After a year of grit, try and hard work, our two senior Bobcats headed for Omaha last weekend. The state tournament was held at the CHI Health Center Feb. 19-21, and the South Loup scramblers hit the mats on Friday and Saturday, coming home with a record of 1-2 for Josiah Coleman and 0-2 for Paxton Bierman.

Coleman entered the ring first on Friday and was slotted in as the #7 seed for the Class D 120-pound weight class. He faced Ora Chaffin (Burwell) in championship round one, and both wrestlers struggled to get any shots in the first round. At the start of period two, Chaffin chose the bottom position, and after some maneuvering, Coleman was able to finally score some near-fall points. He garnered one more point due to a stalling penalty in the third to win the match by decision, 5-0.

Advancing to the quarterfinal on Saturday, Coleman challenged the #2 seed Brett Larson from Elm Creek. Larson went for the takedown straight away, managing to get Coleman to the mat early in the first period, and then gathered some near-fall points. Coleman fought off the pin to survive to round two. He chose the top position to start the round, but Larson quickly reversed their positions and pinned Coleman at 2:29.

With the loss, Coleman was sent to consolation round two against Dalton Dugan (Central Valley). Period one was a back-and-forth battle until Dugan finally succeeded in taking Coleman down with just 44 seconds left, and Coleman fought for position until the buzzer sounded. In the second, Dugan was quicker on the takedown and racked up four near-fall points against Coleman as well, ending the round ahead 10-0. He followed that up by a flurry of points in round three, where Dugan executed two escapes and two takedowns, though Coleman did nab two points for a reversal. Dugan won the match by technical fall (18-2) against Coleman in the final round, ending Coleman’s state run.

Elm Creek’s Brett Larson ended up taking the D120 championship, beating Easton Malleck (Amherst) by a 9-3 decision in the final.

Bierman came into the state tournament as the #16 seeded underdog in the Class D 175-pound bracket, and right away had to face the #1 seed, Cauy Meyer (Loomis). In championship round one, Meyer came out swinging – taking Bierman down and racking up some near-fall points right away. Bierman escaped once, but Meyer got him in a tough position with his next takedown and won the match by fall at 1:06.

Bierman’s next match was Saturday in the consolation rounds. He challenged Hunter Gall (Clarkson- Leigh) but got in trouble early. Gall went for a quick takedown and managed to pin Bierman at 0:45. With that loss, Bierman ended his state bouts and his high school wrestling career.

Griffin Bergen (Sutton) ended up the D175 champion, with a victory by fall at 3:34 over Loomis’ Cauy Meyer in the 1st place match.

Though both the boys’ wrestling careers have concluded, they have a lot to be proud of. They both have proven themselves to be invaluable leaders, both to their fellow teammates and off the mat, as well. Congratulations on finishing your senior wrestling season well, Josiah and Paxton, and the South Loup community will continue to be in your corner as you embark on the next stage of your journey!