Bluejay Wrestling
Pierce Battles in Grand Island
By Rylee Altwine
Moving their dual record to 15-4 and almost guaranteeing a slot in the Class C state dual tournament, the boys wrestling team competed at Grand Island Northwest on Saturday, January 18, in a dual tournament, finishing the day 4-1.
Starting the day off Pierce went up against Grand Island Northwest. Taking the mat first at 175 was junior Jackson Fischer, who took on Parker Yendra winning by a 6-4 decision.
Next up was Kyle Kuehler at 190. Kyle faced Kolten Kerr of Grand Island losing by a technical fall 19-3.
At 215, junior Christian Nordby dominated Ian Cross by a major decision 8-0.
Boston Krueger, 285, went up against Brant Packer winning by technical fall, 15-0.
Wrestling at 106, Tyler Oliveria of Pierce fell to Wyatt Walker.
Kolten Wragge at 113, faced Aden Ternus, pinning Ternus.
Corbin Pfeil (120) defeated Jackson Houser in a 12-11 decision.
Junior Draydin Gossman won by TF against Grand Island’s Caiden Fulton. 16-1.
At 132, senior Elijah Streff battled against Riley Vieth, losing by a 3-0 decision.
Next to wrestle at 138 was Baiden Neuhalfen losing by fall against Stratton Reeves.
Sophomore Cole DeBoer lost by a decision against Konner Dramse 11-4 at 144.
Brenden Bolling, at 150, took on Madden Middleton, pinning Middleton.
At 157, Kaiden Ronnfeldt faced Jaxson Rhoads winning by major decision, 13-4.
Last on the mat for Pierce was senior Peyton Kruntorad pinning Owen Wiese, giving Pierce the 42-23 win over Northwest.
Pierce’s second dual of the day was against the Chadron Cardinals, and Pierce again won, this time with a 54-29 victory.
First to the mat to start the second dual was Kuehler, who pinned Bricen Wright.
At 215, Nordby took on Leo Golembiewski, pinning Golembiewski.
Krueger, at 285, took out Chadron’s Fletcher Stewart by pin.
Freshman Oliveria (106) faced Colin McCoy, losing by fall.
At 113, Wragge, along with Pfeil at 120 had forfeits earning the team six points each.
Gossman, at 126, dominated Keigan Vanderhoef, pinning him in 48 seconds.
Wrestling at 132, Streff pinned Carson Long.
At 138 Neuhalfen faced Tayven Jenkins, losing by fall.
DeBoer (144) won by fall over Peyton Forsberg.
Bolling, at 155, dominated Jayce Hoffman pinning him in 50 seconds.
Pierce was open at 157.
At 165, Kruntorad lost by fall to Zane Cullers.
To finish the dual Ethan Claussen faced Braden Wright, losing by a technical fall 19-1.
Pierce then took on Central City for their third dual of the day. Starting the dual off strong, Nordby (215) faced Parker Santin and won by fall.
Following Nordby, at 285, Krueger battled against Riley Lavene, losing by decision, 1-0.
Taking the mat next was Oliveria at 106 who fell to Ace Schweitzer.
At 113, Wragge wrestled Dalton Lovejoy in a close match and won in an 11-10 decision.
Corbin Pfeil, at 120, lost to Dylan Lovejoy in a 6-3 decision.
Pierce was open at 126, but at 132, Gossman pinned Jacob Zimmerman.
Streff, wrestling at 138 against Kaden Lavene, won by technical fall, 16-0.
DeBoer met with Parker Zikmund at 144 and lost by fall.
Pierce was open at 150, but Bolling (157) along with Claussen (165) received forfeits and automatically gained six points each for the team.
At 175, Kruntorad pinned Isaiah Davis.
To close the dual, Kuehler, wrestling at 190, lost by a 7-2 decision against Preston Burbach.
Onto the fourth dual of the day, the Pierce Bluejays faced the Hastings Tigers and won 44-30.
Leading the team off strong at 285, Krueger met with Barron Terwey and won by fall after 5:50 had elapsed.
Following Krueger, Oliveira received an automatic six points for his team along with Kolten Wragge due to forfeits at 106 and 113, respectively.
At 120, Pfeil lost to Kolt Hudson in a 12-6 decision.
Gossman, wrestling at 126, dominated Trindyn Degodt, taking a 20-8 major decision.
Neuhalfen (132) fell to Emmet Kelley.
Streff, at 138, fell to Balin Bruyere.
At 144, DeBoer pinned Talyn Pierce.
Bolling, wrestling at 150, dominated Isaac Kelley by technical fall 18-3.
Wrestling at 157, Ronnfeldt fell to Zane Thomsen.
Kruntrorad, 165, lost by pin against Logan Clark.
At 175, Kuehler took on Avery Larsen, pinning Larsen.
Fischer, wrestling at 190, won by technical fall against Jaret Kiiker 16-0.
Finishing the dual off at 215, Nordby lost in a 4-1 decision against Zander Lockling.
In Pierce’s last dual of the day, they faced York. Starting Pierce off at 106 was Oliveria who fell to Chris Leon Turquiz.
At 113, Kolten Wragge faced Kade Gieck and lost by fall.
Pfeil, at 120, went up against Ty Erickson. Erickson won by TF 16-0.
At 126, Gossman secured the first win of the dual against Malekai Conrad, pinning Conrad.
Streff (132) met with Devin Nuttelman and lost by technical fall, 16-1.
Neuhalfen, at 138, faced Colt Eimermann, and lost by TF 22-5.
At 144, DeBoer took on Brayden Wegrzyn, who won by decision, 8-3.
Next to the mat at 150 was Bolling, who pinned Max Erickson.
Pierce was open at 157.
Kruntorad, at 165, met with Emmet Hoffman and lost by fall.
At 175, Claussen fell to Brooks Loosvelt.
Kuehler (190) competed against Zayden Londene, and Kuehler fell to Londene.
At 215, Nordby lost by major decision against Brody Mattox, 9-1.
To finish the day off Krueger fell to Keagyn Linden.
“The team wrestled very well for it to be the third day of wrestling in a row. Individually I went undefeated throughout the tournament along with Brenden Bolling, so I’m proud of how we performed as a team,” Gossman states.
The boys wrestling team will retire to the mats next Thursday in a triangular against Battle Creek and Norfolk Catholic.
Bluejays Pin the Win at Superior Invite
By Brianna Rundell
Pierce Bluejays made their way to Superior for a wrestling invite and secured the tournament win. Bluejays ended the meet with a team score of 248.5 and placed first overall. In addition, the Jays had 13 medalists throughout the tournament.
Starting at 285, Boston Krueger began his first round with a pin against Bradley Tobias of Republic County, Kansas. In his second match, Krueger lost by fall to Kyan Sones of Meridian. In round 3, Krueger pinned GuyDale Jones from Fairbury in 35 seconds. In his final match, Krueger won by a 4-0 decision against Aaron Sanchez of Sutton. Kureger ended with an overall third place in his class and scored 16 team points.
From the 215 weight class, Christian Nordby won by pinning Xugeng Tan of Meridian in 32 seconds and pinned Jesus Hurtado of Johnson County Central in 33 seconds. In his third match against Gerardo Beccera from Johnson County Central, Nordby won by pin, but in his final match, he lost by a 2-1 decision against Dominick Kattenburg from Smith Center, Kansas. Overall Nordby placed second in the 215 class and added 24 points to the team score.
Next, Kyle Kuehler competed in the 190 weight class. Kuehler received a bye in his first match, which means he automatically advanced to the next round without facing an opponent. In his second round, he pinned Korey Weltmer from Smith Center. In match three, Kuehler lost by a major decision, 13-1, against Carsen Goes of Southern. In Kuehler’s fourth match, he won due to his opponent, Brian Liberato of Sutton, having an injury. Altogether, Kuehler placed fourth in his class and received 16 points for the team.
At 175, Jackson Fischer won his first match from a bye and pinned Braiden Nichols from Johnson County Central in his second round. In Fischer's third match, he lost in a 13-3 major decision against Griffin Bergen of Sutton; however, in his fourth match, Fischer pinned Ethan Torres of Republic County. In the third place match, Fischer won by decision over Nichols. In the end, Fischer scored 18 team points and placed third.
Peyton Kruntorad (165) finished first for his class and earned Pierce 26 team points by receiving a bye in his first round and pinning Kyle Knueven of Harvard in his second. In his third and fourth rounds, he won by pinning Koltan Ideus of Southern and by a 12-7 decision against Brody Schelkopf of Sutton.
Kaiden Ronnfeldt competed at 157, placed fifth, and scored 16 team points. In round one, Ronnfeldt pinned Leslie Corman of Lawrence Nelson. In his second round, Ronnfeldt lost by decision to Kolby Strnad of Republic County. During round three, Ronnfeldt pinned Blayden Porter of Harvard then lost in his fourth due to major decision, 11-1, against Sawyer Stephens of Republic County. Ronnfeldt then lost by fall in his fifth round to Ezekiel Burki of Johnson County Central. Ronnfeldt made the most of his final round by pinning Dakota Zimmerman of Fairbury.
Brenden Bolling (150) won his first match by tech fall, 21-5, over Landon Toohey of Johnson County Central. In Bolling’s next match, he won over Damian Parrot of Southern who suffered an injury. In Bolling’s third round, he won by tech fall, 21-6, to Trever Bohling of Johnson County Central and in the first place match Bolling won by an 11-1 major decision over Kamden Boyles of Superior. Altogether, Bolling placed first and gained 28 team points.
Cole DeBoer, at 144, placed second and received 21.5 team points. In DeBoer’s first match, he received a bye. Facing his first opponent, DeBoer won by fall against Jacob Ward of Southern and won by tech fall, 16-1, over Airan Hernandez of Sutton. In DeBoer’s last match, he lost by fall to Drake Troxel of Southern.
Baiden Neuhalfen (138) received a bye and lost by fall to Logan Topp of Johnson County Central in his second. In match three, Neuhalfen received bye and then lost in a 12-7 decision to Shawn Westmoreland of Sutton in his final match.
Elijah Streff, in the 132 class, won his first match by pinning Matthew Volner of Southern in 24 seconds.
“I think overall I did pretty decent. There is always room for improvement. I need to do better in a lot of areas to be better. The thing I love most about wrestling is beating kids,” Streff said. Next, Streff pinned Westen Graham of Fairbury and Bently Favinger of Hastings during his second and third matches. In the first place match, Streff sealed the deal by winning over Noah Troxel of Southern, 7-3. Altogether, Streff gained 27.5 team points and placed first.
Also placing first for the Bluejays was Draydin Gossman (126) who started his day pinning Josh Upton of Southern. In the semifinals, Gossman won an 11-10 decision of Carter Haverluck from Meridian and won over Holden McDonald of Superior in a 13-11 decision in the first place match.
Corbin Pfeil competed at 120, secured third place, and received 15 team points. In his first round against Landon Erickson of Smith Center, Pfeil lost in a 5-0 decision. He then pinned Darius Suarez of Meridian in his second and won by decision, 1-0, against Trevin Husky of Johnson County Central in his third. In Pfeil’s final match, he pinned Rigley McDonald of Superior.
Kolten Wragge, at 113, wrestled and beat Rene Ornelas of Johnson County Central. In the end, Wragge pinned him, getting his first win of the day. In his next round, Wragge won by tech fall , 17-2) over Isaac Stansbury from Smith Center. In Wragge’s third round, he won by fall against Brody Buescher of Lawrence Nelson. In his last round, Wragge ended the day winning by an 11-5 decision over Wyatt Forney of Southern. Wragge placed first and gained 15.5 team points.
Last but not least, Tyler Oliveria competed in the 106 class. In his first round, he lost by fall over Caden McDonald of Johnson County Central and received bye in his second round. In his last two rounds, Oliveria lost to Pedro Perez of Harvard and lost in a decision, 8-2, to Landen Parrott of Southern. In the end Oliveria placed sixth and contributed three team points.
Pierce hosts a triangular on Thursday, January 23.
Bluejays Take Second in Triangular with Bon Homme and Crofton
By Chloe Bernhardt
Pierce Bluejay boys wrestling team stayed home and hosted Bon Homme and Crofton on Thursday, January 16, and Pierce placed second in the triangular, defeating Crofton and falling just short to Bon Homme.
In the first dual, Pierce went up against Bon Homme/Avon, South Dakota, and lost the dual 51-11.
Wrestling at 106, Tyler Oliveria was pinned by Summyt Larson.
In the 113 weight class, Kolten Wragge lost in a tie breaker-1, 5-0, to Ryvr Larson.
At 120, Corbin Pfeil was defeated by decision, 1-0, to Michael Branaugh.
Draydin Gossman, wrestling at 126, lost in a close match by a 13-10 decision to DeVonne Sessler.
Wrestling at 132, Eijah Streff won by decision 4-0 over Corbin Palsma.
At 138, Baiden Neuhalfen fell to Jackson Kaul.
Cole DeBoer, wrestling at 144, lost by decision 6-0 to Jaden Bult.
Wrestling at 150, Brenden Bolling won by tech fall, 21-4, over Calvin Caba.
At 157 pounds, Kaiden Ronnfeldt lost to Weston Bierema by tech fall 17-1.
Senior Peyton Kruntorad, wrestling at 165, lost by decision, 7-5, to Luke Guthmiller.
Wrestling at 175, Jackson Fischer fell to Kolton Vlcek.
In the 190 weight class, Brody Coulter fell to Cody Sassaman.
Christian Nordby, wrestling at 215 fell to Isaiah Crownover.
At 285, Boston Krueger won by decision, 7-1, over Randall Powers.
“As a team I think we did very well. We still have some corners to sweep, but as a team overall I thought we fought and were passionate about what we are doing. I believe that I need to wrestle smarter and to defer my anger towards the opposing wrestlers and not inanimate objects,” Krueger comments.
In the second dual, Pierce defeated Crofton/Bloomfield 36-26.
Wrestling at 106, Oliveria fell to Ashton Nelson.
At 113, Wragge won by major decision, 16-7, over Reece Schmidt.
In the 120 weight class, Pfeil won by a 3-2 decision over Gavin Hanson.
Gossman, wrestling at 126, pinned Brady Gulbranson.
Wrestling at 132, Streff won by decision, 7-0, over Cash Culliton.
At 138, Neuhalfen lost by a 3-0 decision to Tomik Duffy.
In the 144 weight class, DeBoer won 11-9 over Braeden Guenther.
Bolling, wrestling at 150, won by tech fall 17-2 over Jarrett Sauser.
Wrestling at 157, Ronnfeldt pinned Max Bruce.
At 165, Kruntorad lost by decision, 5-1, to Trey Tramp.
Kyle Kuehler (175) lost by tech fall, 22-6, to Wyatt Tramp.
In the 190 weight class, Coulter won over Brock Jeannoutot due to disqualification.
Wrestling at 215, Nordby lost by decision 6-1 to Tyson Sanger.
Krueger, wrestling at 285, fell to Owen Kuchar.
“I thought we wrestled hard, but we still have a lot to work on before the postseason. I think we need to work and do our conditioning better,” head coach Tyler Legate said.
The boys wrestling team hosts their next competition on Thursday, January 23, starting at 6 p.m.
