Bobcats finish third at EPPJ meet

Powered by winning performances by the Thiele brothers, Summerland wrestlers finished third at Saturday's Elgin Public/Pope John Wrestling Invite.

Plainview claimed the team title with 156 points. Guardian Angels Central Catholic scored 116 to take the runner-up spot. The Bobcats finished with 95 points.

Wrestling in the 120-pound class, Alex Thiele went undefeated, recording five pins. He pinned Kaedean Schwarting, EPPJ, in :47; Summerland's Caden Mendoza, in :41; Blaise Kann, Norfolk Catholic, in :57; Kane Kucera, Palmer, in 1:04 and Central Valley's Talan Wood, in :48.

Mendoza lost by fall, in 1:44, to Wood; 1:10 to Kann; 1:15 to Kucera; and :49 to Schwarting. Mendoza placed sixth.

Jesse Thiele brought home a gold medal in the 132-pound class. He pinned Ethan Hoback, Fullerton, in 3:41 and pinned his teammate, Connor Thomson, in :46 in the semifinal. Thiele faced Matthew Ferris, of Pender, in the championship match and pinned him in 5:09.

Thomson earned a 7-3 decision over Jonah Green, of Nebraska Christian, in the first round and defeated Paul Vanderbrug, of Pender, 6-4.

After a loss to Thiele in the semifinal, Thomson was set to face Oliver Daniel, NC, but Daniel forfeited due to a medical issue. In the third-place match, Thomson lost, by fall, in 2:45, to Dylan Schinstock, GACC.

Ethan Kester earned a silver medal in the 126-pound division. In the opening round, he pinned EPPJ's Grady Drueke in :54. In the quarterfinal, Kester pinned Jason Thompson, of Palmer, in 3:11. He faced Riverside's Trevor Carraher in the semifinal and earned a 10-4 decision.

Kester faced Carter Beckman, EPPJ, in the finale and, in a hard-fought match, lost, by fall, in 5:29.

Logan Kester competed in the 138-pound class and lost, by fall, to Ty Greenland, ALC, in 1:15. He faced teammate Shayne Jenkins in a consolation-round match, winning, by fall, in :53. Kester won a 6-2 decision over Pender's Brodrick Crippen before dropping a 15-6 decision to Emmerson Earl, of Palmer.

Jenkins dropped an opening round match, by fall, in 3:22, to Joseph Ducker, ALC and was eliminated following a match against Kester.

Willis Mast lost an opening-round match in the 145-pound division to Ted Hemmingsen, Riverside, in :36 and was pinned by Bo Oligmueller, GACC, in 2:23.

In the 152-pound division, Keaton Thiele was injured in a match against Mason Dusek, NC, and was unable to continue.

Summerland entered two wrestlers in the 160-pound class and both left with medals.

AJ Hobbs finished fourth. He lost a match against Tanner Frahm, of Plainview, in 2:57. Hobbs pinned Plainview's Caden Ickler, in :44. He lost matches, by fall, in 1:54, to Spencer Kula, Twin River, and Evan Schuetze, GACC, in :53.

Hobbs was set to face Matthew Umphress, of Summerland, in the final match, but Umphress forfeited due to medical issues.

Umphress lost a first-round match to Frahm, by fall, in 2:50 and pinned Ickler, in 4:18. He lost by fall, in 5:43, to Schuetze, and, due to injury, was unable to compete against Kula and Hobbs.

Kendrick Schroeder placed fourth in the 170-pound division. After a win, by fall, in 3:08 over Pender's Jon Vandebrug, Wyatt Doerr, of Plainview, sent the Summerland senior to the consolation bracket after a 15-2 major decision. Schroeder pinned Cal Seip, Nebraska Christian, in 1:32 and lost, by fall, in 4:57, to Dawson Lemburg, of Palmer, in the match for third place.