The Warriors cruised to a 63-37 victory over Ainsworth on Tuesday night to advance in the C2-6 subdistrict.
Neligh-Oakdale will face West Holt in the subdistrict final at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday in the O'Neill Public gym. The game time was moved up due to potential severe weather. This will be the third time the teams have matched up this season. The Warriors have topped the Huskies in the two previous games. In Tuesday's game, it started with Alex Kerkman winning the tip off, as the ball went directly into the hands of Tyson Belitz and Belitz took it in for an easy layup. Neligh-Oakdale took a 14-7 advantage after the first quarter, and a 31-22 halftime lead. The third quarter was the turning point in the game as the Warriors continued to roll while holding Ainsworth to just 3 points. They took a commanding 48-25 lead heading into the final quarter and eventually went on to win, 63-37. Chris Bentley had one of his strongest games of the season with a double-double in the subdistrict game. Bentley sparked the offense with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals on the night. Tyson Belitz led all scorers with 22 points, and added 8 rebounds. Other scorers for the Warriors were Grant White with 15 points, Alex Kerkman 9, Austin Rice 3, and Clayton Anderson and Cole Belitz with 2 each. Scores by quarter: N-O 14 17 17 15 63 Ains 7 15 3 12 37 Despite playing in just a handful of games in 2016, Chad Bode certainly left his mark on the Elgin Public/Pope John offense.
The senior did enough in his time on the field to be selected to participate in the 40th Annual Sertoma Eight-Man All-Star Game on June 17 in Hastings. Injuries caused Bode to play in just two and a half games this year. However, he still managed to amass 335 yards rushing and three touchdowns to lead the Wolfpack offense. Two Neligh-Oakdale senior football players were recently honored with a selection to one of the biggest all-star games of the year.
Grant White and Chris Bentley were selected to the 40th Annual Sertoma Eight-Man All-Star Game. The game will be held in Hastings on June 17 and the two will take the field for the East Team. The duo was selected after leading Neligh-Oakdale to an unbeaten season in which they set several offensive records. White will take part in the game as a quarterback while Bentley will likely be on the receiving end of many of White's passes as a tight end. Joining the Warrior duo will be coach Ron Beacom. He was selected to be on staff as an assistant for the East Team. Just as the girls had done a week before, Elkhorn Valley and Clearwater-Orchard met in Plainview for subdistricts, hoping to keep their respective seasons alive.
This week, it was Clearwater-Orchard that came out on the good end of the battle, taking down the Falcons 46-39. Elkhorn Valley held a slight lead entering the break but the Cyclones kicked it into high gear in the second half to come away with the win. Chris Kester and Blake Hoke led the charge for O-C, recording 12 and 11 points, respectively. Hoke was a terror defensively as well, coming away with eight steals on the night. Down low, Ryan Wilhelm dropped in 10 points while Travis Kerkman added eight to go along with his 12 rebounds. For Elkhorn Valley, Austin Miller led the offense, dropping in 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting. Kalen Dittrich and Brayden Effle added eight points each. Effle also pulled in nine boards, as did Tucker Hecht. The Falcons end their season at 4-18. The Cyclones live to fight another day and advance to a showdown with Boyd County. Game time is set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday at Plainview. Neligh-Oakdale sophomore Andrew Herley showed no fear Saturday evening as he battled one of the best wrestlers in the state.
In the Class D 132-pound state championship, Herley finished runner-up. Facing Cameron Riggs of North Platte St. Patrick's, Riggs earned a tech fall in 2:55 for his third straight state championship. Riggs took an early 2-0 lead but Herley quickly cut that in half, showing he was not intimidated by the dominating wrestler. Riggs increased his lead to 11-1 as he worked toward a pin. But Herley scrambled and kept his shoulders off the mat. With the score at 16-1, Riggs took the tech fall. 2017 NSAA Championships Results for Neligh-Oakdale D132 - Andrew Herley (40-8) placed 2nd and scored 21.50 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Andrew Herley (Neligh-Oakdale) 40-8 won by tech fall over Damian Stewart (Thayer Central) 28-24 (TF-1.5 5:19 (18-2)) Quarterfinal - Andrew Herley (Neligh-Oakdale) 40-8 won by fall over Juan Lasso (Nebraska Christian) 35-12 (Fall 3:24) Semifinal - Andrew Herley (Neligh-Oakdale) 40-8 won by decision over Jefferson McNeill (Oakland-Craig) 41-10 (Dec 6-5) 1st Place Match - Cameron Riggs (North Platte St. Patrick`s) 50-0 won by tech fall over Andrew Herley (Neligh-Oakdale) 40-8 (TF-1.5 2:55 (16-1)) Elkhorn Valley junior Dillon Stewart came from behind to win the 113-pound state championship on Saturday afternoon, sending the Falcon faithful into a frenzy.
Stewart defeated Trevor Nelson of Crawford 10-4 to win a gold medal in a back and forth battle. Nelson went up 2-0 early in the first period, but Stewart quickly cut the lead in half. Nelson wasted little time going up 4-1. Stewart responded with a reversal to cut the lead to 4-3 to start the second period. Stewart used a takedown at the edge of the mat to take a 5-4 lead midway through the second period. Nelson scored two points right at the end of the second to regain the lead. Stewart then knotted the score at 6-all with an escape. Stewart then scored four straight to seal the win. 2017 NSAA Championships Results for Elkhorn Valley D113 - Dillon Stewart (40-1) placed 1st and scored 27.50 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Dillon Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 40-1 won by tech fall over Wade Wright (East Butler) 20-22 (TF-1.5 4:00 (18-1)) Quarterfinal - Dillon Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 40-1 won by fall over Jaden Sobotka (Plainview) 20-20 (Fall 1:17) Semifinal - Dillon Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 40-1 won by fall over Salvador Aguirre (Amherst) 44-6 (Fall 5:53) 1st Place Match - Dillon Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 40-1 won by decision over Trevor Nelson (Crawford) 38-2 (Dec 10-6) Elkhorn Valley sophomore Joshua McFarland scored the first state wrestling medal of his career on Saturday, finishing fourth at 145 pounds.
Against West Holt senior Jake Judge, McFarland took a 2-0 lead in the third period as the pair matched each other move for move. Midway through the final stanza, Judge knotted the score at 2-all. Judge took a 5-2 lead about 45 seconds later. McFarland battle back to make it 5-4 but couldn't pull ahead. 2017 NSAA Championships Results for Elkhorn Valley D145 - Joshua McFarland (44-15) placed 4th and scored 12.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Joshua McFarland (Elkhorn Valley) 44-15 won by decision over Dylan Davis-Mack (Medicine Valley) 24-7 (Dec 10-8) Quarterfinal - Joshua McFarland (Elkhorn Valley) 44-15 won by decision over Trace Baasch (Amherst) 40-11 (Dec 1-0) Semifinal - Jaydon Elge (Nebraska Christian) 16-0 won by major decision over Joshua McFarland (Elkhorn Valley) 44-15 (MD 15-4) Cons. Semi - Joshua McFarland (Elkhorn Valley) 44-15 won by decision over Riley Nichols (Elm Creek) 49-6 (Dec 10-5) 3rd Place Match - Jake Judge (West Holt) 37-9 won by decision over Joshua McFarland (Elkhorn Valley) 44-15 (Dec 5-4) Elkhorn Valley junior Darren Stewart claimed hardware at the 2017 Nebraska State Wresting Championships.
Stewart lost 8-5 against Jefferson McNeill of Oakland-Craig in the third-place match on Saturday morning to finish fourth at 132 pounds. 2017 NSAA Championships Results for Elkhorn Valley D132 - Darren Stewart (29-8) placed 4th and scored 14.50 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Darren Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 29-8 won by tech fall over Jesse Evans (Dundy County Stratton) 27-19 (TF-1.5 4:24 (17-1)) Quarterfinal - Darren Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 29-8 won by major decision over Jacob Johnson (Archbishop Bergan) 34-10 (MD 23-12) Semifinal - Cameron Riggs (North Platte St. Patrick`s) 49-0 won by fall over Darren Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 29-8 (Fall 3:17) Cons. Semi - Darren Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 29-8 won by decision over Juan Lasso (Nebraska Christian) 35-12 (Dec 7-5) 3rd Place Match - Jefferson McNeill (Oakland-Craig) 41-10 won by decision over Darren Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 29-8 (Dec 8-5) Elkhorn Valley senior Alejandro Martinez wrapped up the state wrestling meet with a third-place finish.
A three-time state medalist, Martinez won by tech fall in 4:06 against Breidyn Cumpston of Amherst, also a senior. Martinez isn't done wrestling yet though. He and Elkhorn Valley will be back on the mat next week at the Duals Championships. 2017 NSAA Championships Results for Elkhorn Valley D120 - Alejandro Martinez (36-3) placed 3rd and scored 20.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Alejandro Martinez (Elkhorn Valley) 36-3 won by fall over Justin Noel (Scribner-Snyder) 17-12 (Fall 3:29) Quarterfinal - Alejandro Martinez (Elkhorn Valley) 36-3 won by decision over Holden Schleve (Morrill) 28-13 (Dec 10-3) Semifinal - Dominique Rickard (Plainview) 34-4 won by decision over Alejandro Martinez (Elkhorn Valley) 36-3 (Dec 5-0) Cons. Semi - Alejandro Martinez (Elkhorn Valley) 36-3 won by fall over Connor Sonderup (Fullerton) 33-24 (Fall 2:30) 3rd Place Match - Alejandro Martinez (Elkhorn Valley) 36-3 won by fall over Breidyn Cumpston (Amherst) 26-12 (Fall 4:06) Neligh-Oakdale sophomore Cameron Wilkinson took hardware home from Omaha on Saturday, finishing fourth at state wrestling.
Wilkinson lost by an 11-3 decision against Koby Ellis of Winside on Saturday morning. 2017 NSAA Championships Results for Neligh-Oakdale D106 - Cameron Wilkinson (44-5) placed 4th and scored 13.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Cameron Wilkinson (Neligh-Oakdale) 44-5 won by decision over Jaydon Walker (Hemingford) 31-16 (Dec 8-4) Quarterfinal - Cameron Wilkinson (Neligh-Oakdale) 44-5 won by decision over Koby Ellis (Winside) 36-6 (Dec 4-2) Semifinal - Ryan Patrick (Sutherland) 33-0 won by decision over Cameron Wilkinson (Neligh-Oakdale) 44-5 (Dec 8-2) Cons. Semi - Cameron Wilkinson (Neligh-Oakdale) 44-5 won by major decision over Isaiah Shields (Amherst) 34-7 (MD 9-0) 3rd Place Match - Koby Ellis (Winside) 36-6 won by major decision over Cameron Wilkinson (Neligh-Oakdale) 44-5 (MD 11-3) Neligh-Oakdale rallied from a halftime deficit on Friday night to top Niobrara/Verdigre for the second time this season.
Senior Alex Kerkman lit up the Warriors from downtown hitting 5-of-13 to lead Neligh-Oakdale with 19 points, well on his way to a double-double with his 10 rebounds. Tyson Belitz added another 17 points in the win. The game started out with the teams trading buckets, and the score was knotted at 14-all after the first 8 minutes of play. The lead continued to change hands multiple times in the second quarter, but the Cougars clawed their way to a three-point advantage before heading into the locker room, 31-28. The Warriors appeared to be unshaken and came out in control of the second half. In the third quarter, they held N/V to just 4 points, while they poured in 18. The Cougars tried to make a comeback in the final quarter, and even hit a last second trey, but it wasn't enough as Neligh-Oakdale picked up the 62-53 victory. The Warriors improved to 21-3 and will head into post-season play next week. Neligh-Oakdale earned the top seed in the C2-6 subdistrict tournament. The Warriors will play on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. at O'Neill High School. Their opponent will be the winner of the #4 Ainsworth/#5 Creighton game. Click here for full bracket. On Friday night, Chris Bentley added 9, Grant White 8, Clayton Anderson 7 and Austin Rice 2. Scores by quarter: N-O 14 14 18 16 62 N/V 14 17 4 18 53 Dillon Stewart has just one loss on the season. On Saturday, he doesn't plan to add anymore.
He will take part in the Class D 113-pound state championship match on Saturday after taking down Salvador Aguirre by way of a pin with just seven seconds left on the clock. Stewart trailed for much of the match but worked some magic and pulled out the exciting victory. He will meet Crawford's Trevor Nelson for first place. Elkhorn Valley's four other wrestlers weren't quite as succesful on the day. At 120, Alejandro Martinez fell in the semifinals to Dominique Rickard of Plainview and will wrestle for a spot in the fifth or third place match. Darren Stewart fell to Cameron Riggs of North Platte St. Patrick's in the semifinals and will also wrestle Saturday to decide which medal he will fight for. Josh McFarland fell to Jaydon Elge of Nebraska Christian in the semifinals. He too will wrestle Saturday morning to determine which medal he will fight for. In the consolations, Brock Schaecher fell to Niobrara/Verdigre's Clay Konopasek to be eliminated from the tournament. In the team race, the Falcons now sit at fifth with 54 points. Burwell leads with 133 points. 2017 NSAA Championships Results for Elkhorn Valley D113 - Dillon Stewart (39-1) placed 2nd and scored 23.50 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Dillon Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 39-1 won by tech fall over Wade Wright (East Butler) 20-22 (TF-1.5 4:00 (18-1)) Quarterfinal - Dillon Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 39-1 won by fall over Jaden Sobotka (Plainview) 20-20 (Fall 1:17) Semifinal - Dillon Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 39-1 won by fall over Salvador Aguirre (Amherst) 43-5 (Fall 5:53) D120 - Alejandro Martinez (34-3) placed 6th and scored 9.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Alejandro Martinez (Elkhorn Valley) 34-3 won by fall over Justin Noel (Scribner-Snyder) 17-12 (Fall 3:29) Quarterfinal - Alejandro Martinez (Elkhorn Valley) 34-3 won by decision over Holden Schleve (Morrill) 28-13 (Dec 10-3) Semifinal - Dominique Rickard (Plainview) 34-4 won by decision over Alejandro Martinez (Elkhorn Valley) 34-3 (Dec 5-0) D132 - Darren Stewart (28-7) placed 6th and scored 9.50 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Darren Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 28-7 won by tech fall over Jesse Evans (Dundy County Stratton) 27-19 (TF-1.5 4:24 (17-1)) Quarterfinal - Darren Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 28-7 won by major decision over Jacob Johnson (Archbishop Bergan) 33-9 (MD 23-12) Semifinal - Cameron Riggs (North Platte St. Patrick`s) 49-0 won by fall over Darren Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 28-7 (Fall 3:17) D138 - Prestin Vondra (30-22) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Brody Lewis (Franklin) 42-0 won by fall over Prestin Vondra (Elkhorn Valley) 30-22 (Fall 1:56) Cons. Round 1 - Kiffen Cook (Perkins County) 9-5 won by injury default over Prestin Vondra (Elkhorn Valley) 30-22 (Inj. 4:29) D145 - Joshua McFarland (43-14) placed 6th and scored 7.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Joshua McFarland (Elkhorn Valley) 43-14 won by decision over Dylan Davis-Mack (Medicine Valley) 24-7 (Dec 10-8) Quarterfinal - Joshua McFarland (Elkhorn Valley) 43-14 won by decision over Trace Baasch (Amherst) 40-11 (Dec 1-0) Semifinal - Jaydon Elge (Nebraska Christian) 16-0 won by major decision over Joshua McFarland (Elkhorn Valley) 43-14 (MD 15-4) D160 - Brock Schaecher (28-19) place is unknown and scored 4.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Justus Monette (Mullen) 37-6 won by major decision over Brock Schaecher (Elkhorn Valley) 28-19 (MD 15-3) Cons. Round 1 - Brock Schaecher (Elkhorn Valley) 28-19 won by fall over Brady Wortman (Creighton) 27-14 (Fall 2:40) Cons. Round 2 - Brock Schaecher (Elkhorn Valley) 28-19 won by decision over Wyatt Mader (Crawford) 20-11 (Dec 8-6) Cons. Round 3 - Clay Konopasek (Niobrara/Verdigre) 31-13 won by decision over Brock Schaecher (Elkhorn Valley) 28-19 (Dec 10-4) D182 - Shawn Klinetobe (14-11) place is unknown and scored 1.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Scott Taylor (Medicine Valley) 37-8 won by fall over Shawn Klinetobe (Elkhorn Valley) 14-11 (Fall 4:57) Cons. Round 1 - Shawn Klinetobe (Elkhorn Valley) 14-11 won by decision over Jesus Felix III (Alma) 28-18 (Dec 7-0) Cons. Round 2 - Dalton Shimmin (Arapahoe) 29-9 won in sudden victory - 1 over Shawn Klinetobe (Elkhorn Valley) 14-11 (SV-1 5-3) Neligh-Oakdale is on the verge of seeing their first state wrestling champion since 2009.
That is if all goes according to plan for Andrew Herley, who advanced to the championship match at 132 pounds Friday night. To do so, he took down Jefferson McNeill of Oakland-Craig in a 6-5 thriller in the semifinals. He will take on unbeaten Cameron Riggs of North Platte St. Patrick's. At 106, Cameron Wilkinson hit his first speed bump of the tournament when he fell to unbeaten Ryan Patrick of Sutherland in an 8-2 loss. He will take on Isaiah Shields on Saturday to determine whether he wrestles for fifth or third. 2017 NSAA Championships Results for Neligh-Oakdale D106 - Cameron Wilkinson (43-4) placed 6th and scored 7.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Cameron Wilkinson (Neligh-Oakdale) 43-4 won by decision over Jaydon Walker (Hemingford) 31-16 (Dec 8-4) Quarterfinal - Cameron Wilkinson (Neligh-Oakdale) 43-4 won by decision over Koby Ellis (Winside) 34-6 (Dec 4-2) Semifinal - Ryan Patrick (Sutherland) 33-0 won by decision over Cameron Wilkinson (Neligh-Oakdale) 43-4 (Dec 8-2) D132 - Andrew Herley (40-7) placed 2nd and scored 21.50 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Andrew Herley (Neligh-Oakdale) 40-7 won by tech fall over Damian Stewart (Thayer Central) 28-24 (TF-1.5 5:19 (18-2)) Quarterfinal - Andrew Herley (Neligh-Oakdale) 40-7 won by fall over Juan Lasso (Nebraska Christian) 35-10 (Fall 3:24) Semifinal - Andrew Herley (Neligh-Oakdale) 40-7 won by decision over Jefferson McNeill (Oakland-Craig) 39-10 (Dec 6-5) The Cyclones wrapped up the regular season on Friday night with a home loss to Boyd County.
Chris Kester and Ryan Wilhelm led Clearwater-Orchard with eight and seven points, respectively, in the 60-29 loss. Kester and Jacob Long each pulled down four rebounds for the Cyclones. Clearwater-Orchard opens post-season play on Monday night in Plainview. The fourth-seed Cyclones will take on No. 5 Elkhorn Valley in the 7 p.m. game. The winner will take on No. 1 Boyd County on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The team race is getting tighter after two strong consolation rounds from the Falcons, who moved into third place in team standings.
Brock Schaecher won a pair of matches Friday morning for key points for the Falcons. At 160 pounds, he pinned Brady Wortman of Creighton in 2:40. He then earned an 8-6 decision over Wyatt Mader of Crawford. With the win, Schaecher moves into the next round of consolations and is just one win from guaranteeing himself a medal. Prestin Vondra and Shawn Klinetobe also wrested Friday morning. Klinetobe dominated Jesus Felix III of Alma for a 7-0 decision before losing a heartbreaker in sudden victory against Dalton Shimmin of Arapahoe. Vondra also had a tough match in the first round of consolations. At 138 pounds, he lost to Kiffen Cook of Perkins County after an injury ended the match at 4:29. Heading into semifinals and third round of consolations, the Falcons are in third place, just one point ahead of Plainview, 14 points behind Burwell and 24 points behind Amherst. 2017 NSAA Championships Results for Elkhorn Valley D113 - Dillon Stewart (38-1) placed 6th and scored 10.50 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Dillon Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 38-1 won by tech fall over Wade Wright (East Butler) 20-22 (TF-1.5 4:00 (18-1)) Quarterfinal - Dillon Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 38-1 won by fall over Jaden Sobotka (Plainview) 20-20 (Fall 1:17) D120 - Alejandro Martinez (34-2) placed 6th and scored 9.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Alejandro Martinez (Elkhorn Valley) 34-2 won by fall over Justin Noel (Scribner-Snyder) 17-12 (Fall 3:29) Quarterfinal - Alejandro Martinez (Elkhorn Valley) 34-2 won by decision over Holden Schleve (Morrill) 28-13 (Dec 10-3) D132 - Darren Stewart (28-6) placed 6th and scored 9.50 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Darren Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 28-6 won by tech fall over Jesse Evans (Dundy County Stratton) 27-19 (TF-1.5 4:24 (17-1)) Quarterfinal - Darren Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 28-6 won by major decision over Jacob Johnson (Archbishop Bergan) 32-9 (MD 23-12) D138 - Prestin Vondra (30-22) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Brody Lewis (Franklin) 41-0 won by fall over Prestin Vondra (Elkhorn Valley) 30-22 (Fall 1:56) Cons. Round 1 - Kiffen Cook (Perkins County) 9-5 won by injury default over Prestin Vondra (Elkhorn Valley) 30-22 (Inj. 4:29) D145 - Joshua McFarland (43-13) placed 6th and scored 7.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Joshua McFarland (Elkhorn Valley) 43-13 won by decision over Dylan Davis-Mack (Medicine Valley) 24-7 (Dec 10-8) Quarterfinal - Joshua McFarland (Elkhorn Valley) 43-13 won by decision over Trace Baasch (Amherst) 40-10 (Dec 1-0) D160 - Brock Schaecher (28-18) place is unknown and scored 4.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Justus Monette (Mullen) 37-5 won by major decision over Brock Schaecher (Elkhorn Valley) 28-18 (MD 15-3) Cons. Round 1 - Brock Schaecher (Elkhorn Valley) 28-18 won by fall over Brady Wortman (Creighton) 27-14 (Fall 2:40) Cons. Round 2 - Brock Schaecher (Elkhorn Valley) 28-18 won by decision over Wyatt Mader (Crawford) 20-11 (Dec 8-6) D182 - Shawn Klinetobe (14-11) place is unknown and scored 1.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Scott Taylor (Medicine Valley) 37-7 won by fall over Shawn Klinetobe (Elkhorn Valley) 14-11 (Fall 4:57) Cons. Round 1 - Shawn Klinetobe (Elkhorn Valley) 14-11 won by decision over Jesus Felix III (Alma) 28-18 (Dec 7-0) Cons. Round 2 - Dalton Shimmin (Arapahoe) 29-8 won in sudden victory - 1 over Shawn Klinetobe (Elkhorn Valley) 14-11 (SV-1 5-3) Clay Thiele's first trip to the state wrestling tournament saw the Clearwater-Orchard sophomore record his first-ever state pin and first win at state.
In the first round of consolations on Friday morning, Thiele won by fall over Branden Bardell of Maxwell in 2:53, which sent the Cyclone faithful into a frenzy in the stands. In the second round, Thiele lost to Cody Downey of Southwest in 1:57 to end his state run. 2017 NSAA Championships Results for Clearwater-Orchard D182 - Clay Thiele (34-17) scored 3.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Seth Racicky (Ansley/Litchfield) 33-4 won by fall over Clay Thiele (Clearwater-Orchard) 34-17 (Fall 1:41) Cons. Round 1 - Clay Thiele (Clearwater-Orchard) 34-17 won by fall over Branden Bardell (Maxwell) 20-22 (Fall 2:53) Cons. Round 2 - Cody Downey (Southwest) 35-11 won by fall over Clay Thiele (Clearwater-Orchard) 34-17 (Fall 1:57) The EPPJ Wolfpack suffered a tough loss against the North Central Knights in the sub-district final in Plainview Thursday night.
The Wolfpack led at half by five points but could only muster 10 points in the second half, eventually losing 32 to 47. EPPJ is still squarely in the hunt for a wildcard spot though. They currently sit 6th in points and need at least 4 of the 5 teams ahead of them to win its district to have a shot at making state. Stats will be added as they are made available. After day one at the 2017 State Wrestling Tournament, Elkhorn Valley is sitting pretty in the team standings.
They finished the day in fourth in the team standings thanks to great days by their four returning qualifiers. At 113 pounds, Dillon Stewart saw little challenge on the day, topping Wade Wright of East Butler by tech fall and pinning Plainview's Jaden Sobotka. At 120 pounds, Alejandro Martinez pinned Justin Noel of Scribner-Snyder in the first round and then went on to take down Holden Schleve of Morrill in a 10-3 victory. At 132, Darren Stewart spent a lot of time on the mat scoring points. He topped Dundy County-Stratton's Jesse Evans 17-1 to start the day. He then took down Archbishop Bergan's Jacob Johnson 23-12. At 145, Josh McFarland stayed alive thanks to a couple of very close victories. Against Dylan Davis-Mack of Medicine Valley, McFarland came out on top 10-8. He then met Amherst's Trace Baasch and snuck out a 1-0 win. Elkhorn Valley's three other wrestlers will spend Friday battling back in order to medal. At 138, Prestin Vondra fell to Brody Lewis of Franklin. At 160, Brock Schaecher fell 15-3 to Jusuts Monette of Mullen. At 182, Shawn Klinetobe was a pin victim to Scott Taylor of Medicine Valley. On Friday evening, Dillon Stewart will meet Amherst's Salvador Aguirre, Martinez will meet Plainview's Dominique Rickard, Darren Stewart will face Cameron Riggs of North Platte St. Patricks and McFarland will see Jaydon Elge of Nebraska Christian. In the morning, Vondra will face Kiffen Cook of Perkins County, Schaecher will meet Creighton's Brady Wortman and Klinetobe will see Jesus Felix of Alma. The Falcons remain in the hunt for a team title, sitting in fourth place after the first two rounds. Amherst leads with 67 points and Burwell is second with 58. With 40 points, Plainview holds a four-point advantage over Elkhorn Valley but only advanced three wrestlers to the semifinals, compared to the Falcons’ four semifinalists. Both Amherst and Burwell have five wrestlers in the semifinal round. McFarland’s one-point win in the quarterfinals over Baasch of Amherst may prove to be a major factor in the race for a top-three finish. 2017 NSAA Championships Results for Elkhorn Valley D113 - Dillon Stewart (38-1) placed 6th and scored 10.50 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Dillon Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 38-1 won by tech fall over Wade Wright (East Butler) 20-21 (TF-1.5 4:00 (18-1)) Quarterfinal - Dillon Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 38-1 won by fall over Jaden Sobotka (Plainview) 20-19 (Fall 1:17) D120 - Alejandro Martinez (34-2) placed 6th and scored 9.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Alejandro Martinez (Elkhorn Valley) 34-2 won by fall over Justin Noel (Scribner-Snyder) 17-11 (Fall 3:29) Quarterfinal - Alejandro Martinez (Elkhorn Valley) 34-2 won by decision over Holden Schleve (Morrill) 28-12 (Dec 10-3) D132 - Darren Stewart (28-6) placed 6th and scored 9.50 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Darren Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 28-6 won by tech fall over Jesse Evans (Dundy County Stratton) 27-18 (TF-1.5 4:24 (17-1)) Quarterfinal - Darren Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 28-6 won by major decision over Jacob Johnson (Archbishop Bergan) 31-9 (MD 23-12) D138 - Prestin Vondra (30-21) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Brody Lewis (Franklin) 41-0 won by fall over Prestin Vondra (Elkhorn Valley) 30-21 (Fall 1:56) D145 - Joshua McFarland (43-13) placed 6th and scored 7.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Joshua McFarland (Elkhorn Valley) 43-13 won by decision over Dylan Davis-Mack (Medicine Valley) 24-6 (Dec 10-8) Quarterfinal - Joshua McFarland (Elkhorn Valley) 43-13 won by decision over Trace Baasch (Amherst) 39-10 (Dec 1-0) D160 - Brock Schaecher (26-18) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Justus Monette (Mullen) 37-5 won by major decision over Brock Schaecher (Elkhorn Valley) 26-18 (MD 15-3) D182 - Shawn Klinetobe (13-10) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Scott Taylor (Medicine Valley) 37-7 won by fall over Shawn Klinetobe (Elkhorn Valley) 13-10 (Fall 4:57) Clearwater-Orchard's sole representative hit a bit of a bump in the road on day one of the 2017 State Wrestling Tournament.
Clay Thiele lost his only match of the day. The 182 pounder fell victim to a pin by Ansley-Litchfield's Seth Racicky, a returning qualifier, at the 1:41 mark. He will take on Maxwell's Branden Bardell on Friday. 2017 NSAA Championships Results for Clearwater-Orchard D182 - Clay Thiele (33-16) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Seth Racicky (Ansley/Litchfield) 32-4 won by fall over Clay Thiele (Clearwater-Orchard) 33-16 (Fall 1:41) Both Cameron Wilkinson and Andrew Herley have guaranteed themselves some hardware at state.
Both Neligh-Oakdale wrestlers came away with two victories on the opening day of the 2017 State Wrestling Tournament in Omaha. At 106 pounds, Wilkinson started the day with a victory over Hemingford's Jaydon Walker, 8-4. In his second round battle, Koby Ellis of Winside gave him a very close battle but Wilkinson pulled out a 4-2 victory. At 132 pounds, Herley took down Thayer Central's Damian Stewart by tech fall. In the second round, he met a familiar foe in Nebraska Christian's Juan Lasso. Both wrestlers battled like they knew each other's every move, but eventually Herley was able to squeeze out a pin fall victory. On Friday, Wilkinson will take on Ryan Patrick from Sutherland who is undefeated on the year. Herley will meet Oakland-Craig's Jefferson McNeill. 2017 NSAA Championships Results for Neligh-Oakdale D106 - Cameron Wilkinson (43-3) placed 6th and scored 7.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Cameron Wilkinson (Neligh-Oakdale) 43-3 won by decision over Jaydon Walker (Hemingford) 30-15 (Dec 8-4) Quarterfinal - Cameron Wilkinson (Neligh-Oakdale) 43-3 won by decision over Koby Ellis (Winside) 32-6 (Dec 4-2) D132 - Andrew Herley (39-7) placed 6th and scored 10.50 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Andrew Herley (Neligh-Oakdale) 39-7 won by tech fall over Damian Stewart (Thayer Central) 27-23 (TF-1.5 5:19 (18-2)) Quarterfinal - Andrew Herley (Neligh-Oakdale) 39-7 won by fall over Juan Lasso (Nebraska Christian) 33-10 (Fall 3:24) During the winter months, many high school girls are perfecting their craft on the court on training for the upcoming track and softball seasons. However, for the past three years, Calli Wilkinson decided she was going to do something atypical with her winter season.
Since her freshman year, Wilkinson, who is the daughter of Justin and Carla Wilkinson of Neligh, has competed in wrestling for Neligh-Oakdale. While many of her friends decided to head to the basketball court for the season, she decided to make her mark on the mat. “I had a lot of family in South Carolina that wrestled, so it was kind of a part of my life already,” she explained. “I just love the sport and I love watching it so I thought ‘Why not try it?’” So far, that decision has led the Neligh-Oakdale junior 106 pounder to seven wins in her career in varsity meets, not including byes, with more wins coming in freshman and junior varsity meets. In her freshman season, she made history when she earned a victory at the Warriors’ first meet of the year when she pinned Ansley-Litchfield’s Ronnie Bay in just 43 seconds. That win marked the first time in schools history a female wrestler won a varsity match. Wilkinson comes from a very strong wrestling family. Her cousin Kyle Wilkinson was a state-qualifier for the Warriors and Cameron Wilkinson is prepared to make his second trip to the state meet this week at 106 pounds. Her brother, Cade, also wrestles for the Warriors at 138 pounds. With that many strong wrestlers in her family, it’s certainly a given that family gatherings can get a bit rough. “On holidays, we’d always get together and we’d all wrestle around the room, not really anything formal,” she recalled. Being a girl in a physical, male-dominated sport like wrestling can certainly be a challenge, but Wilkinson feels like she is only at an advantage. “I think it makes (the boys) a little more nervous for wrestling, so they are thinking way too hard. That evens it out a little bit,” she said. While Wilkinson currently represents a small portion of wrestlers, the presence of females in wrestling is a fast growing trend. In an attempt to promote the growth of women’s wrestling, USA Wrestling recently declared the week of February 10-19 as Women’s Wrestling Week. Many universities already offer women’s wrestling at a varsity level. Closer to home, even the Nebraska School Activities Association is looking to expand the sport. In a recent study by the NSAA, 91 percent of schools were interested in setting up a girls-only tournament. Of the 192 schools with varsity wrestling in the state, more than half have a girl either on their roster or that has expressed interest in wrestling. High Plains Community even hosted the first girls-only bracket earlier this season, a tournament in which Wilkinson finished second, including a pin fall victory over Marrisa Burt of Tekamah-Herman. The growth of girls-only wrestling and the potential for a girls division is something that Wilkinson fully supports. “I think that would be a really neat opportunity,” she said. “It would even out the playing field. I know there is a controversy on girls wrestling guys and girls wrestling girls. I think girls wrestling girls would be very popular. I think a lot of girls are holding back right now from trying it but if a girls division opened up, I think there would be a lot more popularity and they would be a lot more open to it.” While any NSAA-sanctioned girls state tournament likely won’t happen before Wilkinson graduates next year, she is hopeful that her experience will give young girls the motivation to try the sport and compete in any potential women’s division. She truly appreciates being able to inspire the young girls of the area. “A lot of the younger girls in the junior wrestling club have come up and talked to me about (wrestling),” Wilkinson said with a smile. “I love the fact that it is getting more popular there.” With just one year left in high school, Wilkinson’s goal before she graduates is no different than any other wrestler, boy or girl. “My goal is to qualify for state,” she said. If she were to qualify for state, she would join the likes of Logan View’s Hailey Schiermeyer, who has now qualified twice for the state meet, including this year at 113 pounds. Wilkinson would be considered a pioneer in the sport of girls wrestling, if she isn’t already considered one locally. That is what motivates her to give it all on the mat. Revenge was sweet for Elgin Public/Pope John on Tuesday night in Plainview.
In the first game of subdistrict play, EPPJ avenged two losses earlier in the year when they blew out Boyd County 50-23. The Wolfpack exploded to a 16-8 lead after one quarter of play. In the second half, they held the Spartans to just nine total points on the way to a victory. Allyson and Baylee Wemhoff led the Wolfpack attack, combining for 26 points and nine assists. Allyson connected on six of her 13 shots, including two from beyond the arc, and Baylee nailed 5-of-10. The Wolfpack will take on North Central on Thursday in the D1-6 subdistrict championship. The Lady Falcons nearly stunned the entire district on Tuesday night, but their comeback bid came up short.
In the second round of the D1-6 subdistrict tournament, Elkhorn Valley trailed North Central 26-18 entering the halftime break. As the third quarter kicked off, Elkhorn Valley exploded to draw the game to within three points entering the final frame. In the final quarter of play, the Falcons battled with the Knights and brought the game to within one point. However, they were unable to take advantage and quickly cooled off from the floor just as North Central heated up from the foul line. As time ticked down, Sierra Rystrom nailed a 3 from the corner, but it was too late as the Falcons’ season came to an end in a 49-45 loss. Hannah Ollendick led the Falcons with 14 points on the night. Amber Miller added 10 and Alyssa Rood dropped in eight. Rood was also strong under the net, pulling in nine rebounds. The Lady Warriors' season came to an end Tuesday night as they fell to top-seeded West Holt in the second round game of the C2-6 subdistrict in O'Neill.
The game started off with a lot of defense and some cold shooting as the Huskies led just 3-0 after the first quarter. West Holt's offense came to life in the second as they increased their lead to 21-7 at halftime. Neligh-Oakdale struggled to get things going on offense in the second half and couldn't overcome the early deficit. The Huskies went on to win, 49-19, and will face Creighton in the subdistrict final on Thursday night. Kinsley Klabenes led the Lady Warriors with 8 points, followed by Bailey Frey with 5, Alexis Jensen 3, Jaclynn Hixson 2 and Jayda Chance 1. Scores by quarter: N-O 0 7 3 9 19 WH 3 18 15 13 49 The boys D1-6 subdistrict tournament at Plainview will have a strong Antelope County feel to it.
Three Antelope County teams will battle it out for a chance at state starting in Plainview next Monday. Clearwater-Orchard and Elkhorn Valley will start the tournament as the four and five seeds. They will meet on February 20 at 7 p.m. at Plainview High School. The winner will advance to a Tuesday night battle with top-seeded Boyd County. Elgin Public/Pope John earned the third seed and will take on North Central to start the tournament. Their showdown will go down on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Plainview. |
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