Nine members of the Elkhorn Valley Wrestling Club qualified for state after competing in the Nebraska USA Wrestling District 3 Tournament in O'Neill on March 2.
EV state qualifiers were Liam Nitz, Ryder Werner, Charlie Tegeler, Trigg Bennett, Abe Johnsen, Alexander Bailey, Mason Nitz, Nathan Werner, and Wyatt Nierodzik. They are all now eligible to compete in Grand Island at the State Tournament which is held on March 16 and 17 at the Heartland Event Center. There were a total of 32 teams with 455 wrestlers who competed at this particular tournament. In order to qualify for the state tournament, the wrestler needs to place in the top 4 in their weight class in grades 1st- 8th. For those in Preschool or Kindergarten the only requirement is that they compete at this meet. The Elkhorn Valley Wrestling Club qualified 64 percent of their members who chose to compete at the tournament for the state meet. Liam Nitz competed in the PreK-K division at 37-40 pounds and earned 2nd place. He defeated W. Wenske of Columbus by tech fall, he was then defeated by K. Ogden of Leprechaun Wrestling 2-4. In his final match of the day, Liam defeated A. Kumm of Niobrara/Verdigre with a quick 16 second pin. Ryder Werner also competed in the PreK-K division and he was competing at 43-45 pounds. Ryder was defeated by J. Corkle of Leprechaun Wrestling with a pin. Next up, Ryder fell just short in overtime with his match against Z. Kromarek of Plainview. Ryder was then defeated by R. Sailer of Crofton-Bloomfield and Ryder earned 4th place. Trigg Bennett competed in the 1st-2nd grade division at 50 pounds with 9 boys in his bracket. Trigg had a bye the first round and then defeated L. Pommer from League of Heroes 13-7 and K. Killham from Lakeview 16-6. Trigg was then defeated by C. Hoefer from Neligh-Oakdale and received 2nd place. Charlie Tegeler competed in the 1st-2nd grade division at 56 pounds with 17 boys trying for a spot in the top 4. Charlie had a bye the first round and then defeated B. Garfield of Central City 9-6. Charlie was then defeated by C. Jenny of Columbus 3-11. Charlie got right back to work with back to back pins defeating B. Miller of Twin River in 27 seconds followed by B. Stec of Valentine in just 53 seconds. He then defeated N. Otjen of Battle Creek 9-3 and B. Galyen of West Holt 8-2 in order to earn a 3rd place medal. Alexander (A.J.) Bailey was EV's last wrestler to qualify in the 1st-2nd grade division. A.J. was competing at 62 pounds along with 10 other wrestlers. He won his first match defeating C. Braun of Columbus 12-2. A.J. then suffered a loss to C. Sanchez of Lakeview in a low scoring match 2-4. A.J. then had a bye followed by two third period pins defeating K. Ogden of Leprechaun Wrestling and C. Kleinschmit from League of Heroes. A.J. found himself in the match for 3rd or 4th place facing the opponent that sent him to the loser side of the bracket earlier in the morning. A.J. worked hard, but unfortunately came up short against C. Sanchez of Lakeview 0-4 and he received 4th place. In the 3rd-4th grade division, Abe Johnsen competed at 60 pounds in a full 16 man bracket. Abe recorded pins in his first two matches of the day defeating E. Salak of Columbus and M. Hemmingsen of Boone Central. Abe was then defeated by A. Nelson of Crofton-Bloomfield 0-9. Abe would then face an opponent that he had pinned earlier in the morning. Abe had to work a lot harder this go around as the kid did not want to lose to Abe twice. Abe’s hard work and never give up attitude shined through as he defeated E. Salak of Columbus 10-7. Abe then defeated T. Blakeman of Neligh-Oakdale with a second period pin and earned himself a 3rd place medal. In the 5th-6th grade division, Mason Nitz competed at 90 pounds. Mason started the morning off by pinning J. Condon of Crofton-Bloomfield. Mason was then defeated by J. Delano of Columbus and M. Furst of Norfolk. Mason then lost in a close match to B. Hochstein from League of Heroes 2-3. Mason received 4th place. Nathan Werner competed in the 5th-6th grade division at 112 pounds. Nathan pinned his first opponent C. Hoffman from St. Mary’s in a quick 28 seconds. Nathan was then defeated by C. Braun from Columbus. Nathan then came back on fire defeating J. Hanvey from Creighton 11-2, B. Battershaw and T. Taylor both from Valentine and both by pin. Nathan then lost to C. Braun from Columbus, his same loss earlier in the day and received 4th place. EV's final qualifier of the day was Wyatt Nierodzik who was competing in the 5th-6th grade division at 120 pounds. Wyatt had a bye the first round and then defeated W. Stieb of Loup City by pin and B. Thompson from Battle Creek 11-0. In his final match of the day, Wyatt wasted no time tech falling B. Kunz of Central City and he received our lone gold medal on the day. Several star athletes ended the 2018-19 season with a bang to help their respective teams finish strong.
With plenty of talent in the county, it is no wonder so many athletes ended up on the all-area team. With the help of coaches and staff, we narrowed down the field to 15 girls and boys basketball players that stood above the rest all year long. The state qualifiers for wrestling automatically earned a spot on the list. Congratulations to all the honorees on both the All-Area teams and the honorable mention list. Your hard work did not go unnoticed. Wrestling Eighteen Antelope County grapplers earned a spot at the state wrestling tournament after placing in the top four at districts. Josh McFarland, Sr., Elkhorn Valley: McFarland made his fourth trip to Omaha and brought back a runner-up finish. McFarland finished his career with more than 150 wins, a fourth-place finish, a runner-up title and a state championship. Christian Yaw, Sr., Elkhorn Valley: Yaw ended his career with a bang for Big Green. The senior heavyweight made the most out of his first, and only trip, to state, by placing fourth. Brock Schaecher, Sr., Elkhorn Valley: In Schaecher’s final year with EV, the senior wrapped up his career with a fifth-place finish at the state meet and surpassed 100 career wins. Prestin Vondra, Sr., Elkhorn Valley: After missing out on the state tournament last year, Vondra made it his mission to return to Omaha. Vondra qualified for the state meet for the second time in his career and ended his career with more than 100 victories. Mitchell Petersen, Sr., Elkhorn Valley: Petersen had a breakout year for the Falcons in his final season. The senior qualified for state for the first time in his career and picked up more than 100 career wins. Hunter Bennett, So., Elkhorn Valley: In Bennett’s second trip to Omaha, the sophomore 106 pounder brought back some hardware with a fifth-place finish. Adam Miller, So., Elkhorn Valley: Miller had a stellar sophomore year for the Falcons, earning his second-straight qualification for the state tournament after placing third at districts. Cameron Wilkinson, Sr., Neligh-Oakdale: Wilkinson ended his spectacular career with his best finish at the state tournament. Competing at the state meet for the fourth, and final time, the senior Warrior placed second at 113 pounds. Wilkinson earned two medals from the state tournament, to go along with his more than 150 career wins. Andrew Herley, Sr., Neligh-Oakdale: Herley wrapped his career with a bang after placing second at the state tournament. Herley finished his career with more than 150 wins and two runner-up finishes. Jayden Arehart, Sr., Neligh-Oakdale: Arehart saved his best for last in his final season. In Arehart’s first trip to the state tournament, the senior picked up two wins on the big stage at the state tournament. Arehart wrapped up his career with more than 100 victories. Kaleb Pofahl, Jr., Neligh-Oakdale: Pofahl returned to Omaha this past February for the second-straight year. Pofahl hopes to add a medal at next year’s state tournament and continue to pile up wins. Brock Kester, So., Neligh-Oakdale: For the second-straight season, Kester brought back a fifth-place finish at the state meet. Dawson Kaup, So., Neligh-Oakdale: Kaup got a taste of what it is like to wrestle on the big stage, after qualifying for his first state tournament this past season. Colton Klabenes, So., Neligh-Oakdale: Klabenes earned his first trip to state, after placing third at 220 pounds at the district tournament. Clay Thiele, Sr., Clearwater/Orchard: The third time was a charm for Thiele. After leaving Omaha empty handed his sophomore and juniors season, the senior Cyclone ended his career with a runner-up finish at 195 pounds. Thiele also became only the second OC wrestler to record 100 careers wins. Donaven Nolze, Sr., Clearwater/Orchard: Nolze wrapped up his OC wrestling career with a medal at the state tournament. In Nolze’s second trip to state, the 220 pounder scored three victories on his way to a fifth-place finish. Codey Snider, Sr., Clearwater/Orchard: Snider concluded his grappling career at the state tournament this past season. Snider earned his first trip to Lincoln with a top-four finish at the district tournament, and picked up a win in Omaha. Tommie Peed, Sr., Clearwater/Orchard: Peed earned his second consecutive trip to the state tournament after placing fourth at districts. Needing a win to qualify for state in the heartbreak round, Peed scored a close victory, which also ended up being the Cyclone heavyweight’s 100th career win. Girls Basketball On the top 15 list for girls basketball, Antelope County placed six standouts on the team for 2018-19. Hannah Ollendick, Sr., Elkhorn Valley: One of the most prolific scorers in Elkhorn Valley history, Ollendick helped the Lady Falcons end their seven-year state tournament drought. Ollendick averaged 15 points and seven rebounds per game. The senior Lady Falcon earned a spot on the Class D1 all-tournament team and finished her career as the all-time leading scorer in EV history, with 1,455 points. Amber Miller, Sr., Elkhorn Valley: Miller was the defensive mastermind on the hardwood for the Lady Falcons this season. Miller recorded 106 steals this season to lead the squad, while averaging 11 points and four boards per contest. Sierra Rystrom, Sr., Elkhorn Valley: Rystrom’s senior season was one of her strongest and it showed as the Lady Falcons soared this year. The senior post player averaged nine points and six rebounds per game. Allyson Wemhoff, Sr., Elgin Public/Pope John: Wemhoff was crucial in the Lady Wolfpack’s success in the 2018-19 campaign. Wemhoff averaged 12.5 points, five rebounds, four assists and five steals per game. The senior guard ended her career with more than 1,000 career points. Katie Stearns, Sr., Clearwater/Orchard: Stearns recorded one of the greatest seasons in Lady Cyclone hoops history. The senior broke the school record for points in a season, rebounds in a game and rebounds in a season. Paige Furstenau, So., Neligh-Oakdale: In just her second season of high school basketball, Furstenau took a big step as one of the top shooters in the area. Furstenau led the team in points averaging 13.6, while also averaging just under six rebounds, two assists and two steals per game. Boys Basketball The 2018-19 basketball season was another amazing year for Antelope County. Eight area cagers were placed on the all-area team after stellar performances on the hardwood. Blake Hoke, Sr., Clearwater/Orchard: One of the most dangerous scorers in the area, Hoke showed off his offensive fire power, time and time again. The senior did it all for OC, averaging almost 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block per game. Ryan Wilhelm, Sr., Clearwater/Orchard: A double-double machine, Wilhelm had a huge year for the Cyclones this past season. The senior post player accounted for 10 double-doubles this past season, and recorded 13.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game this past season. Jacob Long, Sr., Clearwater/Orchard: Long had another stellar season for the green and black this past year. Long accounted for 12 points, seven rebounds, an assist and two steals per outing. Long had his biggest game in the Cyclone Holiday Tournament, recording a double-double with 27 points and 20 rebounds. Kyle Schumacher, Sr., Elgin Public/Pope John: A proven leader for EPPJ, Schumacher had a strong offensive year for the Wolfpack. Schumacher recorded 13 points, five rebounds and three assists per game this past season. Cole Belitz, Sr., Neligh-Oakdale: A floor general for the Warriors this season, Belitz had his best offensive year this past year. The senior guard led the team in points per game (14.3), assists per game (4.6) and steals per game (2.5). It was Belitz’s stellar play that helped lead N-O to a NVC tournament championship. Austin Rice, Sr., Neligh-Oakdale: The versatile Rice ended his spectacular career for the Warriors. Rice did it all for N-O, averaging 12 points, seven boards, two assists, one steal and one block per game. Isiac Kurpgeweit, Sr., Neligh-Oakdale: The man in the middle, Kurpgeweit was a force down in the paint. The senior big man led the squad with 10 rebounds and two blocks per game. Kurpgeweit also added just under 10 points per contest. Braedyn Ollendick, So., Elkhorn Valley: Ollendick was Elkhorn Valley’s ‘Mr. Everything,’ in just his second season of varsity basketball. The sophomore led the team in every statistical category, with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals per game. Complete All-Area Lists The full all-area list, including athletes from Antelope and Knox counties, is below. Wrestling Josh McFarland, Sr., Elkhorn Valley Christian Yaw, Sr., Elkhorn Valley Brock Schaecher, Sr., Elkhorn Valley Prestin Vondra, Sr., Elkhorn Valley Mitchell Petersen, Sr., Elkhorn Valley Hunter Bennett, So., Elkhorn Valley Adam Miller, So., Elkhorn Valley Andrew Herley, Sr., Neligh-Oakdale Cameron Wilkinson, Sr., Neligh-Oakdale Jayden Arehart, Sr., Neligh-Oakdale Kaleb Pofahl, Jr., Neligh-Oakdale Brock Kester, So., Neligh-Oakdale Dawson Kaup, So., Neligh-Oakdale Colton Klabenes, So., Neligh-Oakdale Clay Thiele, Sr., Clearwater/Orchard Donaven Nolze, Sr., Clearwater/Orchard Codey Snider, Sr., Clearwater/Orchard Tommie Peed, Sr., Clearwater/Orchard Bryce Zimmerer, Sr., Creighton Cody Hanvey, Jr., Creighton Girls Basketball Amber Miller, Sr., Elkhorn Valley Hannah Ollendick, Sr., Elkhorn Valley Sierra Rystrom, Sr., Elkhorn Valley Allyson Wemhoff, Sr., EPPJ Paige Furstenau, So., Neligh-Oakdale Katie Stearns, Sr., Clearwater/Orchard Josie Sanger, Sr., Crofton Alexis Arens, Jr., Crofton Kaley Einrem, So., Crofton Lacey Sprakel, So., Crofton Morgan Kleinschmit, So., Wausa Ashtyn Fritz, Sr., Creighton Maycee Zimmerer, Fr., Creighton Chaney Konopasek, Fr., Niobrara/Verdigre Hannah Sheridan, Jr., Santee Boys Basketball Blake Hoke, Sr., Clearwater/Orchard Ryan Wilhelm, Sr., Clearwater/Orchard Jacob Long, Sr., Clearwater/Orchard Cole Belitz, Sr., Neligh-Oakdale Austin Rice, Sr., Neligh-Oakdale Isiac Kurpgeweit, Sr., Neligh-Oakdale Braedyn Ollendick, So., Elkhorn Valley Kyle Schumacher, Sr., EPPJ Tyson Kaiser, Sr., Wausa Drew Munter, Sr., Wausa Romeo White, Fr., Santee Connor Dahl, Sr., Crofton Camden Eisenhauer, Jr., Niobrara/Verdigre Braden Eisenhauer, Jr., Bloomfield Conner Hammer, Jr., Creighton Honorable Mention, girls basketball EPPJ - Grace Rittscher, Kirsten Krebs, Kayce Kallhoff Elkhorn Valley - Olivia Nall N-O - Trinity Kurpgeweit Crofton - Danielle Steffen, Aubree Potts, Ryah Ostermeyer, Alexis Folkers Bloomfield - Michaela Johnson, Alexandra Eisenhauer Wausa - Paige Nissen, Clara Schindler N/V - Megan Cook Creighton - Jessica Stevens Honorable Mention, boys basketball OC - Chris Kester, Gage Clifton EPPJ - Conor Ramold Elkhorn Valley - Julio Sierra, Brandon Evans, Carter Rautenberg Creighton - Brayden Zimmerer, Clay Curtis, Carson Lilly Bloomfield - Trenton Holz Wausa - Ghatlin Hegge, Ethan Baue N/V - Ken Justo, Rane Vesely Crofton - Brad Tomasek Santee - Yamni Archambeau, Antonio Hoffman, Michael Hoffman With the winter season officially over, several top athletes will begin collecting hardware for their stellar play from this past season.
Four Elgin Public/Pope John athletes earned all-Niobrara Valley Conference accolades. Senior Allyson Wemhoff was selected to the first team for girls basketball, while Kirsten Krebs earned a spot on the honorable mentions team. For boys basketball, senior Kyle Schumacher was named to the second team and junior Conor Ramold was picked for the honorable mention squad. With the winter season officially over, several top athletes will begin collecting hardware for their stellar play from this past season.
Eleven Neligh-Oakdale athletes earned all-Niobrara Valley Conference accolades. For wrestling, Andrew Herley (132), Cameron Wilkinson (113) and Kaleb Pofahl (170) were named to the first team, while Brock Kester (120), Cade Wilkinson (145) Jayden Arehart (170) and Dawson Kaup (195) earned a spot on the second team. After winning the NVC tournament title, three Warrior cagers were recognized for their play. Seniors Cole Belitz and Austin Rice earned first team recognition, while senior Isiac Kurpgeweit was named to the second team. Paige Furstenau was selected to the honorable mention team for girls basketball. With the winter season officially over, several top athletes will begin collecting hardware for their stellar play from this past season.
Ten Clearwater/Orchard athletes earned all-Niobrara Valley Conference accolades. For wrestling, Clay Thiele (195) and Donaven Nolze (220) were named to the first team, while Codey Snider (182), Houston Marino (152) and Eli Thiele (126) earned a spot on the second team. Seniors Blake Hoke and Ryan Wilhelm were named to the boys basketball first team. Senior Jacob Long was selected to the second team and senior Chris Kester earned a spot on the honorable mention team. Katie Stearns was recognized for her nice season with a second-team selection. With the winter season officially over, several top athletes will begin collecting hardware for their stellar play from this past season.
Twelve Elkhorn Valley athletes earned all-Niobrara Valley Conference accolades. For wrestling, Hunter Bennett (106), Adam Miller (120), Prestin Vondra (145), Josh McFarland (160), Brock Schaecher (182) and Christian Yaw (285) were named to the first team. After a fourth-place finish at the state tournament, the EV girls basketball team landed four on the all-NVC team. Seniors Hannah Ollendick and Amber Miller were selected to the first team, Sierra Rystrom was named to the second team and Olivia Nall earned honorable mention honors. Braedyn Ollendick was recognized for his nice season with a first-team selection. Freshman Carter Rautenberg was named honorable mention. Neligh-Oakdale's youth wrestling club had a successful district meet on Saturday, qualifying 14 wrestlers for the state meet.
District champions were Cason Hoefer, Stacy Snodgrass, Corbin Hoefer, Levi Drueke and Aiden Kuester. Those finishing as runner up were Breckin Kight and Tanner Martensen. Third place finishers were Skylar Thomas, Macoy Martensen, Bennet Flenniken, Andrew Henery and Jaxson Kline. Rounding out the qualifiers were fourth place medalists Brody Peterson and Tyson Blakeman. The wrestlers will advance to compete at state in Grand Island. The program is led by Coach Trent Hoefer with assistance from Heath Snodgrass, Jeremy Martensen, Ben Zegers and Matt Henery. The Elkhorn Valley girls basketball team's phenomenal season and tournament run came to an end Saturday, in a 53-45 loss to Pleasanton in the Class D1 state tournament third-place game Saturday at Lincoln Southeast High School.
“The accomplishments are numerous,” stated EV coach Brendan Dittmer. “I treat every team and every season differently. It’s a new group and this year was one of those teams I’m going to always remember. I have very fond memories of them, and not just one or two. They had an outstanding year and they can look back on their body of work and feel proud. It’s going to end with a banner in the new gym and another trophy in the trophy case that they can come back and look at forever.” The Lady Falcons were off and running to open the game, going on an 8-1 run in the first three minutes of play, and led 13-6 following the first quarter. Despite several big shots by the Lady Bulldogs in the second, EV answered each time and took a 26-18 lead into the break. Pleasanton came storming back out of the locker room, using a 17-9 run in the third to knot the game at 35 heading into the final stanza. The Lady Bulldogs completed their comeback in the fourth, outscoring EV, 18-10, to claim third place in Class D1. “I’m awfully proud, but the fact so many people from the community came out to support them; that’s a testament to them,” Dittmer noted. “This was outstanding to see this many people come out, cheer, be loud and the environment was outstanding for a high school gym in a third and fourth-place game. Our community really rallied around these girls and I told them you did that.” Senior Amber Miller paced the Lady Falcons with 15 points. Senior Hannah Ollendick contributed 14 points, junior Olivia Nall netted 11 points and senior Sierra Rystrom added 5 points. Elkhorn Valley ends its season with a 24-6 record. The Lady Falcons claimed a third-place finish at the Niobrara Valley Conference tournament, won a district title, made their first appearance at the state tournament since 2012 and finished fourth in Class D1. Dittmer credits his three seniors, Sierra Rystrom, Amber Miller and Hannah Ollendick, for big green’s resurgences this season. “The seniors meant an awful lot,” Dittmer concluded. “We had a really good run from 2004-12, and then we took a back seat to the rest of the state for a while. I asked Sierra, Amber and Hannah, when they were freshmen, to put us back on the map. They did that and they battled. They were awfully close two years ago to come down here, and then they got down here their senior year. They didn’t just get down here, they got to the final day with a chance to win their last game. That’s special. Our junior high, freshmen and elementary girls that were down here saw that. Our juniors are going to be leaders next year because of these seniors.” The Lady Falcons went to battle in the state semifinal, but came up just short at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Friday morning.
A hot-shooting Archbishop Bergan team topped Elkhorn Valley, 51-45. The Lady Falcons will now play for third place against #2 Pleasanton at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Lincoln Southeast. The Knights jumped out to a 21-11 first quarter lead and hit five three pointers in the first half to maintain a 10-point advantage at the break. “Credit to Bergan, they are a heck of a shooting team and they proved it today,” EV coach Brendan Dittmer said. Sierra Rystrom put the first point on the board for the Lady Falcons, going 1-2 at the line early in the first. Carney Black scored on a layup, Hannah Ollendick nailed a triple and Olivia Nall went 1-2 to trail by just two with 3 minutes left in the first. After a 7-0 Bergan run, Black answered with a putback, but another 7-0 run put the Knights up by 12. An Ollendick bucket cut the lead to 10. The Lady Falcons went on a run of their own to start the second, scoring on a Nall jumper and two Ollendick field goals to trail by just four, 21-17. However, the Knights found a way to score 9 unanswered points to stretch their lead once again. A triple by Amber Miller and jumpers by Rystrom and Bria Gale kept EV within 10 at the half, 34-24. Back-and-forth scoring by both teams didn’t allow the Lady Falcons to gain any ground in the third. Miller went 2-2 at the line, Black drove in for two and Nall scored on a layup and a triple to finish the third down by 11, 44-33. Rystrom hit a hot streak near the end of the final quarter, draining a jumper and three treys to pull within 7, which may have caused the Bergan coach to question his decision to sub out his starters. “It was weird that he subbed near the end. It was too close of a game, I wouldn’t have done it,” Dittmer said. “I told the girls, ‘Look at what they’ve done. You go out and fight and do the same things you would’ve done no matter what the situation.’” Rystrom said she was able to find more open looks as the defenders sagged off. And her shots were falling, which built up her confidence. “They just kept going in, so I kept shooting,” she said. Rystrom drained her final triple with less than 20 seconds left. “They made a run at it, they just kind of ran out of time,” Dittmer said. He said it was good to see Rystrom get some three point shots off. “She’s really been suffocated the last three weeks of the season where people are just mindful of her and she couldn’t get an open look,” Dittmer said. “It was good to see her step up and hit some. She’ll always remember that.” Nall was fouled right before the buzzer and hit the back end of her 1-1, closing the gap at six to end the game. Rystrom paced the Lady Falcons with 14, followed by Nall and Ollendick with 9 apiece, Black 6, Miller 5 and Gale 2. Dittmer said he liked the way his team fought until the very end. “They want to play as hard as they possibly can for me and that’s all I’ve ever asked of them,” he said. “I’m appreciative of the effort that they put out there on the floor.” The coach just asks that they keep that fight alive on Saturday. “I told them in the locker room, ‘I have to have it again. I have to have your mettle back, your fortitude because you know tomorrow is another day. You’re going to feel sorry about this one, but there are still third place medals that you can go out and win.’” She just needed seven, but she netted 17.
Senior Amber Miller hit a milestone of 1,000 career points during Elkhorn Valley's first-round win at the D1 state basketball tournament in Lincoln on Thursday morning. Trailing top-seeded North Platte St. Patrick's late in the third quarter, Miller split the defenders and drove into the paint for a layup. The bucket gave her career points' number 1,000 and 1,001. She finished the contest with 17 points for the Lady Falcons. She had no idea she had reached a personal milestone. Miller was just trying to win the game. "I didn’t even know I was close," she said with a laugh after the victory. Miller headed into the state tournament with 993 career points. She is averaging 11.1 points per game this season. "I knew she was only seven away, but I didn’t want to tell her," EV Coach Brendan Dittmer said, smiling. Miller said she was just focused on getting the win to keep her high school basketball career alive. Thursday's win advanced the 24-4 Lady Falcons to the D1 semifinals against 17-8 Archbishop Bergan. Tip off is set for 9 a.m. Friday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. "It’s still shocking to be with my team," she said. "It’s just crazy." The fans were in a loud frenzy. Players on the bench sprung to their feet.
Only one person remained calm as the Lady Falcons put together a huge comeback after trailing by 13 in the final quarter of the D1 state basketball tournament on Thursday morning—their coach. “I think that was honestly the calmest I had been the whole game,” Elkhorn Valley Coach Brendan Dittmer said. “I think the first quarter, second quarter and third quarter I was kind of a little too crazed. In the fourth quarter, I just calmly enjoyed the basketball game. It was just fun to watch them play.” Facing their largest deficit of the game, #8 Elkhorn Valley battled back in the fourth quarter to knock off #1 North Platte St. Patrick’s in a thrilling finish, 55-54. They advance to play #4 Archbishop Bergan in the semifinals at 9 a.m. Friday in the Bob Devaney Sports Center. “We just wanted to show everyone that substate is real,” EV senior Amber Miller said. “These are the best eight teams down here. We wanted to prove that, just because we got the eighth seed, doesn’t mean that we’re out of this tournament.” Their first round game got off to a rough start Thursday as the teams battled nerves and the turnover bug. After a few minutes, Miller drew a foul and hit a free throw to trail St. Pat’s 2-1. Sierra Rystrom followed it up with a triple to give EV its first lead, 4-2. A free throw apiece from Miller and Olivia Nall extended their lead, 6-2, midway through the quarter. Two freebies from Miller and two Hannah Ollendick buckets and a free throw propelled the Lady Falcons to a 13-11 first quarter lead. Ollendick started out the second with a steal and a pass to Carney Black for two, extending their lead, 15-11. Then the Lady Irish began to force some turnovers and went on an 11-0 run to regain the lead. Nall drained three free throws and Miller drove in for a layup to trail 28-20 at the break. After a 5-0 run by NPSP, Ollendick connected on a trey to cut it down to a 10-point game. The rest of the game was see-saw scoring with the Lady Falcons answering on a Bria Gale layup, Kaylee Bacon putback and Miller’s layup, free throw and jumper. EV was down 44-33 heading into the final quarter. Early in the fourth, the Lady Irish took their biggest lead of the game, 46-33. “I told the girls going into the fourth quarter when we were down 13, ‘You’ve got the chance to write a pretty good story here— to overcome this kind of a deficit in the fourth quarter,” Dittmer said. “Just make it happen.’ And they did.” In the final minutes, it was time to put their practice to the test. “We’ve practiced this moment a lot this whole year, so that way when they get in this situation, it’s routine for them,” he said. Miller said her team just went back to their “normal defense and press” in the fourth quarter. “When it started coming together, we all looked at each other and just said, ‘This game is ours’ and we just went for it,” she said. Bacon put in a bunny to get the rally started for the Lady Falcons. Back-to-back jumpers by Ollendick and Rystrom cut the deficit to seven with 6:35 to play. Miller netted a triple, Ollendick scored on a putback and Black added a bucket to close the gap, 53-47. Ollendick hit a bunny and a trey to pull within two, 54-52. Miller drew a foul and went 2-2 at the line to knot it up, 54-all with about 40 seconds left in the game. Missed free throws by St. Pat’s on the other end gave the Lady Falcons the opening they needed. Ollendick pulled down the rebound with 7 seconds on the clock and drove down the court. She drew a foul and headed to the free throw line with just 1.8 seconds left. Ollendick made the front end of a 1-1 to lead 55-54 and a NPSP heave from the back court missed its mark as the buzzer sounded. Dittmer said that final Ollendick free throw “was huge.” “Going up to the line, I was really nervous,” Ollendick said. “I was like, ‘We can either win this or go into overtime.’ I was glad I made the first.” Ollendick led the Lady Falcons with 19 points, followed by Miller with 17, Rystrom 5, Bacon, Nall and Black 4 apiece and Gale 2. “I’m super proud of the girls,” Dittmer said. “It was just a test of our mettle and I think we passed. It was just a matter of making plays down the stretch. I can’t take hardly any credit for what they do because it was just the seniors who didn’t want to play their last game. Carney Black came in and played some really good defense in the middle for us in the 1-3-1 and everyone else was just making plays. It was really fun basketball to watch.” He said this first round win means a lot to his team, especially his seniors. “It means we get to keep playing,” Dittmer said. “I have seniors I don’t want to let go of yet. We get two more games with them and I’m just glad beyond belief.” The state tournament drought for the Elkhorn Valley girls basketball team was dramatically ended last Friday night when the Lady Falcons defeated Lawrence/Nelson, 49-41, to claim the District D1-7 championship.
“It’s very exciting for us,” stated EV senior Hannah Ollendick. “We’ve been working for it since freshman year. It’s always been a dream of ours to make it down there. This year is was good to finally make it down there. It was the help from our underclassmen, who helped push us and get us there. They make us better. It’s good to have a team that has numbers so we can do more competitive stuff. We’re excited.” The Lady Falcons make their first trip to Lincoln for the state basketball tournament since 2012, when EV rattled off six-straight appearance, including a state championship in 2010. The current seniors were in elementary school when the Big Green captured the state crown, and student managers during Elkhorn Valley’s last state tournament run in 2012. “They all have been there,” spoke EV girls basketball coach Brendan Dittmer. “. I remember taking a picture with Amber (Miller) and she’s a little tyke after the 2010 state championship game. She was dressed up and had her face painted. I still have that picture and look at it. It’s pretty special to then have Amber and Hannah as student managers in junior high when they made it (to state). They went from seeing it behind the scenes and doing the dirty work, to now as seniors being able to be a leader on the team.” Following their last state appearance, the Lady Falcons won just two games in the next three seasons combined. In this year’s current seniors’ rookie season, Elkhorn Valley jumped its win total to 11 in 2015-16. The wins continued to pile up each year, as EV won 16 games the following year, and 17 games last season. In the seniors’ final season in the green and white, Elkhorn Valley is 23-4, its most wins since 2011-12. “The other night after the game (the district championship), coach (Sarah) Black gave me a hug and said it was great to be the team that brought Elkhorn Valley basketball back,” EV senior Amber Miller recalled. “We went through a few years where we didn’t really have the numbers or the girls to get those teams down to state. To say we’re the team that could bring that state championship home would be really cool.” The Elkhorn Valley head coach associates the Lady Falcon hoops’ turnaround to the play of the seniors - Sierra Rystrom, Miller and Ollendick. “They are a special group,” Dittmer said. “I’ve known them since they were third and fourth graders and I knew they were going to have quite a bit of talent. They enjoy playing the game and playing with each other. They have played together for quite some time and it has been fun to see them grow and develop as people, and basketball players.” The three seniors have been a successful group ever since they started playing together in the third grade. The only thing that has grown more than their success is their friendship. “We’ve never had a big number of girls in our class,” Miller noted. “The three of us stuck with it and we really pushed each other to be better teammates. It made us come a lot closer together as a team.” Although they all bring their own personalities and different assets to the team, they all share the same love of the game and for each other. “I’m the fun one,” Ollendick remarked. “Amber is the talkative one and Sierra is the quiet one. But she does tell people what to do sometimes.” Rystrom interrupted “Well when we need to get stuff done you have to do it.” Miller added, “Before we weren’t very talkative, but this year with us being seniors and captains, we have been pretty talkative on the court.” This is not the seniors first trip to Lincoln. In 2017, the Elkhorn Valley volleyball team qualified for the state tournament after winning the district title. All three seniors also play sports throughout the school year, which they also associate with their successful athletic careers. “It brings us together really well,” Rystrom commented. ”We see each other on a daily basis, hang out with each other and going to places all helps bring us together. It makes us better as a team and better as an individual.” Despite this being their final year at Elkhorn Valley, the seniors hope their legacy careers on with the success of the teams to come. “Being seniors with a lot of freshmen on the team, has made us really good role models for them,” Rystrom continued. “As they get older, they know the expectations they have to do and fill. They will show all the younger girls that are looking up to them what EV basketball really is.” Elkhorn Valley takes on No. 1 seed North Platte St. Patrick’s at 9:30 a.m. at Lincoln North Star High School Thursday. “We going in Thursday morning with the No. 1 seed, but that doesn’t really mean anything,” Ollendick concluded. “All teams going down to state are about equal. We have a good chance to win and go all the way to Saturday.” A 2016 Neligh-Oakdale graduate has qualified for the NCAA Division II 2019 Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Dylan Kaup of Neligh, a junior at Wayne State College, became one of the top athletes in the weight throw when he hit a mark of 64 feet, 3.25 inches (19.5 meters) at the conference meet in Mankato on Feb. 22. His toss has officially qualified him for nationals as one of the top 15 throwers in the country. Kaup placed second in the conference meet and earned All-NSIC honors. Kaup and WSC teammate Cade Kalkowski of Niobrara will both compete in the weight throw at nationals next week. The NCAA Division II indoor championships will be held in Pittsburg, Kans., March 8-9. The weight throw is set to begin at 4:55 p.m. on Friday. The Elkhorn Valley girls basketball team is making its first trip to Lincoln since 2012 after winning the district title on Friday.
The Lady Falcons (23-4) take on No. 1 seed North Platte St. Patrick’s (24-1) Thursday at 9 a.m at Lincoln North Star High School. The winner faces the victor of Humphrey/ Lindsay Holy Family and Archbishop Bergan Friday at 9 a.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Full brackets are available at https://nsaahome.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Girls-State-Championship-Brackets-2019.pdf The Elkhorn Valley girls basketball team is Lincoln-bound for the first time since 2012, after defeating Lawrence/Nelson, 49-41, Friday to win the Class D1-7 district championship at Central City.
“We knew coming into the game we were going to have to play our best and defense was going to be key, then our offense would come,” EV senior Hannah Ollendick said. “I think that happened tonight. We had good defense and we all shot well. It was a good win for us and we’re all excited about going down to state.” It was all the Lady Falcons in the first eight minutes of play, as EV led 20-6 after the first quarter. The Big Green took advantage of the Lady Raiders miscues, turning nine L/N turnovers into 12 points. “It was pretty big for us,” commented EV senior Amber Miller on gaining the early momentum. “We talked about it before the game with coach (Brendan Dittmer) that we need to come out strong and give it our all. This has been a goal for a while. We said we were going to press them, see how much we can do and keep going. We have so many fans and supporters, and once we got some buckets they started going crazy. That was probably the most fun part.” The Lady Raiders made their run in the second, cutting the deficit to 11 at the break. Defense reigned in the third quarter, as both teams scored 6 points each and combined for eight turnovers in the third. The Lady Raiders made their move in the fourth with a 10-3 run to cut EV’s lead to 4 with under two minutes to play. “In the fourth quarter, when they came back, you get nervous,” EV junior Olivia Nall said. “But you just keep your composure and you get to the huddles where everyone is patting each other on the back, and they’re saying, ‘You got this and you can do this.’ When it came down to the last minute, we got a boost of confidence that we were going to win this game.” Leading 42-37 with 1:24 remaining in the contest, freshman Carney Black stepped up to the free throw line for two crucial free throws. The Lady Falcons rookie calmly drained both freebies, as EV ended the contest on an 8-4 run to punch its ticket to Lincoln. “Coach Dittmer always tells us to just think dribble, dribble, swish; or whatever routine we do and that’s what I did,” Black recalled of her free throw shots. “I thought I had to clear my mind, think about nothing and leave everybody out off it. That’s what I gotta do and I made both of them.” Ollendick had a big part in fending off the Lady Raider rally. The senior Lady Falcon netted 10 of EV’s 19 second-half points. “If I score in the first half a little bit, I get going in the second half,” Ollendick remarked. “I just have to keep my confidence and it will come.” The defense was huge in the win, as the Lady Falcons turned 21 L/N turnovers into 18 points. “Our defense and press really made them work,” EV senior Sierra Rystrom noted. “They had to figure out what to do and they had a lot of turnovers, which helped us in our transition game. We frustrated them a lot, which made them turn over the ball. That led to our offense and our defense was playing hard. That’s what got us here today.” All three seniors scored at least 9 points, led by Ollendick’s 19 points, eight rebounds, three assists and seven steals. Miller tallied 11 points, two assists and three steals, Rystrom recorded 9 points, five boards and four steals, Black netted 6 points, Nall had 2 points, three rebounds and three helpers and Kaylee Bacon added 2 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. “It has to start on defense with our press and transitions into points,” Rystrom continued. “Hannah (Ollendick) had some really good layups and she finished well. Carney (Black) hit some free throws when we needed them and Amber (Miller) hit 3-pointers when we needed them. Our transition game helped us win this game.” Elkhorn Valley (23-4) begins tournament play Thursday in the Class D1 state tourney. “It’s the greatest feeling in the world,” Miller concluded on ending her career at state. “I remember when I was little, I was in the Omaha World Herald for being a supporter of our team that won the state championship (in 2010). Then I got to be a student manager when they placed at state (EV placed fourth in 2012). Now being able to be on the court and play down there is awesome. Our team has worked hard this year and we couldn’t end the season in a better way.” As Cameron Wilkinson and Brock Kester took their place on the Class D 113-pound medal stand Saturday night, the two Neligh-Oakdale wrestlers shared a quick glance and slight smile.
They didn’t talk about what was happening, but their presence said it all. Neligh-Oakdale had just made state wrestling history. Although the Warriors didn’t want to make a big deal out of the feat, the two state medalists made Nebraska wrestling history on Saturday at CHI Health Center as the first two wrestlers from the same school to earn medals at the same weight. “Oh, yeah. I was thinking about it,” admitted Kester, who stood on the podium receiving the fifth-place medal. “It was really cool to be able to do that. I think it says something about the program. We’re making a mark.” Wilkinson agreed, “It was pretty cool. This was the first time anyone had done this, so to do that well the first year is quite an accomplishment.” Wilkinson, who claimed state runner-up honors this year after placing fourth in 2017, was all smiles as he talked about sharing the podium with the underclassman. The senior and sophomore never faced one another at state. “We are teammates first,” Wilkinson said. “We’re like brothers. Every since he came in as a freshman, I knew he could be a four-time state placer. I actually thought I could be the first to do that in school history, but I didn’t. He has the opportunity to do it, so I’ve pushed him ever since he came in. So far, he’s on track.” Kester, who wrestled at 106 last year, earned a fifth place medal at state as a freshman. This season marked the first year schools were allowed to enter two wrestlers in one weight class. However, in doing so, the school had to designate which wrestlers would be utilized for team points. Also, no more than 14 total wrestlers could be entered into district competition. Neligh-Oakdale qualified two sets of wrestlers in two of the same weight classes this year. Senior Jayden Arehart and junior Kaleb Pofahl both qualified for state at 170 as well. Elkhorn Valley also had utilized the new rule at 160 with Josh McFarland and Mitchell Petersen. Both Amherst (Class D 170) and Southwest (Class D 285) also qualified two with the rule. But no other school was able to medal two wrestlers in the same weight. Neligh-Oakdale coach Gary Davis said a key to that success is having two great wrestlers training one another, battling it out on the mat daily. To be the best, they wrestled the best in the state each day in practice. “Steel sharpens steel,” Davis said. “That’s a perfect example. Those two made each other better. For the last month, they trained together, warmed up together. If it was going to happen, those two were a perfect fit.” Davis referenced a situation several years ago with another school where a state medalist was unable to wrestle at the varsity level all season because he was beat out by a teammate. “This was a perfect example of letting that kid have a chance to compete,” he said. “To have two teammates who were that close and worked that hard be able to realize their dream together, that’s as cool as it gets. It was a great week, and that really topped it off.” Kester spent much of the season wrestling at 120 but felt 113 was a better weight for him. Wilkinson said Kester actually planned to wrestle at 106 at districts, but after the season was going, he asked Wilkinson if he minded if they both wrestle at 113. “I told him, ‘Do whatever you need to do to be as successful as you can,’” Wilkinson said. “By the time he was able to go 113, he was doing really well. I knew there was a chance to do well at districts, so to go one and two, I felt like we had a good chance.” Wilkinson won the district title over Kester in one of the most unusual bouts in district history. After shaking hands, the official smiled and moved out of their way just as the teammates dropped to an arm wrestling match. Wilkinson then flipped over the top of Kester for a quick pin. After both grapplers advanced to the district final, they met in the locker room and decided to have fun in the final. “He said, ‘It’s your senior year, so we might as well make some fun out of it,’” Wilkinson said of his talk with Kester. “We did the arm wrestling deal and made everyone laugh. It was worth it.” Davis later admitted he was worried about the two wrestlers meeting on the mats in Omaha, but the longtime coach said he never dictates how the match will go. “I leave it in their hands,” he said. “The district final was interesting. All they said was, ‘Hey coach, can we have some fun with this?’ I told them two things — make sure you can wrestle next week and let the official know. But I can tell you, I didn’t know what was going to happen.” Davis can’t help but get a little misty-eyed when talking about Wilkinson and Kester. While making state history is nice, it’s their work ethic and leadership that make him the most proud. “If it was going to happen to anybody, it couldn’t have happened to two better wrestlers in the aspect of their work ethic. When Brock came up, Cam took him under his wing a little bit. It was neat they were able to do it,” Davis said. “It proves what kind of teammates those two are and how close this group is. They are a close group and work their tails off. That’s the only way that happens — through their work ethic.” In hopes of avoiding the worst of the incoming storm, Friday's district final has been moved up one hour.
The 22-4 Lady Falcons earned the #10 seed and will face 20-4 Lawrence-Nelson, the #7 seed, in the D1-7 district final on Friday, Feb. 22. Tip off is now set for 6 p.m. in Central City. A sluggish defensive start in the first quarter cost the Elgin Public/Pope John boys basketball team, as the Wolfpack lost to Stuart, 56-32, in the semifinals of the subdistrict tournament Tuesday.
The Broncos opened the game on a 32-15 run to claim the early momentum and pull away early. Senior Kyle Schumacher led the way with 16 points. Colton Wright netted 8 points, senior RJ Lierman poured in 6 points and Conor Ramold added 2 points and three assists. EPPJ ends its season with a 3-17 record. The Elkhorn Valley boys basketball team gave the No. 1 seed Hartington-Newcastle squad everything it could handle, but ultimately fell to the Wildcats, 43-41, Tuesday in the subdistrict semifinals.
Trailing 30-15 at the break, the Falcons went on a 25-11 run in the second half to cut the deficit to 1, but never completed the comeback and bowed out of the tournament with the loss. Carter Rautenberg led the way with 15 points and eight rebounds. Bryson Anderson tallied 12 points and two steals, Braedyn Ollendick recorded 9 points and nine rebounds, Brandon Evans contributed 3 points, Trevin Hanson added 2 points and senior Julio Sierra grabbed three rebounds. Elkhorn Valley ends its year with a 9-14 record. A final surge by the Boyd County boys basketball team proved to be the difference in its 46-38 victory over Clearwater/Orchard Tuesday in the semifinals of the Subdistrict D1-6 tournament at Creighton.
“We knew going in this was going to be a war and it turned exactly into that,” stated OC mentor Jim Schutt. “We’ve seen them twice already and beat them the first time, then they beat us last time. Some shots and different things happened. Hats off to Boyd County for a nice game. Through it all, I’m super proud of my kids.” After OC opened the game on an 8-0 run, the Spartans answered with an 11-2 run to claim a 1-point lead at the end of the opening quarter. The two squads continued to battle for momentum in the second, as the lead was exchanged on four different occasions before Cory Lechtenberg’s layup game BC an 18-17 advantage at the break. A pair of buckets by Ryan Wilhelm and Jacob Long knotted the contest at 21, before the Spartans went on 4-0 run. A Gage Clifton 3-pointer and Blake Hoke layup regained the lead for the Cyclones, as the green and black Lee 28-27 heading into the final stanza. A big fourth quarter by Evan Reiman helped the Spartans rally in the fourth. Reiman scored 11 of BC's 19 points in the quarter to guide the black and white to Thursday's subdistrict finals. Wilhelm paced the Cyclones with 15 points and nine rebounds. Long recorded 8 points and four steals, Blake Hoke tallied 8 points and five rebounds, two assists and two steals, Chris Kester had 3 points, two assists and two steals, Gage Clifton netted 3 points and Anthony Umphress added 2 points. Clearwater/Orchard ends its season with a 15-10 record. Seniors Tristan Ahlers, Ryan Wilhelm, Blake Hoke, Jacob Long and Chris Kester helped guide the Cyclones to runner-up finish in the Niobrara Valley Conference tournament and a Cyclone Holiday tournament title this season. “We accomplished a lot of things,” Schutt concluded. “We got a lot to be proud of and this program is in good shape. Those guys from day one came to work every day. As freshman they played on JV and won a lot of games there. Sophomore year they were thrown into the mix right away and were kind of kicked around. When you’re young, it’s tough to play against seniors. But the last two years, my guys have been in every game against really good competition. I’m supper proud and it’s a good bunch that I’ll never forget.” It was a battle between the Warriors and the Braves in the C2-8 subdistrict game on a snowy Tuesday night in O'Neill.
After they had split games earlier this season, Battle Creek edged out Neligh-Oakdale in the postseason tilt, 57-48, to advance to the subdistrict final against Ainsworth on Thursday night. "It was hard-fought game, really from the start," N-O Coach Ethan Larsen said. "I thought we started very well and our defense was pretty good." Austin Rice put the first points on the board when he went 2-2 at the line. Beau Murray followed that up with a bucket to give the Warriors an early 4-0 lead. BC answered with one, but an Isiac Kurpgeweit putback and Hunter Charf bunny extended N-O's lead to 8-2. After the Braves added two more, Murray drove the baseline for a layup and Charf followed his shot for a putback, giving the Warriors their biggest advantage, 12-4. However, a BC trey closed the gap to 12-7 at the end of the first. Less than one minute into the second, Cole Belitz started off the scoring with a triple to put the Warriors back up by 8. Battle Creek went on an 11-0 run to take their first lead of the game midway through the quarter. Rice netted two field goals and Belitz drained a jumper before the buzzer to knot it up at the break, 22-all. The Braves went on a 4-0 run to kick off the third quarter, but Kurpgeweit answered with a jumper. After BC added a bucket, Kurpgeweit hit a bunny to stay within two. At the midway point, there were multiple lead changes as the see-saw scoring began. Charf drilled a triple to give the Warriors a 29-28 lead, but the Braves quickly scored a field goal to regain the lead. Rice drove in for a layup for a 31-30 Warrior advantage. As soon as BC hit a bucket, Charf poured in another trey to take back the lead, 34-32. The Braves went on a 5-0 run, but then Julien Hearn connected from beyond the arc to tie it up, 37-37. With just a few ticks left in the third, Battle Creek struck again to take a 39-37 lead into the final quarter of play. A 5-0 run by the Braves to start the fourth forced the Warriors into catch up mode. A Kurpgeweit jumper and Murray trey kept the Warriors within five halfway through the quarter. Three minutes later, N-O found themselves down by 12 before a Rice triple cut the lead to 9. As time wound down, the Warriors were forced to foul. After BC extended their lead to 12 on free throw shots, Rice hit one last trey for a 57-48 final score. "I'm really proud of the boys and their effort tonight," Larsen said. "It's just one of those deals where it just wasn't in the cards for us. Credit Battle Creek for a hard-fought game, and a lot of credit goes to our guys to fight just as hard the entire fourth quarter." Rice paced Neligh-Oakdale with 14 points and 2 blocks, followed by Charf with 10 counters, Kurpgeweit with 8 points and 9 boards, Murray 7 points, Belitz with 6 points and 10 assists and Hearn 3. Neligh-Oakdale ended its season with an 18-7 record. "I told the guys, 'Don't let the last one define what you were able to accomplish over the course of the season, 18-7 is nothing to hang your heads about,'" the coach said. "This senior class had a lot of accomplishments. They were able to finish as conference champions twice, state runner up and finish their senior season with 18 wins. I'm pretty proud of that. So hopefully they take that with them and make sure to look back on their overall body of work and don't let the last one define their basketball career." As the forecast continues to worsen, the O'Neill subdistrict moved today's subdistrict games ahead after already pushing the games forward yesterday.
The Creighton and Ainsworth contest begins at 4:30 p.m., while Neligh-Oakdale takes on Battle Creek 20 minutes after the first game. In front of a packed gym of students, teachers, administrators, coaches, parents and community members at Clearwater, the Clearwater/Orchard wrestling team was recognized as for their spectacular season.
The "Cupcakes and Celebration" ceremony commemorated the OC state qualifiers and seniors. As people entered the gym, cupcakes were handed out to help the wrestlers commemorate the end of the grueling wrestling season. A short video was played with pictures from this past weekend's state tournament, followed by comments from coaches and seniors. The event ended with an eating contest. Check out all of our pictures from the event and you can watch the event on ACN's Facebook page. The incoming weather has affected the West Holt Subdistrict tournament schedule for today.
Games were bumped up 30 minutes ahead. Elgin Public/Pope John plays Stuart at 5 p.m., followed by the Chambers/Wheeler Central and St. Mary's game. A solid team effort guided the Elgin Public/Pope John boys basketball team to a 47-35 victory over Ewing in the opening round of the Subdistrict D2-5 tournament Monday at West Holt.
“It was a good team effort,” stated EPPJ senior Kyle Schumacher. “Everyone contributed in their own way. We all did our job and no one tried to do too much. We tried to shut them down on defense, work on offense and try not to force anything. That got everyone involved in their own ways.” The Tigers got off to a hot start, taking a 6-0 lead in the first three minutes of play, and led 11-5 after the first quarter. “We came out with really good energy and played under control,” commented Ewing coach Brett Kaczor. “We found away to get inside and hit a couple of outside shots to open up the lane for us to help us out. You wish that you could have sustained that for four quarters. You get the exact start you want, get a nice lead and seem like you have momentum. Then you hit a brick wall and we tried to dig ourselves out of a big hole." EPPJ responded in the second with a 16-4 run to claim a 21-15 lead at the break. “We came out a little slow,” spoke EPPJ junior Conor Ramold. “We wanted to crank up the intensity a little bit. We made sure we boxed out and forced them into one shot. We did alright.” After Ryan Brummel's free throw cut the deficit to 5 to start the third, the Wolfpack used a 7-0 run to take a 28-16 advantage. “It was pretty important,” noted EPPJ junior Adam Dreger on the Wolfpack’s third-quarter start. “It really gave us that step ahead to get the W.” Ewing rallied in the fourth and drew as close as 6 following Dalton Rotherham's 3-pointer, but EPPJ pulled away for the victory. “We kept digging back and clawing into the game,” Kaczor said. “It seemed like at every point we could have broke that thing open and tie it up or take the lead; we missed free throw, had a bad turnover or let them leak out for an easy layup. All of sudden you go from being down 6, to down 10 or 12 again. We spent all that energy working our way back into the game, then you’re back down to 12. It really wears on a kid, but our guys kept fighting. I can’t complain.” Joey Wright led the Tigers with 9 points. Brummels and Wyatt Wagner each recorded 7 points, Rotherham accumulated 5 points, Xavier Hobbs contributed 3 points, while Connor Napier and Dominique Hobbs each pitched in 2 points. All five EPPJ starters scored at least 5 points in the win. Schumacher paced the Wolfpack with 13 points, four assists and eight rebounds. Ramold tallied 11 points and four assists, Dreger netted 10 points, Colton Wright had 8 points and eight boards and RJ Lierman added 5 points. “Everyone showed up, we rebounded like coach wanted us to and we scored when we needed to,” Wright remarked. Ewing ends its season with a 2-20 record as seniors Joey Wright and Ryan Brummels played their final game for the Tigers. “They mean more to this program than they could probably imagine,” Kaczor stated. “We told them in the locker room the wins and losses don’t matter. The stepping stone they put forth for our guys, especially for them because they had to play a lot since they were freshmen. They really matured and they took the roles of being leaders well. Hopefully our guys take that going forward and go off their leadership. Hopefully better things are to come.” Elgin Public/Pope John (3-17) advances to the semifinals of the subdistrict tournament to face No. 1 seed Stuart Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at West Holt. “We know Stuart is a tough team,” Lierman concluded. “We have to come out strong like we did in the third quarter. We have to play our hearts out. Win or go home.” |
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