Patriots Advance Five to District Wrestling
By: Nathan Bahns, a freshman at Leigh High School
After a challenging, exciting season, the Patriot wrestling team competed in the D1-A Sub-district competition held in Shelby on Saturday, Feb. 6.
The Patriots competed against Anselmo-Merna, Arapahoe, Cedar Bluffs, Friend, Pender, Plainview, Scribner-Snyder, Shelby-Rising City, South Loup, and Weeping Water.
The team finished in 5th place overall with 5 wrestlers advancing on to districts the following weekend.
Freshman wrestler Morgan Bunner said, “I think sub-districts went really well. We all wrestled hard, and it paid off as five of our wrestlers moved on to Districts. I think we a good chance to get a few guys to State this year as we all wrestle tough and have a competitive mindset.”
“I thought we wrestled well,” Head Coach Tyler Reeves said. “We lost a few we would like to have back that were close, but it was a good learning experience for this young group. Getting five through was a good accomplishment, and we continue to practice hard and get better every week. We’ve got some tough brackets to get through to state. I’m already excited for next year to see what this group can continue to accomplish.”
The five wrestlers who advanced were Andrew Rivera, Jackson Koehn, Dylan Higby, Bryce Jurgensen and Isaac Baumert.
Sub-District Results:
Andrew Rivera—0-1 (2nd); Jackson Koehn—1-1 (2nd); Dylan Higby—3-1 (3rd); Bryce Jurgensen—2-2 (4th); Isaac Baumert—2-2 (4th); Jaden Stoklasa—1-2; James Grotelueschen—1-2; Morgan Bunner—1-2; Nathan Bahns—0-2; Ryan Brichacek—0-2; Conner Jurgensen—0-2