The Wolfpack were hot behind the arc Friday night as the girls picked their third straight win.
EPPJ split with Ewing on their home court, winning the girls game 61-48 and then completing the sweep with the 53-22 win in the nightcap. Statistics will be added when they become available. Girls Ewing 11 9 15 13 - 48 EPPJ 20 8 17 16 -61 Boys Ewing 6 10 2 4 -22 EPPJ 8 18 14 13 - 53 The night couldn't have gone much better for one Elkhorn Valley squad while the other wished it would have been a bit more lucky.
The girls came away with a huge win over Creighton, never trailing in a 60-35 win. The Falcons took a 37-12 lead going into the halftime break. A huge reason for the big win for EV was sophomore Hannah Ollendick. Ollendick nailed 10-of-15 shots and finished with 25 points. She also came away with an outstanding eight steals. Olivia Nall added 14 points for the Falcons on the night. The boys weren't quite as fortunate, as they were unable to rally for a win over, falling to Creighton 47-44. The loss wasn't without some impressive performances yet again by the Falcons. Brayden Effle recorded his fourth double-double of the year, scoring 11 and pulling in 10 rebounds. He also dished out four assists to lead the Falcons. Austin Miller came away with a team-high 13 points and Kalen Dittrich added 10. It has been a rough couple of days for the Neligh-Oakdale basketball squads.
A day after taking losses to strong O'Neill teams, the girls and boys were both back in action Friday night against another two impressive teams, this time from Randolph. The boys overcame a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime. In the extra period, the two teams continued to trade blows. Neither team was able to take command until the waning seconds when the Warriors' Alex Kerkman stepped back and nailed a three from the corner to give Neligh-Oakdale a 60-59 win. After a slow start, Neligh-Oakdale coach Frank Gade knew his team could do better. "There were just small things that we weren't doing, that we did last night, less than 24 hours ago, that allowed us to compete with a rated team like O'Neill that we weren't doing in the first half," he said. "We say this all the time, the little things, they add up to the big things." Individual statistics will be added when they become available. Earlier in the night, the girls weren't quite as fortunate. Clearly tired from a tough game the night before, the Warriors were unable to keep up with a hot-shooting Randolph squad in a 62-31 loss. Bailey Frey and Alexis Jensen led the Warriors with nine and eight points, respectively. Jayda Chance put in the work down low for Neligh-Oakdale, pulling down six rebounds and taking away three steals. Elkhorn Valley hit the road to Greeley Thursday night for a tough quadrangular against a couple of the states best squads.
To start the night, they took on Burwell in a battle of top squads. Brock Shaecher came away with a pin victory at 160 pounds. Dillon Stewart also took down his opponent by pin at 113 pounds. Prestin Vondra snuck away with a win as well, winning 1-0. Against the host school, Central Valley, Schaecher and Stewart once again came away with victories by way of pin. Alejandro Martinez added a 9-2 victory at 120 pounds for the Falcons. The final opponent for the Falcons was one they were a bit more unfamiliar with, Wood River. Against the Eagles, Elkhorn Valley found new challenges. Josh McFarland posted his only victory of the night, taking down his opponent at 145 pounds in a 7-3 decision. Schaecher once again came away victorious, this time by a 13-3 decision. Xavier Antuna took home a win, pinning his opponent at 220 pounds. Stewart took down his opponent 12-4 and twin brother Darren took down his opponent via pin at 126 pounds. Results for Elkhorn Valley versus Burwell 152: Bode Jensen (BURW) over Chay Faulkner (ELVA) (Fall 1:40) 160: Brock Schaecher (ELVA) over Jacob Busch (BURW) (Fall 3:47) 195: Reid Helgoth (BURW) over Xavier Antuna (ELVA) (Fall 1:19) 113: Dillon Stewart (ELVA) over Tate Phillipps (BURW) (Fall 1:53) 126: Joel Ostrom (BURW) over Darren Stewart (ELVA) (Fall 6:20) 138: Prestin Vondra (ELVA) over Jordan McBride (BURW) (Dec 1-0) Results for Elkhorn Valley versus Central Valley 170: Brock Schaecher (ELVA) over Damyn Rother (CEVA) (Fall 4:24) 113: Dillon Stewart (ELVA) over Ben Wood (CEVA) (Fall 0:34) 120: Alejandro Martinez (ELVA) over Shaye Wood (CEVA) (Dec 9-2) Results for Elkhorn Valley versus Wood River 138: Dillion Devore (WORI) over Prestin Vondra (ELVA) (Dec 7-6) 145: Joshua McFarland (ELVA) over Camden Thompson (WORI) (Dec 7-3) 152: Phoenix Rivera (WORI) over Chay Faulkner (ELVA) (Dec 9-8) 160: Brock Schaecher (ELVA) over Alex Wiese (WORI) (MD 13-3) 220: Xavier Antuna (ELVA) over Kyle Hall (WORI) (Fall 1:15) 113: Dillon Stewart (ELVA) over Ryan Bond (WORI) (MD 12-4) 120: Evan Waddington (WORI) over Alejandro Martinez (ELVA) (Dec 4-3) 126: Darren Stewart (ELVA) over Braeden Oster (WORI) (Fall 3:09) It was the match up that Neligh-Oakdale basketball fans were anxiously awaiting all week.
After an ice storm delayed the original date between the Warriors and O'Neill, fans got 32 minutes of excitement when they two teams clashed Thursday night. Neither team was able to gain much separation from the other, with the two teams trading blows all night. At the halftime break, the Warriors trailed 33-26. They eventually powered back, with the game coming down to a Neligh-Oakdale possession in the final seconds. Tyson Belitz drove to the hoop, looking to draw a foul and get to the line to tie up the game. Unfortunately, he was unsuccesful in his quest and, despite an Austin Rice put back after Belitz's miss, the Warriors fell to O'Neill 60-59. Both teams were on fire from behind the arc, with the Warriors hitting 57 percent of their threes and the Eagles nailing 38 percent. While coach Frank Gade was understandably disappointed in the final score, he was certainly proud of his squad for battling back against an impressive O'Neill squad. "I thought the kids competed really well in the second half," he said. Belitz led the attack for the Warriors, dropping in 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including two 3s. Grant White added 17, shooting 3-of-5 from downtown. Alex Kerkman added 10 points of his own. In the earlier match up, the Lady Warriors hoped to upset the O'Neill girls, battling hard but eventually allowing the Eagles to pull away on free throws in a 64-46 loss. The Warriors trailed just 25-21 at the halftime break and were as close as two points in the third and fourth quarters. Alexis Jensen seemingly couldn't miss, hitting seven of her eleven shots for 16 points to lead the Warriors. She also pulled in a team-high six rebounds and came away with a steal. Kinsley Klabenes also had a big scoring night, putting in 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting. With the wrestling regular season slowing making its way toward the end, many wrestlers are looking towards the upcoming district tournaments with a state tournament bid still in their sights.
One of the final tune-ups for Antelope County wrestlers is the intense Neligh-Oakdale Tournament, scheduled for Saturday. The tournament will feature 22 wrestling programs from all across Nebraska. Teams from as far as Franklin will converge on Neligh to prove themselves among the best in the state as the postseason draws near. The Warriors will play host to the squads, led by coach Gary Davis. According to the latest rankings from NEWrestle, Neligh-Oakdale boasts two wrestlers ranked among the top five in their weight classes. Cameron Wilkinson sits at 21-1 on the season and sits at third in the 106 weight class. At 132 pounds, Andrew Herley comes in at fifth in class D with a 14-5 record. Clearwater-Orchard is a young squad, led once again by coach Dan Roeber. They boast a returning state qualifier in Dominic Bolling. Bolling enters the meet at 13-8 at 170 pounds. Clay Thiele has been a pleasant surprise for the Cyclones as one of the better up-and-coming wrestlers in the area. He enters the meet with an 18-9 record at 182 pounds. Elgin Public/Pope John will be led by Logan and Luke Henn. Logan is coming off a first place finish at the Knights Invite in Dunning. He showed no signs of struggle, pinning each of his opponents on his way to first place. Luke finished at fourth in the Knights Invite, pulling back from a first-round loss to win his next two before falling in the third-place match. Elkhorn Valley enters as one of the top teams in the state, sitting at fourth in Class D. They boast four wrestlers among the top five in their respective classes. Leading the way is unbeaten Dillon Stewart. In the latest rankings, he sat at third in the 113-pound class. Alejandro Martinez, recently ranked as the top 120 pounder in Class D, just took his only loss of the year last week. Darren Stewart, twin brother of Dillon, enters with a 13-3 record, good for third at 132 pounds. Josh McFarland rounds out the ranked Elkhorn Valley grapplers, ranking fifth at 145 pounds with a 22-7 record. Antelope County fans will be treated to some excellent wrestling from the incoming teams as well. Amherst is the top-ranked team in Class D according to NEWrestle. Creighton, Franklin and West Holt rank eighth, ninth and tenth, respectively. The Neligh-Oakdale Tournament will kick off Saturday, January 21 at 10 a.m. at Neligh-Oakdale High School. One day later, the ice storm is still affecting Antelope County sports.
Tuesday night's basketball games between Clearwater-Orchard and Neligh-Oakdale has been postponed to next Monday, January 23. JV girls will play two quarters beginning at 5:30 p.m. Varsity girls will start no sooner than 6:30 p.m. Clearwater-Orchard will host parent's night between the girls varsity and boys varsity games. The weather has caused many delays across Antelope County and now it is affecting athletics.
The showdown between Neligh-Oakdale and O'Neill that was originally scheduled for Monday, January 16 has been postponed to Thursday, January 19. In the girls match up, Neligh-Oakdale currently sits at 2-13 and will be led by Kinsley Klabenes's 9.8 points per game. O'Neill currently is 7-5 and is led by Payton Birkel, who averages 12.5 points per game. In the boys showdown, Neligh-Oakdale currently sits at 12-2, led by Tyson Belitz's 18.9 points per game. O'Neill, currently at 11-1, is led by Tyler Regan and his 14.5 points per game. Elkhorn Valley once again saw their top wrestler lead the way in a highly competitive Battle Creek Invite on Saturday.
The Falcons dominated the lighter weight classes on their way to four top-three finishes. At 113, Dillon Stewart took first as he continued he undefeated season. He blazed through the bracket, winning every match by pin and only having one match last longer than two minutes. That dominance set up a match anticipated showdown with Creighton's Connor Hazen for first place. Unfortunately, the match had to be cut short as Hazen had to back out due to injury at the 1:18 mark. Alejandro Martinez suffered his first loss of the year at 120 pounds but still came away with second. He finished his first two opponents by way of pin in 4:26 and 4:48, respectively. That got him into the finals where he fell to Battle Creek's Owen Lade 7-4. Darren Stewart took third place at 126 pounds. He won his first match by a technical fall. Unfortunately, he then fell to Creighton's Zac Hazen in an 11-6 decision. However, he powered back to win the third place match over Sean Mann of Winside in a 14-2 victory. Josh McFarland gave the Falcons their fourth top-three finisher, taking third at 145. He won his first two matches before falling in a close match to Creighton's Bryce Zimmerer to force him into the third place match. However, he used that loss as motivation to take home a 7-0 victory in the consolation championship. Battle Creek Invite 2017 Results for Elkhorn Valley 113 - Dillon Stewart (19-0) placed 1st and scored 28.00 team points. Round 1 - Dillon Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 19-0 won by fall over Makario Leistritz (Norfolk Reserves) 1-9 (Fall 1:31) Round 2 - Dillon Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 19-0 won by fall over Charlie Simons (Battle Creek) 9-12 (Fall 1:54) Round 3 - Dillon Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 19-0 won by fall over Collin Burton (Battle Creek JV) 6-3 (Fall 1:56) Championship Bracket - Dillon Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 19-0 won by fall over Joey Heimdale (Winside) 3-5 (Fall 3:22) 1st Place Match - Dillon Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 19-0 won by injury default over Connor Hazen (Creighton) 19-1 (Inj. 1:18) 120 - Alejandro Martinez (18-1) placed 2nd and scored 22.00 team points. Round 1 - Alejandro Martinez (Elkhorn Valley) 18-1 received a bye () (Bye) Round 2 - Alejandro Martinez (Elkhorn Valley) 18-1 received a bye () (Bye) Round 3 - Alejandro Martinez (Elkhorn Valley) 18-1 won by fall over Jacob Dorcey (Wakefield) 7-11 (Fall 4:26) Championship Bracket - Alejandro Martinez (Elkhorn Valley) 18-1 won by fall over Jeremiah Kruntorad (Pierce) 12-10 (Fall 4:48) 1st Place Match - Owen Lade (Battle Creek) 10-2 won by decision over Alejandro Martinez (Elkhorn Valley) 18-1 (Dec 7-4) 126 - Darren Stewart (15-3) placed 3rd and scored 15.50 team points. Round 1 - Darren Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 15-3 received a bye () (Bye) Round 2 - Darren Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 15-3 received a bye () (Bye) Round 3 - Darren Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 15-3 won by tech fall over Travis Lamm (Norfolk Reserves) 14-8 (TF-1.5 4:00 (20-5)) Championship Bracket - Zac Hazen (Creighton) 13-4 won by decision over Darren Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 15-3 (Dec 11-6) 3rd Place Match - Darren Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 15-3 won by major decision over Sean Mann (Winside) 8-2 (MD 14-2) 132 - Travis Fleetwood (1-2) placed 12th. Round 1 - Moorghan Prusa (Stanton) 13-14 won by fall over Travis Fleetwood (Elkhorn Valley) 1-2 (Fall 0:47) Round 2 - Alex Schmit (Randolph) 22-5 won by fall over Travis Fleetwood (Elkhorn Valley) 1-2 (Fall 2:10) Round 3 - Travis Fleetwood (Elkhorn Valley) 1-2 received a bye () (Bye) 132 - Mitchell Petersen (11-10) placed 5th and scored 8.00 team points. Round 1 - Mitchell Petersen (Elkhorn Valley) 11-10 won by decision over Thad Hazen (Creighton) 8-11 (Dec 4-2) Round 2 - Cody Yawn (Pierce) 21-0 won by fall over Mitchell Petersen (Elkhorn Valley) 11-10 (Fall 2:01) Round 3 - Mitchell Petersen (Elkhorn Valley) 11-10 received a bye () (Bye) Consolation Bracket - Mitchell Petersen (Elkhorn Valley) 11-10 won by decision over Jadyn Smeal (Scribner-Snyder) 12-9 (Dec 5-4) 5th Place Match - Mitchell Petersen (Elkhorn Valley) 11-10 won by decision over Ben Chase (Wakefield) 12-12 (Dec 6-3) 138 - Prestin Vondra (15-11) placed 8th and scored 5.00 team points. Round 1 - Prestin Vondra (Elkhorn Valley) 15-11 won by fall over Mason King (Winside) 11-12 (Fall 4:40) Round 2 - Prestin Vondra (Elkhorn Valley) 15-11 won by fall over Clayton Christensen (Wakefield) 4-11 (Fall 2:18) Round 3 - Derek Wortman (Creighton) 15-7 won by decision over Prestin Vondra (Elkhorn Valley) 15-11 (Dec 6-2) Consolation Bracket - Gauge Erickson (Stanton) 20-12 won by decision over Prestin Vondra (Elkhorn Valley) 15-11 (Dec 7-1) 7th Place Match - Josh McMillen (Scribner-Snyder) 17-11 won by decision over Prestin Vondra (Elkhorn Valley) 15-11 (Dec 2-0) 145 - Joshua McFarland (22-7) placed 3rd and scored 13.00 team points. Round 1 - Joshua McFarland (Elkhorn Valley) 22-7 received a bye () (Bye) Round 2 - Joshua McFarland (Elkhorn Valley) 22-7 won by fall over Seth Kment (Stanton) 13-15 (Fall 2:25) Round 3 - Joshua McFarland (Elkhorn Valley) 22-7 won by decision over Isaac Verzani (Wakefield) 19-7 (Dec 6-3) Championship Bracket - Bryce Zimmerer (Creighton) 17-4 won by decision over Joshua McFarland (Elkhorn Valley) 22-7 (Dec 3-1) 3rd Place Match - Joshua McFarland (Elkhorn Valley) 22-7 won by decision over Brett Tinker (Pierce) 12-10 (Dec 7-0) 195 - Xavier Antuna (5-9) placed 8th and scored 5.00 team points. Round 1 - Xavier Antuna (Elkhorn Valley) 5-9 received a bye () (Bye) Round 2 - Xavier Antuna (Elkhorn Valley) 5-9 received a bye () (Bye) Round 3 - Kaleb Johnson (Crofton-Bloomfield) 24-4 won by fall over Xavier Antuna (Elkhorn Valley) 5-9 (Fall 0:18) Consolation Bracket - Zach Dietrich (Laurel-Concord/Coleridge) 9-3 won by fall over Xavier Antuna (Elkhorn Valley) 5-9 (Fall 0:42) 7th Place Match - Dylan Kuehler (Pierce) 4-13 won by fall over Xavier Antuna (Elkhorn Valley) 5-9 (Fall 1:17) On Saturday, the Elgin Public/Pope John grapplers made the trip to Dunning for the Knights Invite and came home with two medals.
Logan Henn took home top honors in the 120 pound bracket. After a first-round bye, he finished three-straight opponents by way of pin to earn the gold. His longest match was a 4:58 second showdown with Sandhills/Thedford's Bryan Zutavern. Luke Henn was also impressive on the day, bringing home a fourth place medal. After falling to Central Valley's Trigger Pokorny in the first round, he rattled off two-straight victories to set up a third-place match up with Blake Racicky of Ansley-Litchfield. He was unable to get the best of Racicky, falling 7-2. Cory Romej and Geoffrey Carr also earned a victory on the day. Knights Invite 2017 Results for Elgin/Pope John 106 - Corey Romej (8-9) place is unknown and scored 4.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Corey Romej (Elgin/Pope John) 8-9 received a bye () (Bye) Quarterfinal - Jaydon Walker (Hemingford) 16-8 won by fall over Corey Romej (Elgin/Pope John) 8-9 (Fall 0:57) Cons. Round 2 - Corey Romej (Elgin/Pope John) 8-9 received a bye () (Bye) Cons. Round 3 - Corey Romej (Elgin/Pope John) 8-9 won by fall over Tyson Brott (Ansley Litchfield) 5-8 (Fall 0:47) Cons. Semi - Greg Logsdon (Southeast) 8-4 won by fall over Corey Romej (Elgin/Pope John) 8-9 (Fall 1:34) 120 - Logan Henn (14-3) placed 1st and scored 26.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Logan Henn (Elgin/Pope John) 14-3 received a bye () (Bye) Quarterfinal - Logan Henn (Elgin/Pope John) 14-3 won by fall over Dylan Osborn (Twin Loup) 9-11 (Fall 3:40) Semifinal - Logan Henn (Elgin/Pope John) 14-3 won by fall over Bryan Zutavern (Sandhills-Thedford) 12-8 (Fall 4:58) 1st Place Match - Logan Henn (Elgin/Pope John) 14-3 won by fall over Zack Miller-Sickels (Cambridge) 16-9 (Fall 1:39) 126 - Luke Henn (10-7) placed 4th and scored 8.00 team points. Quarterfinal - Trigger Pokorny (Central Valley) 22-12 won by fall over Luke Henn (Elgin/Pope John) 10-7 (Fall 1:54) Cons. Round 1 - Luke Henn (Elgin/Pope John) 10-7 won by decision over Jared Shaw (North Central) 4-11 (Dec 9-2) Cons. Semi - Luke Henn (Elgin/Pope John) 10-7 won by fall over Brady Gracey (Mullen) 12-6 (Fall 2:02) 3rd Place Match - Blake Racicky (Ansley Litchfield) 14-13 won by decision over Luke Henn (Elgin/Pope John) 10-7 (Dec 7-2) 132 - Geoffrey Carr (7-13) place is unknown and scored 3.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Geoffrey Carr (Elgin/Pope John) 7-13 received a bye () (Bye) Quarterfinal - RJ Tutlam-Hazen (Medicine Valley) 18-5 won by fall over Geoffrey Carr (Elgin/Pope John) 7-13 (Fall 1:32) Cons. Round 2 - Geoffrey Carr (Elgin/Pope John) 7-13 won by fall over Marvin McConnell (Sutherland) 3-16 (Fall 0:46) Cons. Round 3 - Elijah Boyd (Southeast) 9-5 won by fall over Geoffrey Carr (Elgin/Pope John) 7-13 (Fall 2:22) 132 - Hayes Miller (2-14) place is unknown. Champ. Round 1 - Elijah Boyd (Southeast) 9-5 won by fall over Hayes Miller (Elgin/Pope John) 2-14 (Fall 1:25) Cons. Round 1 - Hayes Miller (Elgin/Pope John) 2-14 received a bye () (Bye) Cons. Round 2 - Enrique Martinez (Central Valley) 18-12 won by fall over Hayes Miller (Elgin/Pope John) 2-14 (Fall 0:58) 195 - Ervin Dohmen (1-9) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points. Quarterfinal - Clayton Hassett (Mullen) 11-4 won by fall over Ervin Dohmen (Elgin/Pope John) 1-9 (Fall 0:48) Cons. Round 1 - Ervin Dohmen (Elgin/Pope John) 1-9 received a bye () (Bye) Cons. Semi - Zeke Abeyta (Ansley Litchfield) 10-12 won by fall over Ervin Dohmen (Elgin/Pope John) 1-9 (Fall 0:22) Elkhorn Valley's weekend didn't go quite as planned as they came up short in two games against Bloomfield on Saturday.
To start the day, the girls went head-to-head in a high-scoring affair. Despite connecting on 42 percent of their shots, the Falcons were unable to overcome a 29-22 deficit as they fell to the Bees 58-54. Amber Miller did all she could for the Falcons, hitting nine of her 15 shots for 21 points, pulling in five rebounds and dishing out three assists. Hannah Ollendick added nine points and eight rebounds while Olivia Nall and Shelby Cakebread accounted for eight points each. In the boys game, it was a similar story as the Falcons trailed 25-21 at the break. However, an 18-16 fourth quarter in favor of Elkhorn Valley was not enough to complete the comeback as they fell 54-50. Tucker Hecht had a huge game, particularly from downtown. He scored a game-high 14 points, hitting four of his five shots from 3-point land. He also did some of the dirty work under the rim for the Falcons, pulling in six rebounds, dishing out four assists and coming away with two steals. Austin Miller also reached double figures, scoring 10 points and hitting two shots from beyond the arc. Brayden Effle pulled in eight rebounds and Dalton Smutny dished out five assists. The West Holt Invitational was not as successful as the Clearwater-Orchard wrestlers had hoped. However, their were bright spots in the difficult meet.
Eli Macke took home his third win of the year in the 132 pound bracket. He earned a pin fall victory over Burke/Gregory's Dimitri Davis at the 4:19 mark. Clay Thiele took home the only other Cyclone victory of the day when he took down Ainsworth's Jacob Fernau by way of pin in his first round match up at 182 pounds. West Holt Invitational 2016-2017 Results for Clearwater/Orchard 113 - James Kester (4-17) placed 5th and scored 0.00 team points. Round 1 - Jaden Sobotka (Plainview) 13-12 won by fall over James Kester (Clearwater/Orchard) 4-17 (Fall 5:28) Round 2 - Tate Phillipps (Burwell) 11-3 won by fall over James Kester (Clearwater/Orchard) 4-17 (Fall 0:58) Round 3 - Ethan Lee (Norfolk) 8-8 won by fall over James Kester (Clearwater/Orchard) 4-17 (Fall 1:09) Round 4 - Jordan Vosika (Burke/Gregory) 17-8 won by fall over James Kester (Clearwater/Orchard) 4-17 (Fall 0:27) 132 - Eli Macke (3-6) place is unknown and scored 3.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Eli Macke (Clearwater/Orchard) 3-6 received a bye () (Bye) Quarterfinal - Trenton Steinkraus (Plainview) 20-1 won by fall over Eli Macke (Clearwater/Orchard) 3-6 (Fall 0:13) Cons. Round 2 - Eli Macke (Clearwater/Orchard) 3-6 won by fall over Dimitri Davis (Burke/Gregory) 0-6 (Fall 4:19) Cons. Round 3 - Tucker Even (Burke/Gregory) 6-14 won by decision over Eli Macke (Clearwater/Orchard) 3-6 (Dec 5-2) 145 - Derek Maxwell (0-9) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Cole Aschoff (Plainview) 23-1 won by fall over Derek Maxwell (Clearwater/Orchard) 0-9 (Fall 0:36) Cons. Round 1 - Derek Maxwell (Clearwater/Orchard) 0-9 received a bye () (Bye) Cons. Round 2 - Ben Slaymaker (West Holt) 3-6 won by decision over Derek Maxwell (Clearwater/Orchard) 0-9 (Dec 10-4) 152 - Austin Pokorny (4-15) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Austin Pokorny (Clearwater/Orchard) 4-15 received a bye () (Bye) Quarterfinal - Jared Atkeson (St. Mary`s) 23-2 won by tech fall over Austin Pokorny (Clearwater/Orchard) 4-15 (TF-1.5 2:43 (19-4)) Cons. Round 2 - Austin Pokorny (Clearwater/Orchard) 4-15 received a bye () (Bye) Cons. Round 3 - Hunter Ashburn (Plainview) 9-13 won by fall over Austin Pokorny (Clearwater/Orchard) 4-15 (Fall 0:40) 182 - Clay Thiele (17-9) place is unknown and scored 4.00 team points. Quarterfinal - Clay Thiele (Clearwater/Orchard) 17-9 won by fall over Jacob Fernau (Ainsworth) 9-8 (Fall 0:54) Semifinal - Tori Huffman (Burwell) 16-0 won by fall over Clay Thiele (Clearwater/Orchard) 17-9 (Fall 2:24) Cons. Semi - Riley Davis (O`Neill) 11-8 won by fall over Clay Thiele (Clearwater/Orchard) 17-9 (Fall 1:46) 195 - Zach King (7-12) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points. Quarterfinal - Dalton Freiberg (Norfolk) 20-8 won by fall over Zach King (Clearwater/Orchard) 7-12 (Fall 3:12) Cons. Round 1 - Casey Coburn (West Holt) 7-11 won by fall over Zach King (Clearwater/Orchard) 7-12 (Fall 1:47) 220 - Tommie Peed (7-8) placed 4th and scored 4.00 team points. Round 1 - Jason Hahlbeck (O`Neill) 26-0 won by fall over Tommie Peed (Clearwater/Orchard) 7-8 (Fall 1:28) Round 2 - Matthew Montgomery (Norfolk) 24-6 won by fall over Tommie Peed (Clearwater/Orchard) 7-8 (Fall 0:44) Round 3 - Seth Wentworth (West Holt) 14-6 won by fall over Tommie Peed (Clearwater/Orchard) 7-8 (Fall 2:00)
The Warriors brought home several wrestling medals from Weeping Water on Friday, including a gold and silver.
Cameron Wilkinson struck gold by pinning Kaiden Mrsny of Pender in 3:15. Wilkinson is now 21-1 on the season. Wilkinson is ranked No. 4 in Class D at 106 pounds while Mrsny has been in contention for an individual ranking at 23-6. At 132 pounds, Herley finished second after a hard-fought 4-3 decision to Jace Caniglia, who is 14-5 on the season. Herley picked up a pair of wins on the day to improve to 14-5 on the season and continues to be on the edge of a top-four ranking in the state. Several other Warrior wrestlers were close to medals. Jayden Arehart picked up a pair of wins at 152 pounds, pinning Jayden Hartwig of Freeman in 52 seconds and Trevor Pickard of Freeman in 3:54. At 145, Kaleb Pofahl pinned Huy Vuong of Lincoln Christian in 1:19, Mario Moreno of Johnson County Central in 2:46 and Tommy Nabity of Lincoln Lutheran in 1:47. Cade Wilkinson had three wins at 138 with a 9-5 decision over William Howell of Nebraska City (9-5) and Joe Rodriguez of Johnson County Central (6-5). He also pinned Jy`ion Berry of Omaha Roncalli Catholic in 4:38. Jose Luna finished fifth in a five-man bracket at 160. He did not earn a win on the day. Weeping Water Invite Results for Neligh-Oakdale 106 - Cameron Wilkinson (21-1) placed 1st: won by major decision over Austin Sloger (Millard South) (MD 12-1); won by major decision over Caleb Egglston (Johnson County Central) (MD 12-1); won by fall over Kaiden Mrsny (Pender) 23-6 (Fall 3:15). 132 - Andrew Herley (14-5) placed 2nd: won by fall over Caleb Matlock (Omaha Concordia) (Fall 0:22); won by fall over Tyler Tillman (Nebraska City) 6-6 (Fall 1:26); lost to Jace Caniglia (Millard South) (Dec 4-3). 138 - Cade Wilkinson (6-14) place is unknown: lost to Nathanael Wegrzyn (Lincoln Christian) (Fall 1:19); won by fall over Jy`ion Berry (Omaha Roncalli Catholic) (Fall 4:38); won by decision over William Howell (Nebraska City) (Dec 9-5); won by decision over Joe Rodriguez (Johnson County Central) (Dec 6-5); lost to Garett Svoboda (Millard South) (Fall 0:41). 145 - Kaleb Pofahl (14-8) place is unknown: won by fall over Huy Vuong (Lincoln Christian) (Fall 2:32); lost to Brady Oliver (Pender) (Fall 0:47); won by fall over Mario Moreno (Johnson County Central) (Fall 2:46); won by fall over Tommy Nabity (Lincoln Lutheran) (Fall 1:47); lost to Dylan Hartline (Fort Calhoun) (Fall 0:56). 152 - Jayden Arehart (16-12) place is unknown: lost to Colten Ratkovec (East Butler) (Fall 3:10); won by fall over Jayden Hartwig (Freeman) (Fall 0:52); won by fall over Trevor Pickard (Freeman) (Fall 3:54); lost to Alfonso Cunningham (Millard South) (Dec 5-2). 160 - Jose Luna (3-11) placed 5th: lost to Jake Hubschman (Fort Calhoun) (Fall 3:51); lost to Isaiah Jackson (Millard South) (Fall 1:46); lost to Jakob Bennett (Nebraska City) (Fall 1:52); lost to Calvin Caneva (Lincoln Christian) (Fall 3:02). Elkhorn Valley's Hannah Ollendick did a little bit of everything Friday night against Niobrara/Verdigre, including scoring in bulk for the Falcons.
Ollendick dropped in 20 points, pulled in six rebounds and dished out three assists in Elkhorn Valley's 55-41 win over the Cougars. Amber Miller did some scoring of her own, adding 16 points and dishing out three more assists. Olivia Nall added nine. Alyssa Rood was the model of efficiency for the Falcons, hitting two of her three shots for six points and pulling in eight rebounds. Later in the night, the boys took the court, looking to upset the two-loss Cougars. Unfortunately, luck was not on their side as they were unable to keep up with the high-scoring N/V squad, falling 62-37. Stats for the boys will be added as they become available. Coming off of big wins Tuesday night, the Clearwater-Orchard basketball squads had high hopes for their showdown with Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family. Unfortunately for the Cyclones, the night didn't turn out as planned.
In the girls game, O-C started out strong in the first quarter, trailing just 13-12, but quickly fizzled out. They gave up 41 points in the second half while only putting up 22 of their own on the way to a 63-39 loss. The Cyclones shot just 14 percent on the night, led by Kinzly Macke's 12 points. Katie Stearns accounted for nine points while Brooklynn Chipps added eight. Under the net, Macke pulled in seven boards while Grace Rittscher pulled in six rebounds of her own. In the boys game, it was much of the same story, with the Cyclones falling to the Bulldogs 69-45. O-C connected on 23 percent of their shots and giving up 14 turnovers. Ryan Wilhelm led all Cyclone scorers with 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting. Liam Odell wasn't far behind, adding 10 points while Jacob Long added nine. Luck was on the Elgin Public/Pope John's side on Friday the 13th as both the girls and boys protected their home court with wins over Stuart.
After a string of close games, the girls posted another big win. They burst out of the gates to take a 20-6 lead after one quarter of play, a lead they wouldn't relinquish on their way to a 63-35 win. "We started off strong and we attacked the hoop in the first quarter and Bailey (Wemhoff) had two 3s right away for us as well," said coach Randy Eisenhauer. After a five-game streak in which the Wolfpack games were decided within seven points or less, including two losses, Eisenhauer said it was nice for his team to come out relaxed and get the dominant win. "We started talking about playing without pressure," he said. "A couple games we lost last week, we were playing with pressure. Pressure of being undefeated, pressure from me, pressure with the girls. I just told em "Let's go and just play and have fun.'" Three Wolfpack players reached double figures on the night. Allyson Wemhoff, Bailey Wemhoff and Jordan Mescher scored 18, 16 and 10, respectively. They were part of a 50 percent shooting night for EPPJ. Allyson Wemhoff was also strong defensively, coming away with seven steals, many of which resulted in points for her and the Wolfpack. The crowd was then treated to an exciting game in the boys match up. The Broncos seemed to be in control of the game for the first three quarters. However, that all changed when Ashton Evans nailed a three-quarter court shot to beat the buzzer at the end of the third quarter and pull the Wolfpack to within seven. That shot marked the beginning of a 22-6 run that eventually gave EPPJ a 51-45 win over the Broncos. It didn't take long for the Wolfpack to pull even with Stuart. With 5:42 remaining in the game, Kenny Bush hit a layup through traffic and the ensuing free throw to tie the game up. Two minutes later, Chad Bode would give the Wolfpack a short-lived lead before Hunter Reestman hit a big shot from beyond the arc that set the crowd off in an uproar and gave EPPJ the lead for good. "Ashton's shot that he made at the buzzer certainly helped," said coach Michael Becker. "But I think we finally realized offensively that we weren't going to be able to push the ball. We had everybody get on the same page and make sure that we took care of the basketball. We utilized our skills inside and outside to take advantage of opportunities." While Evans was great on the night, posting his second-straight double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, he was far from the only EPPJ boy to post a strong performance. Reestman led the Wolfpack with 15 points. Bush posted his first double-double of the year with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Bode nearly gave the Wolfpack a third player in double figures in both rebounding and points, finishing with eight points and nine rebounds. Former Neligh-Oakdale Warrior and current Columbus Lakeview standout Ryanne Lueders made a big decision about her athletic career this week.
Lueders signed her letter of intent Thursday to play soccer in college at Northeast in Norfolk. For Lueders, Thursday was a long time coming, as it was something she has dreamed about since she was little. “It’s very exciting, I just love that we have the whole school here to support us. My family is here as well and it’s great having the extra support to pump me up for the season,” said Lueders. Not only is Lueders a great athlete, but a scholar in the classroom as well. She is excited to begin taking collegiate classes. “I’m going into pre-chiropractic, so I’ll go to Northeast. Then I plan on finishing at Wayne and then either attend Palmer College or Northwestern Health Sciences University.” For Northeast Coach Chad Miller, he knows that Lueders is the type of player that you can build a team around. “She’s going to bring so much to our team. She’s such a leader and has so much versatility, she can play in so many different positions and do so many different things. Right off the bat she’s gonna create so much for us that we can do so many different things with,” said Miller. No matter what, Thursday was a special day for the Lueders family. She will look to continue to be both a standout scholar, and athlete. The Warriors collared the Bulldogs on the road Thursday night, but the Lady Warriors felt their bite.
Neligh-Oakdale split games with Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family as the boys won 85-67, and the girls fell, 77-34. H/LHF girls jumped out to a 27-6 lead after the first quarter. The Lady Warriors improved offensively in the next three quarters, but it wasn't enough to catch the Bulldogs. Senior Kinsley Klabenes led N-O in scoring with 12, followed by Alexis Jensen with 8, Jaclynn Hixson 5, Jayda Chance 3, and Bailey Frey, Kayla Wright and Kenzi Tschirren each with 2. Girls scores by quarters: N-O 6 10 10 8 34 HLHF 27 12 18 20 77 In the boys matchup, the Warriors and the Bulldogs finished even at the end of the first 8 minutes of play, 20-20. Neligh-Oakdale added 22 more in the second and took a 42-35 lead into the locker room at the half. The Warriors continued to dominate the second half and stretched their lead to get the win, handing H/LHF just its second loss of the season. N-O improved to 11-2. "It was a great win in the middle of a stretch of crucial games for our boys," Coach Frank Gade said. It was a strong offensive night for the Warriors as Tyson Belitz put up 28 points, followed by Grant White with 22, Alex Kerkman 19, Austin Rice 9, Damon Arehart 5 and Chris Bentley 2. Neligh-Oakdale was 57 percent on treys going 8-14; 89 percent from the stripe with 17-19 freethrows; and 58 percent from the field. Boys scores by quarter: N-O 20 22 19 24 85 HLHF 20 15 15 17 67 Neligh-Oakdale will host Madison on Saturday with JV girls set to begin at 1 p.m. Tommie Peed came away as the lone victor for the Cyclones as they traveled to Randolph to take on a strong Cardinals squad.
Peed took down Dalton Rath in an ultimate tie-breaker for the victory. 113: James Kester (CLOR) over (RAND) (For.) 132: Alex Schmit (RAND) over Eli Macke (CLOR) (Fall 0:59) 138: Brandon Bloomquist (RAND) over Seth Lampert (CLOR) (Fall 1:22) 145: Noah Scott (RAND) over Derek Maxwell (CLOR) (Fall 1:22) 152: Ethan Olson (RAND) over Austin Pokorny (CLOR) (Fall 3:08) 285: Tommie Peed (CLOR) over Dalton Rath (RAND) (UTB 2-2) Neligh-Oakdale kicked off a busy couple of days with a trip to Utica for the Centennial Quadrangular.
They finished fourth out of the four teams there, but had some strong individual performances on the day. Andrew Herley won his only match in convincing fashion, pinning Centennial's Ethan Lavelle in just 1:29. Cameron Wilkinson continued his dominance, also pinning his opponent in 1:37. Kaleb Pofahl took down two of his three opponents on the day, both by way of a pin. Cade Wilkinson took home a technical fall win and Jayden Arehart won a 7-5 decision over Gavin Hinrichs of Fillmore Central. Centennial Varsity Quad - Neligh-Oakdale is guaranteed 4th place Match #1 Round 1: Centennial defeated Neligh-Oakdale 57-24 132 - Andrew Herley (Neligh-Oakdale) over Ethan Lavelle (Centennial) Fall 1:29 138 - Gavin Avery (Centennial) over Cade Wilkinson (Neligh-Oakdale) Fall 1:06 145 - Kaleb Pofahl (Neligh-Oakdale) over Jamison Fern (Centennial) Fall 1:47 152 - Kain Songster (Centennial) over Jayden Arehart (Neligh-Oakdale) Dec 4-1 106 - Cameron Wilkinson (Neligh-Oakdale) over Wyatt Schoepf (Centennial) Fall 1:37 Match #2 Round 2: Bishop Neumann defeated Neligh-Oakdale 45-18 138 - Luke Haberman (Bishop Neumann) over Cade Wilkinson (Neligh-Oakdale) Fall 0:28 145 - Kaleb Pofahl (Neligh-Oakdale) over Colby Osmera (Bishop Neumann) Fall 3:39 152 - Ian Ingwersen (Bishop Neumann) over Jayden Arehart (Neligh-Oakdale) Dec 7-0 160 - Andrew Hart (Bishop Neumann) over Jose Luna (Neligh-Oakdale) Fall 0:26 Match #3 Round 3: Fillmore Central defeated Neligh-Oakdale 36-26 138 - Cade Wilkinson (Neligh-Oakdale) over Kurtis Hinrichs (Fillmore Central) TF 15-0 145 - Christian Lovan (Fillmore Central) over Kaleb Pofahl (Neligh-Oakdale) Fall 1:12 152 - Jayden Arehart (Neligh-Oakdale) over Gavin Hinrichs (Fillmore Central) Dec 7-5 Each week, the Elgin Public/Pope John boys seem to show improvement in a new area.
This week, it was in scoring as they posted their highest scoring output of the year. They dropped 65 points on 25-of-52 shooting Tuesday night at Fullerton. Unfortunately, the Warriors had three more points in them, edging out the Wolfpack 68-65. The return of Ashton Evans has rejuvenated the young Wolfpack squad, and last night was no different. Evans posted his first double-double of the year, scoring 13 points and dishing out 10 assists. He was one of two EPPJ players to nail three shots from beyond the arc. The other Wolfpack athlete with three 3s was Chad Bode, who finished with a team-high 23 points on 69 percent shooting. He also pulled in four rebounds and dished out four assists. Hunter Reestman added 12 points and nine rebounds while Kenny Bush dropped 11 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting. In the early game of the night, the girls took home a win, beating the Warriors 59-53. The Wolfpack got big games out of the Wemhoff sisters. Senior Baylee Wemhoff dropped in 17 points and dished out six assists while sophomore Allyson Wemhoff added 23 on 44 percent shooting while adding eight rebounds. Both girls came away with five steals. The crowd in Creighton got to watch some extra basketball Tuesday night as the Clearwater-Orchard boys took home a big win in overtime.
The Cyclones rallied from a 25-19 halftime deficit to tie the game up at 42 all and force extra play. They outscored the Bulldogs 13-6 in the extra frame, taking home their third win of the year with a 55-48 victory. Jacob Long, who has been on a hot streak at the rim as of late, finished the night with a near double-double. He dropped in 22 points on 42 percent shooting. He also pulled in nine rebounds on the night. Not to be outdone, Ryan Wilhelm proved to be a presence in the middle. He hit eight of his 21 shots for 19 points. He also pulled in seven rebounds, including four on the offensive end. Overall, the Cyclones were fantastic on the boards, pulling in 34 total rebounds. Besides Long and Wilhelm, Chris Kester and Liam Odell pulled in six and Grady Bellingtier recorded five. The overtime game somewhat overshadowed an impressive performance from the girls earlier in the night. The Cyclones didn't have their best shooting night of the year, but used a suffocating defense and strong inside presence to pull out a 38-29 win over Creighton. The win included holding the Bulldogs to just two points in the second quarter. As a team, Clearwater-Orchard came away with 11 steals, led by three each from Skye Schroeder and Kylie Thiele. Brooklynn Chipps led the way under the net, pulling in ten of the Cyclones' 39 total rebounds. Offensively, Kinzly Macke scored a team-high 13 points while Allee Snider added nine points. As a team, the Cyclones shot 25 percent from the floor. The Neligh-Oakdale teams both had strong leads in the first quarter Tuesday night, but only the boys were able to hold off Osmond for the win.
The Warriors tamed the Tigers 51-46, while the girls fell 49-33. After the first 8 minutes of play, the Lady Warriors jumped out to a 14-7 lead, thanks to some great 3-point plays. Kinsley Klabenes and Jayda Chance each drove the lane, drawing fouls to go with their buckets. The offense lagged in the second quarter as the girls only put up 3 points and allowed Osmond 15, giving their opponent a 22-17 halftime lead. The Lady Warriors weren't able to regain control in the second half and were defeated 49-33. Kinsley Klabenes led the Lady Warriors with 13 points, followed by Rachel Higgins, Kayla Wright and Jayda Chance each with 4; and Bailey Frey, Alexis Jensen, Megan McWhorter and Jaclynn Hixson each with 2. Girls scores by quarter: N-O 14 3 7 9 33 Osmond 7 15 17 10 49 In the boys contest, the Warriors took a commanding 23-9 lead in the first quarter. The Tigers matched N-O by scoring 9 points in the second, and outscored the Warriors 17-5 in the third to make it a 2-point game heading into the final quarter of play. Neligh-Oakdale's offense stepped up to seal the 51-46 victory. Grant White led the scoring for the Warriors with 16, followed by Tyson Belitz and Alex Kerkman with 14 each, Chris Bentley 4, Austin Rice 2 and Nate Buck 1. Boys scores by quarter: N-O 23 9 5 14 51 Osmond 9 9 17 11 46 Another game, two more double-doubles for the Elkhorn Valley boys.
For the second time in as many weeks, Brayden Effle and Kalen Dittrich posted huge games for the Falcons, reaching double figures in scoring and rebounding to lead Elkhorn Valley to a 53-39 victory over Ewing. Dittrich finished the night with 13 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Falcons on the night. Effle added 10 points and 10 rebounds to aid in the win. Austin Miller and Koby Smith both hit double figures in scoring as well, scoring 11 each. Tucker Hecht showed quick hands all night, finishing with five steals. Earlier in the night, the girls won by nearly an identical margin, taking down the Tigers 54-39. They did most of their damage in the first half, entering the break with a 33-15 lead. For the night, the Falcons hit on an impressive 51 percent of their shots. Amber Miller, Sierra Rystrom and Brianna Werner each hit double figures, scoring 13, 12 and 10, respectively. Hannah Ollendick did the rough work for the Falcons, pulling in five boards and five steals. Shelby Cakebread also added four steals to spark the Falcon defense. |
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