HARRISBURG, Neb. – With seven wrestlers finishing in the top-three in their weight class, the Southeast Cyclones finished third at the Banner County Invite in Harrisburg on Saturday.
“Every year you’re never quite sure what to expect that first weekend out,” coach Matt Bullington said. “With as old a team we have, I had pretty high hopes and the kids didn’t disappoint.”
Brock Blevins had the best day, finishing undefeated. In pool play, Bivens picked up a win over Anthony Rojo (Jolyoke) in the first period and beat Hemmingford’s Jaydon Walker via a 9-8 decision, earning a spot in the championship bracket. In the 113-pound bracket, Blevins pinned Chance Cooper (Bridgeport) in the second period, advancing to the first-place match, where he won by again by pin in the second period over Nathaniel Murillo (Morrill).
“Watching him in the room I knew he was pretty solid,” Bullington said of his freshman wrestler. “For a first weekend out, I was very impressed.”
Chase Lovercheck was one of several Cyclones to finish second with a 3-1 record Saturday. He had two wins via pin in less than two minutes, beating Kimball’s Ethan Ratzlaff and Deacon Dittmer from Holyoke. Lovercheck also pinned Allen McCumbers at the 2:46 mark. Morrill’s Austin Garcia got the advantage over the Cyclone, picking up the win in the second period. Lovercheck’s 3-1 record at 152 pounds earned him second.
At the heavyweight division, Hunter Woodruff picked up another second-place finish for Southeast. He had two matches on the day, including a pin at the two-minute mark over Ceasar Garduno (Minatare). He suffered a loss to Bridgeport’s Tyler Franklin via decision, 9-5, to slide into second in the weight class.
Tate Carson was the final Cyclone to snag silver, going 3-1 at 182 pounds. One of his wins came over his teammate Brady Tosh, with a pin in the first period. In his first match of the day, Carson pinned Andy Lopez (Holyoke) at the 2:51 mark. His final win came by major decision, 17-5, against Hemingford’s Alex Neefe. Carson’s one loss of the day came from a pin in the first period against Logan Coalson (Bridgeport).
Tosh also wrestled at 182 pounds for Southeast. He won his first match by technical fall over Neefe, 20-5, before losing to his fellow Cyclone. He surrendered losses in his final two matches because of injury, finishing the day at third.
Wyatt Lackman snagged the bronze medal at 120 pounds, posting a 3-2 record on the day. In pool action, Lackman recorded two wins, pinning Jacob Keim (Bridgeport) at the 1:51 mark and winning by a 14-0 major decision over Crawford’s James Kriz. Garrett Pedersen (Kimball) got the better of Lackman by pin in the third period during pool play.
The senior Cyclone advanced to the championship bracket, where he was pinned by Kimball’s Jordan Cluff at 5:12. Lackman dropped to the third-place match, where he went the distance, posting 3-0 decision against Destry Schmidt (North Park).
The Cyclones had two wrestlers compete at 106 pounds, with Greg Logsdon holding the edge with a third-place finish. He picked up three wins on the day, all by pins. He pinned Tayson Emesti (Hemingford) and his fellow teammate in Kaden Brothwell, both in less than a minute. Logsdon also pinned Jessica Mosqueda (Holyoke) in the second period. Bridgeport’s Casey Benavides and Morrill’s Tyler Nagel both picked up wins over Logsdon.
Brothwell wrestled all of the same opponents at 106 pounds. He snagged two wins on the day, pinning Mosqueda in the first period and securing a 14-11 decision over Emesti. Brothwell suffered three pins against Logsdon, Benavides and Nagel, all in the first period. He finished fourth in his weight class.
The Cyclones finished third as a team with 79.5 points, edging out Holyoke’s 71 points. Bridgeport picked up the top spot with 171.5 points, followed by Morril (101).
“With the work we put in, it’s not surprising to me,” Bullington said of the team success. “In four years, they’ve worked hard and put a big effort forth every day. They’re starting to see the fruits of their labor.”
Lusk Invitational
The Cyclones had three wrestlers win their weight class Friday at the Lusk Invitational on their way to a second-place finish as a team.
Lovercheck picked up his 100th career win on his way to taking the crown at 152 pounds. He recorded three pins in the first period, beating Harrison’s Allen McCumbers, Moorcroft’ Darrian Black and Moorcroft’s Christian Nieto. The Cyclones also pinned Hemingford’s Nick McDaniel in the second period, while picking up a technical fall win over Newell’s Caleb McGregor, 18-3.
“Any time a kid can get 100 wins, especially this early in a senior season, it’s really something,” Bullington said.
In the heavyweight division, fellow senior Woodruff went undefeated on his way to the title. Moorcroft’s Lane Mosteller was the only opponent that took Woodruff to the second period, with the Cyclone snagging the pin at the 3:02 mark. Woodruff’s four other opponents, Sheldon Jolley (Hulett), Jasper Caldera (Lusk), Morgan Stuen (Newell) and Austin Brownrigg (Moorcroft), did not make it out of the first.
Blevins joined his upperclassmen with an undefeated record Friday, winning the 113-pound weight class. He had four pins on the day, including a pin in 25 seconds against Glenrock’s Josie Brueno. Blevins also had a pin in the first round against Lusk’s James Cushman, a pin in the second round against Moorcroft’s Mica Herrera and a pin in the third period against Sundance’s Owne Haiar.
Southeast had two wrestlers finish in the top-four at 106 pounds. Logsdon went 3-1 on the day, with his only loss coming to Newell’s Chase VanDerBoom via a 6-5 decision. The rest of Logsdon’s matches ended in the first period, with him pinning Tyzer Isenberger (Moorcroft), Myles Stefanich (Sundance) and fellow Cyclone teammate Brothwell.
Despite the loss to his teammate, Brothwell still picked up a fourth-place finish. He recorded a pin over Isenberger in the second period, with losses via pin against Logsdon, VanDerBoom and Stefanich.
Tosh was one of two Cyclones to finish with a bronze, with his coming at 182 pounds. He posted a 2-1 record in his round robin pool, pinning both Joseph Kennah (Hulett) and Cade Griffitt (Glenrock) in the first period. He almost went the distance in his third match but was pinned at the 5:38 mark against Parker Schlater (Moorcroft). His efforts in round robin action put the Cyclone in the third-place match, where he won by technical fall over Glenrock’s Noah Halsey, 19-4.
Southeast had three wrestlers competing in 195 pounds, including Carson, Baker and Dawson Beck. Carson was the only Cyclone in his round robin pool, where he went 1-1, not including a bye. He pinned North Park’s Cordell Garriott in the first period, but was pinned in his second match in the third period against Moorcroft’s Tommy Schlater. Carson’s efforts put him in the third-place match, where he pinned fellow teammate Baker at the 2:40 mark.
Baker and Beck found themselves in the same pool. Baker picked up wins via pin in the first period against both Beck and Gavin Robinson (Sundance). His sole loss in pool action was a 5-1 decision against Moorcroft’s Tucker Allison. In the third-place match, Baker was pinned by Carson. Beck went 1-2 in round robin action, winning an 11-10 decision against Robinson, while being pinned in the first round against Allison and Baker.
At 170 pounds, Connor Smith was the final Cyclone to compete in Lusk, taking fourth on a 2-2 record. In round robin action, the senior pinned Logan Deinhardt (Moorcroft) in the first period and Josh Pridgeion (Sundance) late in the second period. His lone loss in his pool came via fall in the first period against Lusk’s Cole Mellott. In the third-place match, Smith was pinned at the 3:03 mark by Damien Molzahn (Lusk).
The Cyclones finished with 50 team points, taking second behind Moorcroft’s 92. Lusk rounded out the top-three schools with 26.5 points.
Southeast returns to action Saturday on the road at the Wright Invitational. It is a team-dual tournament.
“I go by the 24-hour rule,” Bullington said. “You have 24 hours to be happy, but on Monday it’s back to work.”
