ADEL — There were no surprises at Saturday’s Class 2A Sectional for Perry, as Kaleb Olejniczak, Zachary Thompson and Zach Stewart each won their respective weight classes to advance to the Feb. 11 district tourney in Harlan. A win or runner-up finish will qualify the wrestler in question for the state tourney in Des Moines, which begins Feb. 16.
Atlantic/CAM and Harlan earned the right to compete in one of Tuesday’s Dual Team regionals after they claimed the top two spots with 240.5 and 185.5 points, respectively. Van Meter/Earlham was third at 181, Perry fourth at 146, Kuemper Catholic fifth at 133 and host ADM sixth with 122 points.
The “Zak Attack” of Olejniczak, Zachary and Zach were impressive, especially sixth-ranked Thompson (46-5 at 120 pounds), who is seeking a third straight appearance on the state tourney podium after placing sixth as both a freshman and a sophomore.
Thompson pinned Brandon Trevino (HAR) in 1 minute, 28 seconds in the semifinals, but then drew second-ranked Carter Cox (ATL/CAM) in the finals. The Bluejay standout emerged victorious with a 6-5 decision, handing Cox just his second loss against 45 wins this season.
Olejniczak (48-4) faced no such drama in his bracket. The fourth-ranked sophomore won the 113 pound title with pin of Harlan’s Ethan Lemon in 1:03 and with a 15-4 major decision over ATL/CAM’s 10th-ranked Kole Hansen.
Stewart (45-8) blew through his competition at 132 pounds, pinning Quinn Corcoran (VM/E) in 3:14 and Colby Sorensen (ATL/CAM) in 1:56 to stand atop the podium.
Juan Campos was third for Perry at 195, finishing his senior season with a 10-26 mark. Fellow senior Adan Medina bowed out 15-19 at 170 pound while placing fourth, with senior heavyweight Tyler Soll (19-21) ending his prep career with a pin of Andrew Harada (ADM) in 5:45 to place fifth.
Erick Funez (10-41 at 152) and Cole Snyder (6-24 at 160) both posted 1-2 marks to finish fourth, with Jacob Nelson (9-21 at 126) and Ever Tobar (5-11 at 138) each winning their final match after an opening loss and a bye to place fifth.
Tucker Strough (10-21) was fifth at 106 for the Jays, with Miguel Gonzalez (1-27) and Alex Tapia (1-4) both finishing sixth, at 145 and 220, respectively. Perry left the 182-pound division open.
