N-O Tournament To Feature Some Of State's Best

With the wrestling regular season slowing making its way toward the end, many wrestlers are looking towards the upcoming district tournaments with a state tournament bid still in their sights.

One of the final tune-ups for Antelope County wrestlers is the intense Neligh-Oakdale Tournament, scheduled for Saturday.

The tournament will feature 22 wrestling programs from all across Nebraska. Teams from as far as Franklin will converge on Neligh to prove themselves among the best in the state as the postseason draws near.

The Warriors will play host to the squads, led by coach Gary Davis. According to the latest rankings from NEWrestle, Neligh-Oakdale boasts two wrestlers ranked among the top five in their weight classes. Cameron Wilkinson sits at 21-1 on the season and sits at third in the 106 weight class. At 132 pounds, Andrew Herley comes in at fifth in class D with a 14-5 record.

Clearwater-Orchard is a young squad, led once again by coach Dan Roeber. They boast a returning state qualifier in Dominic Bolling. Bolling enters the meet at 13-8 at 170 pounds. Clay Thiele has been a pleasant surprise for the Cyclones as one of the better up-and-coming wrestlers in the area. He enters the meet with an 18-9 record at 182 pounds.

Elgin Public/Pope John will be led by Logan and Luke Henn. Logan is coming off a first place finish at the Knights Invite in Dunning. He showed no signs of struggle, pinning each of his opponents on his way to first place. Luke finished at fourth in the Knights Invite, pulling back from a first-round loss to win his next two before falling in the third-place match.

Elkhorn Valley enters as one of the top teams in the state, sitting at fourth in Class D. They boast four wrestlers among the top five in their respective classes. Leading the way is unbeaten Dillon Stewart. In the latest rankings, he sat at third in the 113-pound class. Alejandro Martinez, recently ranked as the top 120 pounder in Class D, just took his only loss of the year last week. Darren Stewart, twin brother of Dillon, enters with a 13-3 record, good for third at 132 pounds. Josh McFarland rounds out the ranked Elkhorn Valley grapplers, ranking fifth at 145 pounds with a 22-7 record.

Antelope County fans will be treated to some excellent wrestling from the incoming teams as well. Amherst is the top-ranked team in Class D according to NEWrestle. Creighton, Franklin and West Holt rank eighth, ninth and tenth, respectively. 

The Neligh-Oakdale Tournament will kick off Saturday, January 21 at 10 a.m. at  Neligh-Oakdale High School.