HUXLEY — Senior Zachary Thompson and junior Kaleb Olejniczak won the 120 and 126-pound weight divisions, respectively, at Saturday’s Raccoon River Conference tournament.
Host Ballard won the team title with 211 points, easily outdistancing runner-up Carlisle (151) and third-place Winterset (150). ADM (130.5) was fourth, with Carroll and Perry each recording 120.5 points to tie for fifth whiel Boone (113.5) was seventh and Bondurant-Farrar (79) eighth.
“It was a good team for the team for the most part,” Perry head coach Mark Weber said. “Certainly Zachary and Kaleb wrestled very well, which is what we expected of them.”
Thompson (38-4), ranked fourth in 3A at 120 pounds, celebrated his 18th birthday by scoring a 15-0 technical fall over Ballard’s Alex Bangs in 2 minutes, 39 seconds in the semifinals after having received an opening bye. He had little trouble in the finals, dispatching Winterset’s Bryce Hatten with a 17-7 major decision to secure the RRC title.
Olejniczak (43-5), who is rated fifth at 126, also received an opening bye. He followed up with a 12-2 major decision against Winterset’s Trenton Cook, then needed just 2:49 to put Carlisle’s Peter Comer’s shoulders to the mat to earn his conference crown.
Senior Zach Stewart (48-5) is ranked second at 138. He pinned Carlisle’s Dez Hummel in just 38 seconds, then advanced to the finals with a 5-3 win over Winterset’s Kruise Kiburz.
He met Class 2A No. 2 Jarrett Miller of Ballard for the top RRC spot. Stewart had defeated Miller, in Huxley, with a 3-2 decision Thursday, but on Saturday fell victim to a 3-2 decision and finished as conference runner-up.
Alexander Tapia finished 2-2 with a pair of pins to place fourth for Perry at 220, with Justin Stammer 1-2 with a decision in placing fourth at 145 for the Jays.
Weber noted 106-pounder Riece Graham “continues to get better with every single match” and that 132-pounder Jacob Nelson “had a rough day but came back in the end.” Both placed fifth in their respective weight classes, with Graham 2-2 on a major decision and a pin while Nelson was 1-2 with a pin.
Erick Funez rebounded from a pair of losses to record a pin and place fifth at 160, with Daniel Brinton recovering from two early setbacks to win his fifth-place match via injury (time elapsed).
Jered Narber competed at 152 for Perry and placed sixth with a 1-3 record, his vcitory coming by decision.
Jonathan Silva (182) was also in action for the Bluejays but could not come up with a win.
Perry left the 113, 195 and 285-pound weight classes uncontested.
“Some kids are starting to realize that if they don’t like where they are at it is the direct result of the kind of time they are putting in,” Weber said. “How you work is going to be revealed one way or the other. For some of them it is on the upswing, for some they are just staying in the same place and for others they are going down.”
Perry, competing in Class 3A this season, will have an extra week to rest and prepare before battling for a spot at the state meet, as the largest class does not hold a sectional round. The Bluejays will join host Waukee in the District 8 meet Feb. 10. Ankeny, Carroll, Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln, Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson, Glenwood and Norwalk will also be in action.
The winner and runner-up in each weight class will advance to the State Wrestling Tournament. Class 3A action begins in Session II (1:30-4:30 p.m.) Feb. 15 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
