Bluejay wrestlers Kaleb Olejniczak (113 pounds), Zachary Thompson (120) and Zach Stewart (132) have all won at least 45 matches this season. To reach their goal of qualifying for the state tournament all any of the trio need do is add two more wins to their total.
All will have the opportunity to do just that Saturday when they compete in the Class 2A District 3 tournament in Harlan. Each Perry standout advanced to the district by emerging from the ADM Sectional as champion in their weight class.
The district format calls for sectional champions to wrestle sectional runner-up finishers from their paired sectional — in this case Humboldt and Algona. Winners face each other in the finals, losers in the consolation bout.
The champion earns a spot in the state tourney, but so does the district runner-up. If the loser of the finals had already beaten the consolation winner, he would advance by ‘rule’ or ‘prior.’ If the finals loser/consolation winner did not meet in the semifinals, they will have a wrestle-back match, with that winner securing the second state spot at that weight.
Thompson (46-5) was sixth at the state tournament at 106 pounds as a freshman and a narrow loss in the semifinals and medical forfeits in the consolation bracket saw him drop to sixth at 120 as a sophomore.
Now a junior, sixth-ranked Thompson faces a loaded four-man bracket. He opens against Red Oak sophomore Cam Vanderhoof (28-18), with second-rated Carter Cox (45-2, Sr.) of Atlantic facing third-ranked Jared Hensley (44-1, Sr.) of Bedford/Lenox in the other semifnal.
Cox and Thompson have met twice, with Cox winning by pin in early December at the two-day Council Bluffs Tournament while Thompson scored a 6-5 win in the sectional finals.
Fourth-ranked Olejniczak (48-4) will so face a tough road. The sophomore standout faces Southwest Iowa freshman Colton Hauschild (36-7) in one semifinal, with fifth-ranked Jacob Goodson (42-5, Sr.) of Creston/Orient-Macksburg to battle 10th-rated Kole Hansen (34-7, Jr.) of Atlantic.
Olejniczak scored a 9-6 decision over Goodson Jan. 12 and defeated Hansen with a 15-4 major decision in the sectional finals.
Stewart (45-8) was briefly rated 10th, but the junior enter districts unranked. He opens against KelbyLuther (32-22, Jr.) of Creston/Orient-Macksburg, who Stewart dominated with a 15-0 technical fall, in four minutes, Jan. 12. The other semifinal pits Clarinda junior Austin Gutknecht (38-3) against Van Meter sophomore Quinn Corcoran (23-18), who was pinned by Stewart in 3 minutes, 14 seconds in the sectional final.
The 2A State Tournament begins at 6 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
