HARLAN — Two Bluejays finished Saturday’s Dan Hill Invitational atop the podium, with another placing second and two others fifth against an outstanding field of competitors.
Powerhouse Gretna (Neb.) won the invite with 252 team points, with Glenwood second at 239 and Winterset third at 187. Logan-Magnolia (178), West Central Valley (121), Harlan (109), Perry (105.5), St. Albert (65), Denison-Schleswig (48) and Ashland-Greenwood (Neb.), with 44 points, rounded out the 10-team field. Perry left five weight classes — 106 pound, 113, 192, 195 and 220 — uncontested.
Class 3A third-ranked Zachary Thompson had little trouble in winning his weight class. The senior scored a pair of tech falls around a win by pin to claim top honors at 120 pounds.
Fellow senior Zach Stewart, rated fifth at 132, also had little trouble in finishing first despite wrestling up one division. He opened with a tech fall victory, then claimed decisions of 7-2 and of 5-1 to grab the plaudits at 138.
Junior Kaleb Olejniczak, ranked third at 126, finished as runner-up. He won by major decision and pin before dropping a 3-2 decision in the title match to Van Schmidt of Gretna.
Jered Narber finished 3-2 on the day to place fifth at 152, with Cole Snyder 2-2 and fifth at 170. Narber won his three matches, and Snyder both of his, by pin fall.
Jacon Nelson was 1-2 and did not place at 132, with his victory coming by pin. Also 1-2 and not placing was Alex Tapia, with the heavyweight recording his win by pin fall.
Justin Stammer (145) and Erick Funez (160) were both in action for the Bluejays as well, but neither were able to collect a win in either of their matches.
Perry returns to action Tuesday when they host Montezuma, Ogden and Woodward-Granger for a quadrangular. The meet will begin at 5:30 p.m.
