Bobcats finish third at Summerland Invite

Six Bobcat wrestlers earned medals, Saturday, at the Summerland Invitational.

The team finished third in the 15-team field, scoring 110 points. Ravenna took top honors, with 177 points, while Wisner-Pilger ended second, with 136.

Ethan Kester flawlessly worked his way through the 138-pound bracket, pinning WP's Gabe Liemann in :44 and the Bobcat's Connor Thomson in 1:20. In the semifinal, he defeated Trevor Steffen, GACC, 6-3 and in the championship match, claimed an 11-7 decision over Grady Rasmussen, Ravenna.

Austin Mendoza earned a silver medal. In the opening round of 126-pound competition, Mendoza defeated Ryder Anderson-Ray, Guardian Angels Central Catholic, by fall, in 1:16. He pinned Elgin Public/Pope John's Grady Drueke, in the semifinal, winning by fall in 3:20. In the first-round match, Trenton Wedemeyer, Ravenna, pinned the Bobcat wrestler in 4:36.

Ayden Bazelman finished third in the 113-pound class. He dropped a first-round match by fall, in 4:36, to Maison Schroll, Ravenna. In round three, Bazelman pinned Levi Rutten, of Riverside, before losing by fall, in 3:06, to Blane Stutzman, Howells-Dodge, in round four. In the last round, Bazelman pinned Dereck Collazo, Scribner, in 2:53.

Jesse Thiele earned a bronze medal in the 144-pound division. He opened with a 13-1 major decision over Jackson DeBondt, Sioux City West and a 2-1 win over Owen Larsen, Pender. In the semifinal, Walker Ott, WP, defeated Thiele, 4-2. He rebounded with an 8-5 decision over Dylan Schinstock, GACC, setting up match against Korbin Carlson, Winside, for third place. Thiele won, 4-1.

Mathew Umphress finished third in the 157-pound class. He faced Austin Hegemann, H-D, in the quarterfinal and lost by fall, in 4:48. Umphress worked his way back through the consolation bracket, earning a win by pin, in :36, over Andy Manjarrez, Wakefield; a 12-3 major decision over Frazey, Pender and a pin, in 1:30, over Searight, LHNE. In the third-place match, Umphress claimed a 5-4 win over Tye Dozler, Riverside.

AJ Hobbs finished third in the 165-pound class. Following a bye, Hobbs defeated Evan Schuetze, GACC, 4-1. In the semifinal, Hobbs lost by fall to Christophe Delgado, SSC, in 3:08. Hobbs pinned Jordan Dodds, Riverside, in :42. In the third-place match, Hobbs faced Schuetze for a second time and pinned him in 2:59.

Other competitors for Summerland included:

• Tucker Dougherty in the 120-pound class. He lost a first-round match, by fall, in 1:04, to Tycin Lampman, Wisner-Pilger. In the consolation semifinal, Dougherty lost to Nate Sanderson, Pender, by fall, in 1:38.

• After losing to Kester in a 138-pound match, Thomson pinned Ryan Cook, Fullerton, in 1:44, before being pinned by Winside's Cooper Behmer, in 2:31.

• Logan Kester opened competition in the 150-pound class with a win by fall, in 3:24, over Bodey Bligh, South Sioux City and lost by fall, in 5:48, to Tristan Steffan, GACC. Kester worked his way through the consolation bracket by pinning Evan Lauck, WP, in :32, and winning a 9-7 decision over Roe Patton, Fullerton. In the consolation semi, Landyn Veik, EPPJ, defeated Kester, by a 4-1 tiebreaker.

• Shayne Jenkins opened with a loss to Valen Searight, Lutheran High Northeast. The Eagle wrestler pinned Jenkins in 3:53. Jenkins lost by fall, in :36, to Boyd Frazey of Pender in a consolation match.

• Jason Shaver lost a first-round match in the 190-pound division to Brett Bridger, Fullerton, in 2:58. In the consolation bracket, Shaver dropped a 7-2 decision to Luke Hagedorn, GACC.