DES MOINES — Wins in their opening bouts have advanced Perry sophomore Kaleb Olejniczak (113 pounds) and junior Zachary Thompson (120) to the Class 2A quarterfinals this afternoon at the State Wrestling Tournament, while junior Zach Stewart (132) kept his podium hopes alive with a consolation victory.
The 2A Quarterfinals and second round consolation matches will begin at 2:30 p.m. with the Semifinals and third round consolation matches to be held in Session 6, which begins tonight at 7:30 p.m.
Olejniczak (51-4), ranked fourth, was tested early in his opening bout by an aggressive Ian Showers (37-8, Sr.) of SH-BCLUW, who grabbed a quick 2-0 lead. The Bluejay standout was unfazed, however, and slowly took control of the match, wearing Showers down and scoring repeatedly in the third period to post a 9-3 decision.
The win sends Olejniczak into a showdown with third-rated Aden Reeves (49-1, So.) of Albia, who used 4 mintues, 33 seconds to tally a 23-8 technical fall over Ryan Clark (33-13, So.) of Mt. Vernon. The winner will face either top-ranked Eric Faught (39-2, So) of Clear Lake or Jalen Schropp (42-10, Fr.) of Williamsburg, while the loser faces No. 7 Gabe Lewis (43-6, Fr.) of Denver-Tripoli.
Thompson (49-5) impressed from the outset in his match, as the sixth-ranked Bluejay needed just 80 seconds to pin Humboldt’s Cresten Craven (35-13, Fr.). Awaiting in the quarterfinals in Sinjin Briggs (47-6, Sr.) of Gilbert.
A victory would set up a semifinal against either No. 1 Bryce West (51-1, Sr.) of Solon or eighth-ranked Philip Ihde (24-2, Jr.) of Decorah. A loss would put Thompson in the second round consolations against Kayden Kauzlarich (42-7, Fr.) of Centerville.
For either Olejncizak or Thompson, a quarterfinal win would insure a finish of, at worst, sixth place, while a second round consolation victory, if necessary, would guarantee a spot somewhere on the podium.
Standing on the medal stand is still a viable outcome for Stewart (48-9). The Bluejay junior was handed a narrow, 3-2 loss by eighth-ranked Ryan Steffen (43-7, Jr.) of Crestwood in the first round. He bounced back strongly to stay alive with a 7-4 decision against Webster City’s Carson Hartnett (27-6, Jr.) in their consolation match duel.
Stewart awaits the loser of the quarterfinal pitting No. 3 Matt Robinson (40-1, Jr. ) of Assumption Catholic and No. 2 Braydel Curry (48-3, Sr.) of Sergeant Bluff-Luton.
