. Seven seniors will be expected to lead the way, but look out for OC’s seven freshmen to make some noise in 2018-19. Class: D2
Coach: Scott Leisy 2017-18 record: 4-18 2017-18 playoffs: Lost to North Central in sub-districts. Returning letter winners: Katie Stearns Sr., Julian Tuttle Sr., Julia Thiele Sr., Taylor Sanne Sr., Holly Schacht Sr., Brooke Knievel Jr., Avery Cheatum So., Kaci Wickersham So. 2018 outlook: “The team is looking to build confidence and learn how to win close ball games. We have good leadership in the senior class and need to find a way to score and limit the deficits on the glass, due to our lack of size.” Coach Scott Leisy Our take: With five seniors on this year’s roster, OC may be the most experienced team in the area. With a new coach leading the Lady Cyclones, the five seniors will be heavily leaned on to help guide the green and back this season. Class: D1
Coach: Jim Schutt 2017-18 record: 16-8 2017-18 playoffs: Lost to North Central in sub-districts. Returning letter winners: Blake Hoke Sr., Ryan Wilhelm Sr., Jacob Long Sr., Chris Kester Sr., Gage Clifton Jr., Gage Switzer Jr. 2018 outlook: “We should be very competitive, in and out of conference. We have four returning starters and a lot of experience, but we need to stay healthy and hungry.” Coach Jim Schutt Our take: The 2018-19 sports season can be a memorable year for Clearwater/Orchard. After a fantastic football season, the boys basketball squad looks poised for a big run as well. With four returning starters and three all-conference players back for the Cyclones, watch out for OC to have successful winter. Class: D
Coach: Gary Davis 2017-18 conference/tournament: NVC and district runners-up. 18th at state Returning state qualifiers: Andrew Herley Sr., Cam Wilkinson Sr., Brock Kester So., Kaleb Pofahl Jr., Caleb Payne So. 2018 outlook: “Our work ethic and being able to fill most of the weight classes will be our strength this year. The northeast Nebraska district will be tough, but we should be solid if we continue to improve.” Coach Gary Davis. Our take: This year may be a great year on the mats for Antelope County wrestling and Neligh-Oakdale has the potential to be in the spotlight. With their whole lineup back and only one unfilled spot, the Warriors can make a run as a team and send several individuals to the Omaha as well. Class: C2
Coach: Ethan Larsen 2017-18 record: 10-15 2017-18 playoffs: Lost to Creighton in sub-districts Returning letter winners: Hunter Charf Jr., Julien Hearn So., Garret Belitz So., Cole Belitz Sr., Austin Rice Sr., Isiac Kurpgeweit Sr., Beau Murray Sr. Players to watch: Andrew Jacobsen So., Christian Carothers Sr. 2018 outlook: “I have high expectations for this group. Staying healthy and focused will be a large key to being successful. The players themselves have set high expectations and some pretty lofty goals. Always working toward achieving those goals and never taking a day off will showcase the work ethic of this group.” Coach Ethan Larsen Our take: With plenty of experienced upperclassmen back for the Warriors, 2018-19 has the potential to be a solid season for N-O. Staying injury free will be a huge factor for the Warriors this season. If Neligh-Oakdale stays healthy, the maroon and white can plan for a long winter season. Class: D1
Coach: Christy Knutson 2017-18 record: 2-19 2017-18 playoffs: Lost to Creighton in sub-districts Returning letter winners: Haley Kerkman Sr., Paige Furstenau So., Claire Whitesel So., Brooke Frey So., Trinity Kurpgeweit So. Players to watch: Emma Boggs Fr., Grace Shabram Fr., Vanessa Parra Fr., Riley Martensen Fr., Hannah Vraspir Fr., Evelyn Marrufo Fr., Krystal Fulsaas Fr., 2018 outlook: “This season they will have to learn a lot of new philosophies and strategies. We feel that the talent that we do have and the desire to play will bring success this year.” Coach Christy Knutson Our take: With a new mentor at the helm, coach Knutson hopes to turnaround the N-O girls hoops program. Despite being one of the youngest teams in the area, the Lady Warriors have an ample amount of talent and experience with five returning letter winners back. Class: D
Coach: Joey Tegeler Returning letter winners: Josh McFarland Sr., Prestin Vondra Sr., Mitchell Petersen Sr., Brock Schaecher Sr., Hunter Bennett So., Adam Miller So., Christian Yaw Sr., Gavyn Clause So., Caden Reikofski So. Promising Newcomers: Reed Bennett Fr., Hunter Klinetobe Fr. 2018 outlook: “I believe this team has the potential to do great things this year. The guys believe in themselves and push each other to get better each day.” Coach Joey Tegeler Our take: With a returning state champion and three returning state qualifiers, the Falcons look poised for a stellar season on the mats. A large lineup gives EV a shot at competing with some of the top teams in the state for a team title. Class: D1
Coach: Derric Werner 2017-18 record: 5-17 2017-18 playoffs: Lost to Osmond in sub-districts. Returning letter winners: Julio Sierra Sr., Bryson Anderson Jr., Brandon Evans Jr., Braedyn Ollendick So. Promising Newcomers: Derek Hahne Fr., Carter Rautenberg Fr., Conner Larson Fr., Josiah Wriedt Jr., Trevin Hanson So. 2018 outlook: “Hopefully we start out on the right foot and get some confidence early and surprise some people.” Coach Derric Werner. Our take: Some promising newcomers may be the key to the Falcons’ success this season. With a relatively young lineup, the EV underclassmen has to step up early and might make the difference for Elkhorn Valley this year. Class: D1
Coach: Brendan Dittmer 2017-18 record: 17-7 2017-18 playoffs: Lost to Randolph in sub-districts Returning letter winners: Hannah Ollendick Sr., Amber Miller Sr., Sierra Rystrom Sr., Olivia Nall Jr., Haley Fleetwood Jr. Players to watch: Carney Black So., Bria Gale So. 2018 outlook: “We look to be very competitive in our conference and each game we play. We may get beat some, but our losses will be hard-fought and you will not see any give up in these girls.” Coach Brendan Dittmer Our take: The Lady Falcons have the potential to have an excellent team this season. With plenty of experience back, along with some young talent, Elkhorn Valley can be one of the top teams in the area. Class: D
Coach: Trey Rossman Returning letter winners: Luke Henn Jr. Players to watch: River Romej Fr., Norman Grother Fr. 2018 outlook: “This second year is going to be about continuing to instill the culture in this program that will set the tone for our program going forward for years to come. We have had a great off-season, and I am excited for the potential in our student-athletes. We are going to build this program the right way and get the right people involved to make sure that our program continues to trend upward.” Coach Trey Rossman Our take: The theme of the season for the EPPJ wrestling squad will be quality over quantity. With only five wrestlers on this year’s team, the Wolfpack have set some high individual goals to help the wrestling program grow and improve for the future. Class: D2
Coach: Michael Becker 2017-18 record: 4-17 2017-18 playoffs: Lost to Boyd County in sub-districts. Returning letter winners: Kyle Schumacher Sr., Hunter Reestman Sr., R.J. Lierman Sr., Conor Ramold Jr., Adam Dreger Jr. 2018 outlook: “We will look to continue to build off of our strong summer and improve throughout the year as our younger kids gain experience and confidence playing alongside our three returning starters.” Coach Michael Becker Our take: EPPJ will have to rely on its three returning starters to help lead the younger players. The Wolfpack will use last year’s season as motivation to improve this year and get the hoops program back on track. |
News That Matters To Antelope County - Your News. Your Way. Every Day!
© Pitzer Digital, LLC