Summerland wrestlers bring home hardware

The Summerland wrestling team placed 13th at Saturday's Battle Creek Invitational.

Nineteen teams competed and, at the end of the day, the host team secured the team title, surpassing Crofton/Bloomfield by eight points, 184.5 to 176.5.

The Bobcats ended with 42 points and all eight competitors earned medals.

Ethan Kester won bronze in the 126-pound class. He pinned Ponca's Thomas Beavers, in 1:18, and won an 8-4 decision over BC's Jaxon Hassler to advance to the championship bracket. Trev Arlt, Yutan, pinned Kester in 1:09. In the third-place match, Kester won by an 8-0 major decision over Robert Aschoff, Osmond.

Shayne Jenkins placed third in the 138-pound junior varsity division. After losses, by fall, to Stanton's Jayden Reed, in 2:46, and Elkhorn Valley's Brandon Mutum, in 1:43, Jenkins earned a 4-1 decision over Devin Hassler, BC JV.

Competing in the 120-pound class, Caden Mendoza finished sixth. He lost, by fall, to Bryce Kolc, Yutan, in :35 and Tekamah-Herma's Jager Leichleiter, in 2:22. Following a bye, Mendoze wrestled BC's Zion Baier. Mendoza was pinned in 1:41.

Two Bobcats - AJ Hobbs and Matt Umphress - competed in the 160-pound class. They placed sixth and eighth, respectively.

Hobbs opened competition with a win, by fall, in 3:23 over Gage Jensen, Quad County Northeast. In round two, he lost, by tech fall, 16-1, to Wyatt Tramp, Crofton/Bloomfield. In the first consolation round, Hobbs won a 12-10 decision over Umphress and lost, by fall, in 1:41, to Trevis Halsey, EV.

Umphress pinned EV's Kris Fernau, in 2:39 before losing, by fall, in :55, to Lane Belina, HD. Following a 12-10 loss to Hobbs, Umphress was pinned, in 1:39, by BC's Casey Schnebel.

Connor Thomson placed eighth in the 132-pound class. After pinning EV's Jacob Lind in 4:00, Thomson lost, by fall, in 1:08, to Braeden, Hartington Cedar Catholic. In the consolation bracket, Alexander Molina, of Madison, pinned Thomson in 2:26. In the seventh-place match, Mason McKie, Stanton, defeated Thomson, 6-4.

Logan Kester competed in the 138-pound division and placed eighth. After opening with a loss, by fall, in 1:36, to Jaxon Vinson, Osmond, Kester pinned Winnebago's Alonzo Bass in 4:50. In the third round, Riverside's Damein Roan handed Kester a 9-5 loss. In a consolation match, Kaden Kment, Stanton, pinned Kester in 2:10 and in the seventh-place match, Konner Bourek, Howells-Dodge, defeated the Bobcat competitor, 7-5.

Kendrick Schroeder finished eighth in the 170-pound division. He pinned Justin Backer, QCNE, in 2:40 before being pinned, in 1:31, by HCC's Cole Bensen. In the first consolation round, Mauricio Hernandez, Madison, won by a 7-3 decision and in the seventh-place match, Wyatt Nierodzik, BC, pinned Schroeder, in 1:26.