Falcons Guaranteed Four Medals, Still In Team Title Hunt

After day one at the 2017 State Wrestling Tournament, Elkhorn Valley is sitting pretty in the team standings. 

They finished the day in fourth in the team standings thanks to great days by their four returning qualifiers.

At 113 pounds, Dillon Stewart saw little challenge on the day, topping Wade Wright of East Butler by tech fall and pinning Plainview's Jaden Sobotka. 

At 120 pounds, Alejandro Martinez pinned Justin Noel of Scribner-Snyder in the first round and then went on to take down Holden Schleve of Morrill in a 10-3 victory.

At 132, Darren Stewart spent a lot of time on the mat scoring points. He topped Dundy County-Stratton's Jesse Evans 17-1 to start the day. He then took down Archbishop Bergan's Jacob Johnson 23-12.

At 145, Josh McFarland stayed alive thanks to a couple of very close victories. Against Dylan Davis-Mack of Medicine Valley, McFarland came out on top 10-8. He then met Amherst's Trace Baasch and snuck out a 1-0 win.

Elkhorn Valley's three other wrestlers will spend Friday battling back in order to medal. 

At 138, Prestin Vondra fell to Brody Lewis of Franklin. At 160, Brock Schaecher fell 15-3 to Jusuts Monette of Mullen. At 182, Shawn Klinetobe was a pin victim to Scott Taylor of Medicine Valley.

On Friday evening, Dillon Stewart will meet Amherst's Salvador Aguirre, Martinez will meet Plainview's Dominique Rickard, Darren Stewart will face Cameron Riggs of North Platte St. Patricks and McFarland will see Jaydon Elge of Nebraska Christian.

In the morning, Vondra will face Kiffen Cook of Perkins County, Schaecher will meet Creighton's Brady Wortman and Klinetobe will see Jesus Felix of Alma.

The Falcons remain in the hunt for a team title, sitting in fourth place after the first two rounds. Amherst leads with 67 points and Burwell is second with 58. With 40 points, Plainview holds a four-point advantage over Elkhorn Valley but only advanced three wrestlers to the semifinals, compared to the Falcons’ four semifinalists. Both Amherst and Burwell have five wrestlers in the semifinal round. McFarland’s one-point win in the quarterfinals over Baasch of Amherst may prove to be a major factor in the race for a top-three finish.

2017 NSAA Championships Results for Elkhorn Valley
D113 - Dillon Stewart (38-1) placed 6th and scored 10.50 team points.
    Champ. Round 1 - Dillon Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 38-1 won by tech fall over Wade Wright (East Butler) 20-21 (TF-1.5 4:00 (18-1))
    Quarterfinal - Dillon Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 38-1 won by fall over Jaden Sobotka (Plainview) 20-19 (Fall 1:17)

D120 - Alejandro Martinez (34-2) placed 6th and scored 9.00 team points.
    Champ. Round 1 - Alejandro Martinez (Elkhorn Valley) 34-2 won by fall over Justin Noel (Scribner-Snyder) 17-11 (Fall 3:29)
    Quarterfinal - Alejandro Martinez (Elkhorn Valley) 34-2 won by decision over Holden Schleve (Morrill) 28-12 (Dec 10-3)

D132 - Darren Stewart (28-6) placed 6th and scored 9.50 team points.
    Champ. Round 1 - Darren Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 28-6 won by tech fall over Jesse Evans (Dundy County Stratton) 27-18 (TF-1.5 4:24 (17-1))
    Quarterfinal - Darren Stewart (Elkhorn Valley) 28-6 won by major decision over Jacob Johnson (Archbishop Bergan) 31-9 (MD 23-12)

D138 - Prestin Vondra (30-21) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.
    Champ. Round 1 - Brody Lewis (Franklin) 41-0 won by fall over Prestin Vondra (Elkhorn Valley) 30-21 (Fall 1:56)

D145 - Joshua McFarland (43-13) placed 6th and scored 7.00 team points.
    Champ. Round 1 - Joshua McFarland (Elkhorn Valley) 43-13 won by decision over Dylan Davis-Mack (Medicine Valley) 24-6 (Dec 10-8)
    Quarterfinal - Joshua McFarland (Elkhorn Valley) 43-13 won by decision over Trace Baasch (Amherst) 39-10 (Dec 1-0)

D160 - Brock Schaecher (26-18) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.
    Champ. Round 1 - Justus Monette (Mullen) 37-5 won by major decision over Brock Schaecher (Elkhorn Valley) 26-18 (MD 15-3)

D182 - Shawn Klinetobe (13-10) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.
    Champ. Round 1 - Scott Taylor (Medicine Valley) 37-7 won by fall over Shawn Klinetobe (Elkhorn Valley) 13-10 (Fall 4:57)