Bobcats gain medals, experience at home invitational

Four Bobcat wrestlers earned medals, Saturday, at the Summerland Bobcat Invite.

Summerland finished seventh in team standings, scoring 67.5 points. South Sioux City claimed the top spot in the 15-team tourney, while Wisner-Pilger took home the runner-up trophy.

Freshman Ethan Kester received the silver medal in the 126-pound class. He opened competition with a win, by fall, in 2:36, over Elgin Public/Pope John's Grady Drueke. In the semifinal, Kester pinned Aydan Kloppenborg, St. Mary's, in 4:35. In the championship match, Kester won a 9-0 major decision over Braxton Siebrandt, of Wisner-Pilger.

In the 120-pound division, Alex Thiele finished third. He defeated teammate Caden Mendoza, by fall, in 1:41 in the quarterfinal and lost to Pender's Trey Johnson, 6-1, in the semifinal. Thiele pinned Brenyn Ames, Lutheran High Northeast in the consolation semifinal and earned an 8-2 decision over Jesse Reyes, South Sioux City, in the third-place match.

Jesse Thiele placed fourth in the 132-pound class. He won by tech fall, over Matthew Ferris, of Pender, 18-3, at the 4:58 mark. In the semifinal, Dylan Brichacek, Howells-Dodge, defeated Thiele, 4-0. Thiele won a 16-2 major decision over Dylan Schinstock, Guardian Angels Central Catholic, in the consolation semifinal, but lost by fall, in 4:10, to Caleb Berg, SSC, in the third-place match.

Matt Umphress ended fourth in the 160-pound division. He pinned Christopher Delgado, SSC, in 3:31 before being pinned by GACC's Evan Schuetze in the quarterfinal. Umphress worked his way through the consolation bracket, pinning Richard Barillas, Sioux City West, in :01 and won a 13-3 major decision over Guy Bitz, Ravenna. He had a rematch with Schuetze for third place and forfeited due to medical reasons.

Other Bobcats competing in the tournament included:

Mendoza, who lost to Thiele in a quarterfinal match in the 120-pound division. Clay Adams, Ravenna, won a 14-1 major decision over Mendoza in the third consolation round.

Connor Thomson competed in the 132-pound division. He pinned Even Tweet, SSC, in 5:06 in round one and was pinned, in 2:00, by Brichacek, HD, in the quarterfinal. Thomson won a 6-2 decision over Isaac Hemenway, EPPJ, in the second consolation round, but dropped an 11-6 decision to Ferris, Pender, in the third round.

Shayne Jenkins lost an opening-round match to Wakefield's Caleb Chase, by fall, in 4:44. In the second consolation round, Konner Bourek, HD, pinned Jenkins in 2:36.

Logan Kester, wrestling in the 138-pound class, lost 6-4, to Chase Groff, Doniphan-Trumbull, in the first round. He rebounded in the consolation round, pinning Andy Schultz, DT, in 1:33. In the third consolation round, Caleb Chase, of Wakefield, pinned Kester in 3:29.

Willis Mast lost his first match in the 145-pound class to Ryan Woitaszewski, WP, by fall, in 3:58. In the third consolation round, Mast lost 13-6, to Roe Patton, of Fullerton.

AJ Hobbs competed in the 160-pound division and lost by sudden victory, 9-7, to Bitz of Ravenna in the quarterfinal. Hobbs pinned LHNE's Kanyon Anderson, in :59 and Delgado, SSC, in 2:22. In the consolation semifinal, Schuetze, GACC, pinned Hobbs in 1:41.

Kendrick Schroeder competed in the 170-pound division. He opened competition with a win, by fall, in 1:24, over Bryan Shafer, DT. SSC's Tony Palmer pinned Schroeder, in 2:00, in the quarterfinal. Schroeder won, by fall, in 3:31, over Ryan Linkous, Pender and in the third consolation round, dropped a 6-4 decision to Luke Hagedorn, GACC.