MaxPreps 2016 Nebraska high school wrestling wrap

As 17 of Nebraska's 25 four-time state wrestling champions were introduced to the frenzied crowd during Saturday's Nebraska state wrestling meet at Century Link Arena in Omaha, Millard South (Omaha) 138-pounder Isaac DeLoa was preparing to join the elite club.

DeLoa (52-0) signed, sealed and delivered his name to the elite list with a 4-0 decision over previously unbeaten Jonathan Killingsworth (46-1) of Lincoln Southeast Saturday.

DeLoa ended his state wrestling career the same way he began it as a freshman – with a win over a defending state champion. As a rookie, DeLoa took down Omaha Burke's Aaron Fletcher, who claimed the Class A 113-pound championship in 2012, with a 7-5 decision. Killingsworth conquered the Class A 132-pound bracket a year ago.

DeLoa decisioned Grand Island's Andrew Rojas (7-4) as a sophomore and upended Islander Chris Doty with a fall (1:00) a year ago. Both championship triumphs came at 138 pounds.

"The first one, I come in there as a freshman against a state champ. It was just unbearable," DeLoa told the Lincoln Journal Star. "But wrestle hard, wrestle fast, no mercy. That's what I did this year also, going against another returning state champion."

DeLoa ended eight of his 16 career state meet matches with a pin and concluded his prep wrestling career with a state-record 202 wins to just three losses.

Ranked wrestlers struggle

DeLoa joined 37 other top-ranked wrestlers atop their respective podiums Saturday. In all, 56 wrestlers were crowned champion in 14 different weight classes in Classes A, B, C and D. Unranked wrestlers tried to steal the show, as 84 of them placed at the state meet, which ran from Thursday through Saturday. Following Saturday's action 336 total medals were placed around grapplers' necks.

Dan Zeleny (47-8) of Gretna grabbed the Class B 132-pound championship despite entering the state meet unranked by the Nebraska Scholastic Wrestling Coaches Association. But 46 of the 56 championship matches ended with either the No. 1 or the No. 2 wrestler taking the crown.

Record breaker

North Bend Central freshman Zach Borer (57-1) broke the state record for wins in a season when he took the Class C 160-pound title match 5-4 over Morgen Valentine of David City, earning the 57th win of his rookie season. Colton Adams of Scottsbluff held the old all-class mark when he won 56 matches in 2013. Martin Phillips of David City took over the Class C record in 2014 when he tossed and pinned his way to 54 triumphs.

Unbeaten state champions

While ranked wrestlers struggled as a whole at the state meet, undefeated grapplers won state championships at an .810 clip. In all, 21 wrestlers qualified for the state meet without blemishes on their record. Seventeen of those athletes battled through their respective brackets unscathed.

DeLoa took care of one unbeaten wrestler when he shut out Killingsworth. Evan Waddington (54-1) of Wood River lost his clean mark when he fell to Max Hughes (47-3) of Syracuse by fall (1:57) in the Class C 113-pound championship match.

Trey Arellano (46-1) of Sidney took third in the Class B 106-pound weight class and Cade Svoboda (35-2) of Ord finished fourth at 182 pounds in Class C after falling to Jerrod Fedorchik (36-6) of Bridgeport, 8-5, to lose their perfect seasons.

The following wrestlers won state championships with unbeaten records: Joey Harrison (Class A 106, 51-0), Burke (Omaha); Wesley Dawkins (Class A 120, 42-0), Lincoln; Isaac DeLoa (Class A 138, 52-0), Millard South; DJ Coleman (Class A 160, 32-0), Millard North (Omaha); Colton Wolfe (Class A 195, 51-0), Columbus; Alex Cloyd (Class A 220, 53-0), Millard South (Omaha); Bailey Vanderpool (Class B 138, 23-0), Skutt Catholic (Omaha); Bill Adusei (Class B 145, 36-0), Boys Town; Trevor Nichelson (Class B 182, 43-0), Ashland-Greenwood; Ben Stille (Class B 285, 44-0), Ashland-Greenwood; Wyatt Phillips (Class C 126, 29-0), David City; Jeremiah Dickinson (Class C 138, 53-0), Central City; David Gross (Class C 170, 48-0), St. Paul; Matthew Kindler (Class C 195, 44-0), Aquinas (David City); Aron Reynaga (Class C 285, 47-0), Madison; Cameron Riggs (Class D 132, 47-0), St. Patrick's (North Platte); Zemua Baptista (Class D 160, 44-0) Friend.

Team champions crowned

For the team champions, this year's state meet brought about some very familiar results. Omaha Skutt Catholic did have a close call, but once again came out on top 162-160.5 over Plattsmouth to win its fifth-straight Class B title, and its 18th title in the past 19 seasons. Amherst took Class D 121-96 over runner-up Burwell, claiming its seventh-straight Class D crown. Millard South grappled its way to a second-straight Class A championship by outscoring Kearney, which had no finalists but did place eight medalists, 169-130.5. David City took it all in 2014 and did it again Saturday 159-97 over Valentine.

The NSWCA ranked Class B winner Omaha Skutt second behind Plattsmouth going into the state meet, but the other three-team champions embraced the top rung heading into Nebraska's championship weekend.

Championship coaches

Class A – Doug Denson, Millard South
Class B – Brad Hildebrandt, Omaha Skutt Catholic
Class C – Tahner Thiem, David City
Class D – Tyler Herman, Amherst

Championship leaders

Gretna, which placed third in Class B with 126 points, produced three individual champions apiece last weekend to lead all teams. Nine teams had two wrestlers take home individual gold in their respective weight classes. David City placed four athletes in the Class C finals, while Omaha Burke (A), Millard South (A), Columbus (A), Gretna (B), Omaha Skutt (B), O'Neill (C) and Elkhorn Valley (Tilden) (D) each placed three grapplers into the parade of champions. Skutt led all teams with nine medalists, while Millard South, Kearney and David City medaled in eight different weight classes. Five more programs wrestled their way to six medals during the three-day event.

They said it

"[The plan was] takedown, stick ‘em. If that didn't work, takedown and run him [on to his back]," Mullen 182-pounder Gideon Monette (40-1) told the Omaha World Herald after he won his school's 40th individual state title with a 12-5 decision over Austin Lampkin (41-5) of Scribner-Snyder last weekend. "If that didn't work, take him down, take him down, take him down."

"He said he wanted a piece of me and he got a piece of me," Millard South four-time state champion Isaac DeLoa told the Lincoln Journal Star after he shut out Killingsworth. Killingsworth moved up a weight class this winter so he could encounter DeLoa last weekend.

"I just kept my cool and stayed calm," Arturo Chavez of Schuyler told the Columbus Telegram after he upended Columbus Scotus' Jake Bos in the Class B 195-pound title match. "There's no quit in me. I'm a warrior. That's what my school mascot is, and that's what I am – a warrior."

"I knew he was going to be tough to score on," North Bend Central freshman Zach Borer told the Norfolk Daily News after holding on to upend Valentine. "I died out, but I really wanted that match. Being a state champion means everything to me right now. It's something I've wanted for a very long time."

"Right now I'm thinking about next year," Sidney sophomore Derek Robb told the Scottsbluff Star Herald after winning his second individual state championship with a pin over Omaha Skutt's Billy Higgins late in the Class B 152-pound final Saturday. "I have to put in more hard work, and actually work even harder to fulfill the ultimate goal of being a four-time state champion."

"It's an amazing feeling. I love every second of it. I love it all," Amherst's Jacob Klingelhoefer told the Kearney Hub after winning the Class D 170–pound title with a 2-1 decision over Elkhorn Valley's Chris Petersen. "Ever since I was in third, second, first grade – wherever I started – it's been my goal to get my name up on the wall and win the state tournament."