23 Antelope County athletes earned recognition in wrestling and basketball from the Niobrara Valley Conference.
Thirteen Elkhorn Valley athletes earned recognition. Earning a spot on the Honorable Mention list for boy's basketball was seniors Kalen Dittrich and Brayden Effle. Representing the Lady Falcons, junior Hannah Ollendick was selected 1st Team with juniors Amber Miller and Sierra Rystrom earning a spot on 2nd Team. Eight of the thirteen Elkhorn Valley athletes to earn honors were wrestlers from the state runner-up team. Elkhorn Valley wrestlers that were named to the 1st Team were: Dillon Stewart at 120, Darren Stewart at 138, Josh McFarland at 145, Mitchell Peterson at 152, and Shawn Klinetobe at 182. Wrestlers earning a spot on the 2nd Team were: Adam Miller at 113, Prestin Vondra at 132, and Brock Schaecher at 170. Seven Elgin Public/Pope John athletes earned recognition. Representing the boy's team, seniors Ashton Evans and Ashton Krebs, as well as junior Hunter Reestman were all named to the Honorable Mention list. Senior Lydia Behnk and junior Allyson Wemhoff were selected for the 1st Team, and seniors Calli Krebs and Paige Meis were both named to the Honorable Mention. Logan Henn is the lone wrestler to represent EPPJ earning 1st Team at 126. Eight Clearwater-Orchard athletes earned recognition. Juniors Ryan Wilhelm and Blake Hoke were both selected for NVC 1st Team; and Jacob Long was named to the NVC 2nd Team, representing the Cyclone boy's basketball team. Representing the lady Cyclones, senior Brooklynn Chipps and junior Katie Stearns were both named to the NVC Honorable Mention list. Earning a spot on the 2nd All-Conference list was wresters Clay Thiele at 182, Donaven Nolze at 220, and Tommie Peed at 285. Neligh-Oakdale wrestlers were recognized with wreslters being named to the 1st team for the conference. Wrestlers were freshman Brock Kester-106 pounds and juniors Cameron Wilkinson-113 pounds, Andrew Herley-132 pounds and Jayden Arehart-160 pounds. Wrestlers selected for 2nd team conference honors were freshmen Caleb Payne-126 pounds and Dawson Kaup-195 pounds. Four Neligh-Oakdale basketball players earned recognition from the Niobrara Valley Conference. Senior Bailey Frey and freshman Trinity Kurpgeweit were both selected for NVC honorable mention; and juniors Austin Rice and Cole Belitz were named to the NVC 2nd team. Thirteen Elkhorn Valley athletes earned recognition from the Niobrara Valley Conference.
Earning a spot on the Honorable Mention list for boy's basketball was seniors Laen Dittrich and Brayden Effle. Representing the Lady Falcons, junior Hannah Ollendick was selected 1st Team with junior Amber Miller and senior Sierra Rystrom earning a spot on 2nd Team. Eight of the thirteen Elkhorn Valley athletes to earn honors were wrestlers from the state runner-up team. Elkhorn Valley wrestlers that were named to the 1st Team were: Dillon Stewart at 113, Darren Stewart at 138, Josh McFarland at 145, Mitchell Peterson at 152, and Shawn Klinetobe at 182. Wrestlers earning a spot on the 2nd Team were: Adam Miller at 113, Prestin Vondra at 132, and Brock Schaecher at 170. Four Neligh-Oakdale basketball players earned recognition from the Niobrara Valley Conference.
Senior Bailey Frey and freshman Trinity Kurpgeweit were both selected for NVC honorable mention; and juniors Austin Rice and Cole Belitz were named to the NVC 2nd team. Six Warrior wrestlers were recognized by the Niobrara Valley Conference with all-conference honors for their success this season.
Neligh-Oakdale wrestlers named to the 1st team for the conference were: freshman Brock Kester-106 pounds and juniors Cameron Wilkinson-113 pounds, Andrew Herley-132 pounds and Jayden Arehart-160 pounds. Wrestlers selected for 2nd team conference honors were freshmen Caleb Payne-126 pounds and Dawson Kaup-195 pounds. Neligh-Oakdale qualified seven youth wrestlers for the state tournament this weekend in Grand Island.
Qualifiers for Neligh-Oakdale are as follows: Micah Hughes: 2nd at 49-52 pounds, prek-k division Cason Hoefer: 1st at 42-46 pounds, prek-k division Logan Lichtenberg: 4th at 59 pounds, first-second division Tyson Blakeman: 2nd at 55 pounds, third-fourth division Zander Kline: 4th at 55 pounds, third-fourth division Corbin Hoefer: 2nd at 75 pounds, third-fourth division Dane Schmoldt: 4th at 90 pounds, third-fourth division Tanner Martensen: 1st at 160 pounds, fifth-sixth division Aiden Kuester: 1st at 150 pounds, seventh-eighth division Orchard senior Creston Bertschinger was among the 48 players to be added to the Nebraska 8-Man Sertoma All-Star game roster. Bertschinger will represent the Cyclone football team as a running back wearing #15 on the West Team.
Bertschinger along with 24 other players will be coached in the all-star game by head coach Luke Gideon of Burwell and assitant coaches Mitch Pfeiffer of Mullen, Jon Coffey of Blue Hill, and Mike Max of Burwell. Players joining Bertschinger on the West Team include Cameron Downey of Anselmo-Merna, Landon Lenz of Medicine Valley, Spencer Wichmann of Palmer, Miles Davis of Hemingford, Daniel Libolt of CWCE, Alex Horky of Twin Loup, Daniel Duffy of Kenesaw, Charles Johson of Perkins County, Josh Hinrichs of Gilter, Jack Rush of South Loup, Blake Schwarz of South Loup, Hunter Kraus of Twin Loup, Wyatt Fiene of Cambridge, Holden Eckhout of Amherst, Lane Deisly of Blue Hill, Austin Geis of Elm Creek, Taylan Reiser of St. Mary's, Mason Lofquist of West Holt, Thomas Hughes of Burwell, Tell Spies of Mullen, Drake Davenport of Overton, and Roper Chandler of Paxton. The West Team will take on the East Team made up of Dalton Bohac of East Butler, Brady Oliver of Pender, Kolby Houlden of Friend, Ashton Dohmen of Humphrey-Lindsay Holy Family, Lucas Thingstad of Wynot, Thomas Ragland of Lourdes Central Catholic, Ben Reigsecker of Nebraska Lutheran, Matt Hoffman of Plainview, Quienten Moles of Bloomfield, Caden Thies of Oseola, Nolan Kosch of Humphrey St. Francis, Brandon Watters of Winside, Cooper Smith of Tri County, Trevor Havlovic of East Butler, Connor Boehr of Heartland, Karson Dickson of Bruning-Davenport-Shickley, Ben Bohling of Johnson-Brock, Anders Jensen of Lawrence-Nelson, Levi Stacken of Creighton, Theo Rohrer of Falls City Sacred Heart, Ryan Macholan of Howells-Dodge, Holden Stengel of Bruning-Davenport-Shickley, Jacob Yosten of GACC, and Kole Prososki of Fullerton. The East Team will be coached by head coach Greg Wood of High Plains Community and assistant coaches Matt Maltsberger of Heartland, Shawn Biltoft of East Butler, and John Kucera of High Plains Community. The game will be held at Hastings College on Saturday, June 16 at 1:30 p.m. Olympic gold medalist and former Husker wrestler Jordan Burroughs will be in Elgin this Saturday night in conjunction with a grand opening event.
The Elgin Men's Charitable Corporation (EMCC) and the Elgin Community Club will host an open house for the EMCC Professional Building on Saturday, March 10. The event will be held at the Elgin Knights of Columbus Hall with the doors opening at 6 p.m. A free meal will be provided. Located at 109 S. 2nd St. in Elgin, the EMCC Professional Building is home to Cornerstone Chiropractic Center - Dr. Derek Scholl, Shawn Beaudette of Lammli, Locke and Beaudette and Elgin Dental Clinic - Dr. John Williams. Burroughs has agreed to sign autographs at the event. He will arrive at approximately 7 p.m. The event will likely conclude at 8:30 or 9 p.m. Coach: Ron Beacom
Roster: Austin Rice, Neven Kline, Colby Sehi, Brock Kester, Garret Belitz, Trey Svatos, Caleb Payne Returning Letterwinners: Austin Rice Season Outlook: "We are a young and inexperienced group. Austin competed very well last year as a sophomore, so we will look to him for his leadership. Neven is also much improved from last year. A couple of the freshman have played a lot, it is just their first year in high school golf, so we are looking forward to seeing how well they compete." Season Opener: March 29th, a dual vs. Creighton at Antelope Country Club Full Schedule: Thursday, March 29 4:00 Dual vs. Creighton Antelope Country Club Thursday, April 5 4:00 Elkhorn Valley Quad Antelope Country Club Monday, April 9 4:00 Dual vs. O'Neill O'Neill Country Club Saturday, April 14 8:30 Plainview Invitational Plainview Country Club Thursday, April 19 9:00 O'Neill Invitational O'Neill Country Club Tuesday, April 24 9:00 NVC Meet Antelope Country Club Thursday, April 26 9:00 Lakeview Invitational Quail Run (Columbus) Friday, April 27 4:00 Dual vs. Norfolk Catholic Antelope Country Club Saturday, April 28 9:00 West Holt Invitational Atkinson-Stuart Country Club Monday, April 30 Noon Santee Quad Tatanka Country Club (Santee) Wednesday, May 2 9:30 Nio.-Verdigre Invitational Niobrara Golf Course Monday, May 7 9:00 North Central Invitational Bassett Country Club Monday, May 14 TBA D-3 District Meet Summerland Golf Course (Clearwater) May 22-23 9:30 Class D State Golf Meet Lake Maloney Country Club (North Platte) Coaches: Rick Eickholt, Terry Trautman, Kelly Ptacek, JJ Wagner
Roster: Tjay Zobrist, Jayden Arehart, Cole Belitz, Christian Carothers, Cade Wilkinson, Gage Dawson, Kaleb Pofahl, Cameron Wiseman, Griffin Claussen, Julien Hearn, Andrew Jacobsen, Isaias Juarez, Dawson Kaup, Dominque Wright Seniors: Tjay Zobrist Returning state qualifiers/events: Jayden Arehart, long jump Season opener: Doane Invite Indoor Meet - March 16 Full Schedule: March 16 - Doane Indoor @ Crete March 22 - Warrior Relays @ Neligh April 3 - Antelope County Invite @ Neligh April 11 - Neligh-Oakdale Invite @ Neligh April 18 - Hartington Invite @ Hartington April 25 - Clarkson Invite @ Madison April 29 - NVC Meet @ West Holt May 4 - Randolph Invite @ Randolph May 11 - C-8 District Meet @ West Holt May 19-20 - State Track @ Omaha Coaches: Terry Trautman, Kelly Ptacek, JJ Wagner, Rick Eickholt
Roster: Bailey Frey, Courtni Heckert, Rachel Higgins, Haley Kerkman, Kristen Snodgrass, Shelby Pitzer, Emma Bixler, Hailey Bixler, Hannah Schrader, Claire Whitesel, Brooke Frey, Paige Furstenau, Trinity Kurpgeweit, Aleesha Bergman, Aubrie Klabenes, Meredith Wiseman, Sydney Olson Seniors: Bailey Frey, Courtni Heckert and Rachel Higgins Returning state qualifiers/events: Kristen Snodgrass, 200 meter dash Season opener: Doane Invite Indoor Meet - March 16 Full Schedule: March 16 - Doane Indoor @ Crete March 22 - Warrior Relays @ Neligh April 3 - Antelope County Invite @ Neligh April 11 - Neligh-Oakdale Invite @ Neligh April 18 - Hartington Invite @ Hartington April 25 - Clarkson Invite @ Madison April 29 - NVC Meet @ West Holt May 4 - Randolph Invite @ Randolph May 11 - C-8 District Meet @ West Holt May 19-20 - State Track @ Omaha
This time last year, the Neligh-Oakdale boys basketball program was enjoying its most successful season in school history.
After playing for a state title and replacing four starters, the Warriors expected a challenging season. But there were many more challenges ahead, including a head coaching change midway through the season. “Adversity is always a tough pill to swallow, especially with kids who are younger,” said Ethan Larson, who took over head coaching duties in January. Earlier this month, Frank Gade officially resigned from teaching and coaching duties. Larson was in his seventh season as an assistant. Larson said he approached the basketball team the same way he always had. “I told the kids the only thing that changes is I’m standing up, I’m not sitting down now. Our scheme doesn’t change, our preparations don’t change, the expectations don’t change. The change should be minimal. I think that’s the mark of a good program. When you can have a bit of adversity, you can have a speed bump, if the status quo remains the same and with the kids, you don’t see a change in effort, I think that shows we’re doing something right. Nate Buck, the only senior on the Warrior squad, admitted the head coaching change happened quickly but said Larson kept them on track and focused on their job at hand. “You know, it was a big change right in the middle of the season. You don’t expect that ever, and I think he did a really good job of just keeping our heads in the game and not anything outside of it. So I think he did really well.” Austin Rice was the lone returning starter from last season’s state runner-up team. Rice said he worked hard to get his teammates in the gym during the offseason and learning to work together. While he admitted it wasn’t an easy role, he grew into it. You don’t expect that ever, and I think he did a really good job of just keeping our heads in the game and not anything outside of it. So I think he did really well,” Buck said. Austin Rice was the lone returning starter from last season’s state runner-up team. Rice said he worked hard to get his teammates in the gym during the offseason and learning to work together. While he admitted it wasn’t an easy role, he grew into it. “It was a little hard at first,” Rice said. “I didn’t really know what to do at first because I always played with the older senior boys. Just a change for me. It was a rough transition, but I made it work. As the season progressed, the Warriors continued to have promise but struggled at times to put complete games together. As subdistrict action neared, few thought the Warriors had a chance as they faced top-seeded Ainsworth. “The beautiful thing about high school basketball in the state of Nebraska is the post season is a brand new season. The seeding just determines the time you play each night. Going into with that kind of attitude of it’s a new season, new game and just having that level of preparation with the mindset that you’re out there to win games, I think that’s key to it all,” Larson said. So when the opening round saw the Warriors upset No. 1 Ainsworth 50-46, everyone was stunned. Everyone except the Warriors. “It felt really good. A lot of people didn’t think we were going to beat them — them being No. 1 and us being No. 4,” Rice said. “We just wanted to go out there and prove we are a good ball team and we can go out there and play with other people. We knew we could do it, so we went out and played our best basketball probably all year our final two games and went out and played our hearts out.” Determined to prove their win over Ainsworth was not a fluke, the Warriors had high hopes against Creighton in the subdistrict final. With a six-point lead at halftime and nearly even play through the second half, Neligh-Oakdale found itself down by 1 point with 12 seconds left. The Warriors turned the ball over on the final possession and Creighton sealed the win. “Coming off of a one-day break after we had just played a really great defensive game — a really tough defensive game — against a good Ainsworth team. The kids deserve a majority of that credit. As a coach you want to hope you can put your team in the best position possible,” Larsen said. While the Warriors were disappointed by the one-point loss, they recognized what the team accomplished by overcoming so many obstacles. “Disappointment, from the loss, but I’m very proud of my team,” Buck said. “For us the biggest part about playing basketball is being a team and being like a brotherhood. It’s really nice to bond with your teammates.” Both Buck and Rice said the bond between players and coaches is also key. That relationship also made the coaching transition smoother, according to Larsen. “The best relationships you can have produce the best outcomes, the best results. There’s always a line. You don’t want to be their friend, but you want them to know you care about them, and I think the kids know that we as coaches care a lot about them,” he said. “The mark of a great program is when there is a big change, that change isn’t as noticeable. While we had a big change in our starting lineup, we had changes throughout the season and the middle of the season, I think growth still happened and there wasn’t a huge set back or roadblock that impeded progress.” The Elkhorn Valley wrestling team claimed its second straight state hardware on Saturday by finishing as the Class D State Duals Runner-Up.
Elkhorn Valley defeated Amherst 48-21 before downing Mullen 39-33, advancing to the state championship dual. The Falcons lost to Burwell 44-30. Elkhorn Valley defeated Amherst 48-21
The Neligh-Oakdale Warriors fought hard in the second round of sub-districts but was unable to take the win with a 35-34 loss to the Creighton Bulldogs.
The Warriors battled through the first half of the game taking a 19-13 lead going into halftime. The second half kept fans on their toes but, with a 1-point loss the Warriors ended their season. More details and stats to come. Several Antelope County golfers were part of the winning team at the 2018 Nebraska PGA Vegas Classic, which wrapped up on Wednesday at SouthShore Golf Club.
Chris Twibell, Toby King and Matt Meuret, all of Brunswick, were part of the amateur team led by Meuret of the Plainview Country Club. Also on the team were Mitch Todd of Plainview and Ryan Vesely of Verdigre. Meuret's team, which finished two under on the last three holes, had 328 points while second place had 320 points. The Cyclones were edged out of postseason play by #3 North Central in the D1-6 subdistrict game at Ainsworth on Tuesday night.
Clearwater-Orchard trailed early in the contest, but came back in the second to tie it up 27-27 at halftime. OC continued to roll in the third, earning a 5-point lead as they entered the final quarter of play. It all came down to the last 8 minutes of the game. The Knights were able to hold the Cyclones to just 4 points in the fourth while putting up 15 of their own to secure the 51-45 win over OC. Two Cyclones put up impressive double-doubles on the night as Jacob Long scored 14 points and swiped 15 rebounds, and Liam Odell hit 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Other scorers were Ryan Wilhelm with 10 points and Blake Hoke with 9 points. OC 12 15 14 4 45 NC 18 9 9 15 51 Clearwater-Orchard: Kirby Willats 1r; Jacob Long 14p, 15r, 3a, 2s, 2b; Liam Odell 12p, 11r, 2a, 1s; Blake Hoke 9p, 3r, 2a, 3s; Ryan Wilhelm 10p, 9r, 2s, 1b; Chris Kester 2a, 2s. Neligh-Oakdale came into Tuesday night's game against #1 Ainsworth with nothing to lose.
The Warriors were seeded No. 4 heading into the first-round C2-6 subdistrict game in O'Neill and were coming off a 5-game losing skid. But none of that stopped the Warriors as they knocked off the top-seeded team, 50-46, to advance to the subdistrict final. 'The kids really came to play last night," N-O Coach Ethan Larsen said proudly. "One of the best things about the postseason in high school basketball is that it really is a new season." Neligh-Oakdale was down by just 3 points after the first quarter of play and knotted it up at 24-24 at the break. The Warriors outscored the Bulldogs 26-22 in the second half to secure the upset victory. Larsen said his team opened up some opportunities by playing aggressively on both sides of the ball. "This helped us defensively and got us to the free throw line offensively, as the boys really attacked the hoop well," he said. "That allowed us to set the tone and control the tempo for the majority of the contest." Junior Cole Belitz was nearly perfect from the charity stripe as he shot 11 of 12, or 92 percent, and freshman Julien Hearn went 8 of 10 from the free throw line. "The kids had the right frame of mind and mental focus to finish the game and come out on top," Larsen said. "I'm very proud of our effort and look forward to Thursday." Belitz led the team with 17 points and Austin Rice had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Warriors. Others scorers were Julien Hearn with 8 points, followed by Hunter Charf and Nate Buck with 6 apiece, and Isiac Kurpgeweit with 1. Neligh-Oakdale advances to play #2 Creighton in the subdistrict final on Thursday night. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. at O'Neill High School. N-O 9 15 10 16 50 Ains 12 12 8 14 46 Neligh-Oakdale: Beau Murray 1r, 1s; Julien Hearn 8p, 4r; Hunter Charf 6p, 1r; Isiac Kurpgeweit 1p, 2r; Cole Belitz 17p, 4r, 6a, 2s; Austin Rice 12p, 12r, 1a, 1s; Nate Buck 6p, 3r. The Elkhorn Valley boys fell to the top-seeded Osmond Tigers in the first round of the D1-5 subdistrict game at Battle Creek on Tuesday night.
The Falcons trailed by 9 at the end of the first period, but were able to cut the lead to 7 heading into halftime. Osmond's offense heated up in the second half as the Tigers cruised to a 63-39 win over EV. Senior Brayden Effle led Elkhorn Valley with 12 points, followed by Braedyn Ollendick with 8, Kalen Dittrich 7, Dalton Smutny 4, Bryson Anderson 3, Julio Sierra and Brandon Evans 2 each and Trevin Hanson 1. EV 10 8 7 14 39 OS 19 6 18 20 63 Elkhorn Valley: Isaiah Greenhalgh 1s, Kalen Dittrich 7p, 3r, 1s, Brayden Effle 12p, 2r, 1b, 3s, 2a; Julio Sierra 2p, 5r, 5b, 1s; Bryson Anderson 3p, 1r, 2s; Trevin Hanson 1p, 1r; Brandon Evans 2p, 1r, 1a; Dalton Smutny 4p, 2r, 1s; Braedyn Ollendick 8p, 4r, 2s, 3a; Josiah Wriendt 1r. The Wolfpack's season came to an end in the first-round subdistrict game in Ainsworth on Monday night.
Elgin Public-Pope John (#5) fell at the hands of #4 Boyd County, 56-37. Down by just 7 heading into the break, the EPPJ boys were working to keep up with the pace of the Spartans. But, Boyd County more than doubled their efforts in the second half to seal a win over the Wolfpack. Ashton Krebs led EPPJ with 10 points and 5 rebounds, followed by Kyle Schumacher with 9 points, Liam Heithoff 6, Ashton Evans and Conor Ramold 5 each, and Hunter Reestman with 2. Elgin Public-Pope John: Hunter Reestman 2p, 1a, 3r; Conor Ramold 5p, 3a, 1r; Ashton Evans 5p, 1a, 3r, 1b; Ashton Krebs 10p, 2a, 5r, 1s; Kyle Schumacher 9p, 2r, 2s; Liam Heithoff 6p, 1a, 2r; Adam Dreger 2r. The Elkhorn Valley boys basketball team dropped their final regular season game to Osmond on Friday night.
The team trailed by 21 points at the half and finished the game 77-43. Scoring for the Falcons was led by Kalen Dittrich with 17 points, followed by Braedyn Ollendick with 12, Brandon Evans and Brayden Effle 5 apiece, Bryson Anderson 3, and Dalton Smutny 1. EV will face Osmond again on Tuesday in the D1-5 subdistrict game. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. in Battle Creek. The Wolfpack ended its regular season on a winning note.
Elgin Public/Pope John picked up a 50-44 victory over O'Neill St. Mary's on Friday night. The Wolfpack grabbed a narrow lead early in the game and didn't let go. Kyle Schumacher and Ashton Krebs each hit double digits for the Wolfpack with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Other scorers were Hunter Reestman with 8 points, Ashton Evans 7, Adam Dreger 4 and Conor Ramold 3. The Wolfpack will take on #4 Boyd County in the first round of subdistricts tonight. Tipoff has been moved up to 5 p.m. in Ainsworth. EPPJ 13 15 16 6 50 SM 9 18 11 6 44 Elgin Public-Pope John: Kyle Schumacher 15p, 3a, 2r; Ashton Krebs 13p, 1a, 6r; Hunter Reestman 8p, 2a, 1r; Conor Ramold 3p, 2s; Ashton Evans 7p, 3a, 5r, 1b; Adam Dreger 4p, 4r; Liam Heithoff 1a, 3r. Boyd County edged out Clearwater-Orchard in the final regular season game on Friday night.
The Spartans jumped out to a 21-16 lead in the first quarter and held on to win 54-52 over the Cyclones. Ryan Wilhelm had a big night for Clearwater-Orchard, leading the way with 20 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Other contributors for the Cyclones were Jacob Long with 15 points, Blake Hoke 11, Chris Kester 5 and Liam Odell 1. OC will take on #3 North Central in its first round subdistrict game on Tuesday night. Tipoff is set for 7:45 p.m. in Ainsworth. OC 16 6 13 17 52 BC 21 5 14 14 54 Clearwater-Orchard: Kirby Willats 2s; Jacob Long 15p, 6r, 3a, 2s, 1b; Liam Odell 1p, 4r, 2a; Blake Hoke 11p, 2r, 4a, 2s, 1b; Ryan Wilhelm 20p, 3r, 4a, 2s; Chris Kester 5p, 4r, 6a, 1s. The Neligh-Oakdale boys fell to a hot-shooting Niobrara-Verdigre team in their final game of the regular season on Friday.
The Warriors worked hard early in the game, trading buckets with the Cougars, but Niobrara-Verdigre pulled ahead 26-17 to end the first quarter of play. The Cougars added to their lead as they shot 52 percent from the field and beyond the arc, hitting 13 treys in the matchup. They eventually defeated Neligh-Oakdale on their home court, 68-38. Cole Belitz led the way for the Warriors with 14 points, 4 assists and 4 steals, followed by Nate Buck with 8 points, Austin Rice, Julien Hearn and Beau Murray 5 each, and Isiac Kurpgeweit 1. Neligh-Oakdale will play their first-round subdistrict game on Tuesday against Ainsworth. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at O'Neill High School. NV 26 10 12 20 68 N-O 17 4 13 4 38 Neligh-Oakdale: Julie Hearn 5p, 2r; Beau Murray 5p, 2r; Isiac Kurpgeweit 1p, 6r; Cole Belitz 14p, 2r, 4a, 4s; Austin Rice 5p, 7r, 4a; Nate Buck 8p, 5r; Hunter Charf 2r, 1a. While wrestling is often considered an individual sport, Elkhorn Valley left this weekend's state tournament with a team trophy as the Class D state runner-up.
The Falcons qualified seven wrestlers for state and six advanced to Friday night's consolation and semifinal round. From there, three qualified for the state championships. Dillon Stewart and Josh McFarland each won state titles while Darren Stewart finished as state runner-up. As a team, Elkhorn Valley scored 88 points, behind winner Burwell with 124. Mullen was third with 72 points. The Falcons were fifth last year at state and third the year before. The season is not yet over for Elkhorn Valley as the team will next compete in the State Duals tournament. Complete results for the state qualifiers are below. 2018 NSAA Championships Results for Elkhorn Valley D106 Hunter Bennett (33-16) place is unknown and scored 1.00 team points.
Facing a wrestler who had never lost a match in his high school career, Darren Stewart was pinned in the 138-pound state championship match to finish as runner-up.
Stewart lost to four-time state champion Cameron Riggs of Maxwell. Maxwell finishes with a record of 201-0. Elkhorn Valley senior Dillon Stewart won his second straight state championship on Saturday night.
Stewart defeated Nate Christensen of Plainview 13-2 in the 120-pound title match. Last season Stewart won the 113-pound division. |
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