HOWELLS — It was a medal parade for Wolfpack wrestlers Saturday at the Howells-Dodge Invite. The same can also be said for the girls team competing on the same day at O’Neill.
At Howells, all but one wrestler who donned EPPJ singlets placed in the tournament, the first of the season.
It was the best effort in an opening tournament in years for EPPJ.
Senior Sam Hemenway, competing at 215, pinned all four of his opponents to place first. Two of the pins came in under a minute.
Five other Wolfpack wrestlers placed at the event, led by Landyn Veik who took fourth. Other wrestlers who placed were:
Austin Hinkle — Sixth
Grady Drueke — Seventh
Isaac Hemenway — Sixth
Jack Barlow — Sixth
Individual results were:
126 — Round 1 – Samuel Chase (Wakefield) 4-1 won by fall over Austin Hinkle (Elgin Public/Pope John ) (Fall 2:43); Round 2 – Hinkle won by fall over Brayden Keyes (Wisner-Pilger) 1-3 (Fall 0:44); Round 3 – Hinkle (Elgin Public/Pope John ) 2-1 won by fall over David Schild (Lyons-Decatur Northeast) 0-3 (Fall 0:55); Round 5 – Tavious Pinkelman (Hartington Cedar Catholic) 4-1 won by medical forfeit over Hinkle; Round 6 – Jaxson Mueller (Archbishop Bergan) 3-2 won by medical forfeit over Hinkle (M. For.). Hinkle’s record is 2-1.
132 — Round 1 – Grady Drueke (Elgin Public/Pope John ) won by decision over Ryker Koenig (Archbishop Bergan) 0-2 (Dec 4-0); Round 3 – Braxton Siebrandt (Wisner-Pilger) 6-0 won by fall over Drueke (Fall 1:06); Consolation Bracket – Jager Leichleiter (Tekamah-Herman) 4-1 won by fall over Drueke (Fall 2:21); 7th Place Match – Drueke won by tech fall over Anthony Ashcraft (Lyons-Decatur Northeast) 1-3 (TF-1.5 4:23 (16-1)). Drueke’s record is 2-2.
138 — Round 1 – Ethan Kester (Summerland) 5-2 won by fall over Isaac Hemenway (Elgin Public/Pope John ) (Fall 1:16); Round 2 – Easton Hochstein (Hartington Cedar Catholic) 5-0 won by fall over Hemenway (Fall 1:40); Round 3 – Hemenway won by major decision over Jeremiah Reimers (Wakefield) 2-3 (MD 11-2); Round 4 – Hemenway won by major decision over Gabe Liermann (Wisner-Pilger) 0-6 (MD 8-0); 5th Place Match – Brody Kleinschmit (Hartington Cedar Catholic) 2-2 won by fall over Hemenway (Fall 1:38). Hemenway’s record is now 2-3.
150 — Round 1 – Landyn Veik (Elgin Public/Pope John ) won by fall over Kade McWhorter (Wakefield) 0-3 (Fall 0:52); Round 2 – Veik won by fall over Wyatt Zessin (Madison) 1-2 (Fall 1:05); Round 3 – Isaac Ruwe (Tekamah-Herman) 5-0 won by fall over Veik (Fall 4:40); Round 5 – Veik won by fall over Hunter Kuchta (Hartington Cedar Catholic) 3-2 (Fall 4:31); Round 6 – Veik won by forfeit over Jack Barlow (Elgin Public/Pope John ) 2-3 (For.). Veik’s record is now 4-1.
150 — Round 1 – Jack Barlow (Elgin Public/Pope John ) won by fall over Evan Lauck (Wisner-Pilger) 1-4 (Fall 3:34); Round 2 – Ulises Avila Dominguez (Madison) 5-1 won by fall over Barlow (Fall 2:58); Round 3 – Barlow won by fall over Taitum Kramer (Oakland-Craig) 0-3 (Fall 0:36); Round 4 – Hunter Kuchta (Hartington Cedar Catholic) 3-2 won by fall over Barlow (Fall 1:43); Round 6 – Veik won by forfeit over Jack Barlow (Elgin Public/Pope John ) 2-3 (For.). Veik’s record is now 4-1.
190 — Round 1 – Dominick Richter (Oakland-Craig) 4-1 won by fall over Justice Blecher (Elgin Public/Pope John ) (Fall 1:58); Round 2 – Blecher won by fall over Kwyntin Kampa (Lyons-Decatur Northeast) 0-3 (Fall 1:03); Round 3 – Alton Wurdinger (Stanton) 3-2 won by fall over Blecher (Fall 1:36). Blecher’s record is now 1-2.
215 — Round 2 – Samuel Hemenway (Elgin Public/Pope John ) won by fall over Jacob Swick (Ponca) 2-2 (Fall 0:49); Round 4 – Hemenway won by fall over Dallas Martin (Wisner-Pilger) 2-4 (Fall 0:32); Round 5 – Hemenway won by fall over Cole Booth (Tekamah-Herman) 3-1 (Fall 3:10); 1st Place Match – Hemenway won by fall over Tristan Tobin (Tekamah-Herman) 4-1 (Fall 3:42).
Hemenway’s record is now 4-0.
Girls meet
Elsewhere at O’Neill, the Wolfpack’s two girl wrestlers saw their first competition of the season Saturday.
Libby Evans placed second in her weight class while teammate Dannyka Smidt recorded two pins. Evans opened the tournament with back-to-back pins, each in just over one minute.
Then, after a loss in the semi-finals, she came back with another pin to place second.
Smidt dropped her first match, then came back with a pair of pins to advance to the semi-final round where she dropped her final match of the day.
Individual results were:
G170 — Quarterfinal – Lesleigh Lovings (Ralston Girls) 3-2 won by fall over Dannyka Smidt (EPPJ) 2-2 (Fall 5:48); Cons. Round 2 – Smidt won by fall over Marlee Lloyd (Wilber-Clatonia Girls) 0-2 (Fall 1:47); Cons. Round 3 – Smidt won by fall over Brooke Carey (West Holt Girls) 1-2 (Fall 0:56; Cons. Semi – Fabiola Cortez Carcamo (Grand Island) 7-2 won by fall over Smidt (Fall 0:30).
Smidt’s record is now 2-2.
G190 — Round 1 – Libby Evans (EPPJ) won by fall over Lauren Ueding (Pierce Girls) 1-3 (Fall 1:04); Round 2 – Evans won by fall over Taylor Shelton (Blue River Girls) 1-3 (Fall 1:11); Round 3 – Paola Vergara (O`Neill Girls) 4-0 won by fall over Evans (Fall 2:47); Round 5 – Evans won by fall over Dezeray Baker (Ralston Girls) 1-3 (Fall 1:56).
Evans’ record is now 3-1.
