Thiele, Kester qualify for state wrestling championships

A senior and a freshman will represent the Summerland boys' wrestling team at the 2023 Nebraska School Activities Association State Wrestling Championship, in Omaha, this week.

Alex Thiele, wrestling at 120 pounds, and Ethan Kester, a 126-pound participant, will begin competition Thursday at the CHI Event Center.

Both made their way to the medal stand at the Class D1 district, held Friday and Saturday, in Pender.

Coach Dan Roeber said districts are an emotional meet for coaches.

"We coach the whole team and we go from one match to the next and they can have different outcomes. We see it every year and it doesn't get any easier. We go from our freshman making it and the excitement of that match right into another match that saw an eighth seed wrestling for the match to go and not making it. I enjoy the thrill of those matches but I share in the heart attack of a season ending," Roeber said.

The coach said it was exciting to have Thiele "punch his ticket" and it was rewarding for Thiele, as well as his TeamMates.

Thiele brought home the silver medal. He opened the tourney with a win by fall, in :28, over Dawson Kollars of Homer. In the quarterfinal, Thiele pinned Carson Whitesel, Neligh-Oakdale, in 3:34 and beat Trey Johnson of Pender, 3-1 sudden victory, in the semifinal.

The win set up a match against Elgin Public Pope John's Carter Beckman. The Wolfpack wrestler pinned Thiele in :46.

According to Roeber, Thiele has been a solid wrestler, and a big contributor to the Bobcat wrestling program.

"But he had not been able to make the state meet yet. As a sophomore, he lost to his teammate, which has probably been one of the hardest matches I have ever been a part of," Roeber said.

Thiele's junior campaign was cut short, due to injury.

"Alex has wrestled well all season and been a great leader for this team. It was very deserving to be able to give him a hug and tell him congratulations," Roeber said. "It is his time to go out and have fun and leave everything on the mat. He is in a good place and wrestling well at the right time."

The coach said coaching Kester has been "a completely different experience."

This is the first time a member of the coaching staff has had a son or daughter qualify for state.

"Ethan has been having a solid freshman campaign and we had hoped he could cap it off with a state berth," Roeber said.

Following a bye, Kester lost by fall, in 3:44, to Robert Aschoff of Osmond. In the third consolation round, Kester pinned Homer's Isaac Barclay in 2:47, then won an 8-6 decision over Dierks Sayer, of Cambridge.

In the third-place match, Brody Patterson won by sudden victory, 6-4.

Roeber said he knew assistant coach, Paul Kester, had "the added stress of being a dad during the year, too."

"Paul and I have coached together for a long time and spent many hours together. I could feel that added stress he had and, as exciting as it was and has been to give wrestlers that celebratory hug to congratulate them, I got to celebrate that with a dad and a friend as well," Roeber said. "For Paul to be on the mat and see the normal excitement and sense of pride in our wrestlers but also to call that wrestler his son, it was a very rewarding and exciting match."

Several other Bobcats survived the first day of district competition and returned Saturday.

Jesse Thiele, competing in the 132-pound division, pinned Matthew Ferris, Pender, in 3:03. In the quarterfinal, Dylan Brichacek, Howells-Dodge, won a 10-0 major decision.

Thiele worked his way through the consolation bracket, earning a 9-2 decision over Dawson Mason, South Loup, and pinning Madison's Alexander Molina, in 4:40. In the consolation semifinal, Thiele lost by fall, in 3:41, to Graiden Ritner, Wilcox-Hildreth.

Connor Thomson faced two of the same competitors as Thiele did. After receiving a bye, Ritner, WH, pinned Thomson in 1:21. In the third consolation round, Molina won 6-3.

Matt Umphress and AJ Hobbs competed in the 160-pound bracket.

Umphress lost a quarterfinal match by fall, in 5:09, to Hunter Perks, of Cambridge. Umphress pinned Ryan Linkous, Pender, in 4:35 in the second consolation round.

That set up a Bobcat versus Bobcat match in the third consolation round. Hobbs came out on top, 7-6.

Hobbs district route began with a loss by fall, in :16, to Lane Belina, Howells-Dodge. Hobbs pinned Jamie Tickle, South Loup, in 2:08 and defeated Umphress 7-6. In the consolation semifinal, Keegan Poppe, Wisner-Pilger, pinned Hobbs in 3:58.

Keaton Thiele pinned Winside's Aiden Sellin, in 1:40, in the first round before losing a 3-1 decision to Mauricio Hernandez of Madison.

Working through the consolation bracket, Thiele pinned Kayl Gomez, Bancroft-Rosalie, in :42 and won a 7-1 decision over Pender's Stephon Small. In the consolation semifinal, Becker Pohlman, of Stanton, scored with two seconds remaining to defeat Thiele, 3-2.

Wrestlers eliminated Friday included:

• Caden Mendoza, who competed in the 120-pound class. Beckman, EPPJ, pinned the Bobcat wrestler in 1:09 and in the consolation round, Joseph Barnell, Creighton, pinned Mendoza in 2:18.

• Shayne Jenkins dropped a first-round match by fall, in :42, to Jakob Kavan, Aquinas Catholic. In the second consolation round, Jacob Hanvey, Creighton, pinned Jenkins in 1:40.

Summerland finished 11th in the 23-team field. The Bobcats scored 49 points.

David City Aquinas Catholic won the team title, scoring 209.5 points, while Cambridge took home the runner-up trophy, finishing with 131.5 points.

Other teams in the top ten include Neligh-Oakdale, 127.5; Wisner-Pilger, 119; Howells-Dodge, 79; Pender, 74; Wilcox-Hildreth, 59.5; Fullerton, 56; EPPJ, 55 and Madison, 50.