BONDURANT — Saturday’s Raccoon River Conference wrestling tournament ended with six Perry grapplers standing on the podium for their respective weight class.
Carlisle’s 205.5 points won the team title, with Ballard second at 164 while Bondurant-Farrar finished third with 159 points. Winterset (153) was fourth, with Carroll (144), ADM (118.5), Perry (91.5) and Boone (70) completing the standings.
Perry head coach Mark Weber recognized the competition would be stiff at the RRC event this season but viewed the results as a positive.
“Another hard-fought day for the Bluejays — the conference featured some very tough teams this year,” Weber said. “Today was a good test for the team before sectionals next weekend.”
Weber has constantly preached improvement on a week-to-week basis and stresses full effort in each match, something he indicated he had witnessed Saturday.
“Despite how everyone finished, today was once again full of fight in each match,” he said. “We had numerous ‘rematches’ from earlier in the season in which we narrowed the gap and showed improvement in small ways. With every competition the guys learn more about themselves as wrestlers and as fighters, so each time on the mat is an opportunity to learn.”
A scary moment for Perry came in the fifth-place match at 145 pounds when Bryan Funez (13-13) dislocated his elbow. He was transported to a Des Moines hospital, with Weber reporting the junior was recovering.
“Any time a member of the team is injured I think everyone feels it,” Weber remarked, “especially when it is a season-ending injury for a teammate like Bryan. He and his brother Erick (who was 1-3 and sixth at 160 pounds) are very heard workers and bring a great vibe to the wrestling room every day. I am glad they were able to get (the elbow) back in place and Bryan is already on the road to recovery.”
Perry was led, as they have been all season, by senior 138-pounder Kaleb Olejniczak (39-1). Olejniczak scored wins by technical fall and major decision in claiming a conference title and career victories 171 and 172, leaving him two behind Zach Thompson on the all-time win list at PHS.
Freshman Cole Nelson (32-11) was the 106 pound runner-up. He won a decision, then dropped a 4-1 decision in the finals to fifth-ranked sophomore Riley Anderson of B-F.
“Kaleb finished the regular season strong today with his first-place finish,” Weber noted. “Cole followed close behind, losing in the finals to a tough opponent who we hope to see again this postseason.”
Junior Cole Snyder (27-16) placed fourth at 182 pounds after posting a 2-2 mark. Both of his wins came on falls.
Also fourth for Perry was senior Justin Stammer (31-14). The 2-2 mark for Stammer came on a pin and a decision.
Jacob Nelson (28-14) reached the 132 pound podium with a 2-2 record. Wins by decision and by injury default placed Nelson fifth.
Tanner Burgin (6-16) dropped two matches but closed his day with a victory by decision to place fifth at 120 pounds.
Points also came from 113-pounder Riece Graham (13-25), who, despite a rough 0-3 outing, placed sixth.
Alex Fickbohm (4-9) competed for the Bluejays at 126 pounds but was unable to come away with a victory.
Perry did not have entrants in the 170, 195, 220 and 285 pound weight classes.
The Bluejays will now spend the week preparing for postseason action as they will compete Saturday in the 2A Sectional 1 tourney in Webster City. In addition to the Jays and host Lynx Gilbert, Nevada, Roland-Story and West Marshall will be in action. Each weight class will send the winner and runner-up to the district tournament.
“This week will be all about building confidence for each individual and fine-tuning their best positions,” Weber said. “No matter how the season went for them all, this postseason is a clean slate and the goal is to win one match at a time. The most important match is the one right in front of you.”
“Each individual controls their fate,” the coach concluded. “That is the best part about wrestling — you leave it all on the mat and give it all you have.”
