Team Rankings
1. Millard South (10) – 103 Points
2. Grand Island (7) – 71 Points
3. Millard West (7) – 63 Points
4. Creighton Prep (7) – 62 Points
5. North Platte (6) – 50 Points
6. Lincoln East (5) – 47 Points
7. Columbus (6) – 46 Points
8. Kearney (6) – 40 Points
9. Omaha Bryan (4) – 38 Points
10. Papillion LaVista (2) – 37 Points
*Placement points (16-12-9-7-5-3) at the State tournament for these ranked wrestlers. Does not
include bonus points at the State tournament for ranked wrestlers or points from non-ranked
kids that qualify.
Individual rankings are based off of projections for the State wrestling tournament. The
NSAA seeded the 4 district champions first before placing everyone else in the bracket
where the champions of a district wrestled the fourth place from another district, and the
runner-up of a district wrestled the third place wrestler from a different district. All 4
wrestlers of the same district were placed into opposite 1⁄4’s of the bracket. If a wrestler
isn’t listed now, it’s because of the bracket draws at State that led to him not placing.
Some wrestlers are joining the top 6 for the first time all year, and it doesn’t necessarily
mean that the best 6 wrestlers in the bracket make it to the medal stand on Saturday.
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY!
106:
1. Cole Caniglia – Creighton Prep (9) 40-2
2. Mohammed Mohammed – Omaha Bryan (10) 48-4
3. Brody Pitner – North Platte (11) 35-4
4. Jack Sponenburgh – Kearney (11) 28-7
5. Mathysin Marco – Lincoln East (9) 40-10
6. Kasen Pelzer – Papillon-LaVista (10) 29-13
Cole Caniglia has been on a mission all year! He has only lost two matches and both of them
were out of State competitors. Caniglia has only wrestled Mohamed of Bryan once – at the
Metro Conference tournament and Caniglia won 4-0. Look for Pitner to bounce back into 3rd
place after dropping a close match to Caniglia in the quarters. Not much is known about
Nathaniel Sackor of Omaha Northwest, but the senior can put himself into medal contention with
a win over Kasen Pelzer of Papillion-LaVista in the 2nd set of quarters. I picked Marco of
Lincoln East to pull the slight upset of Oz Kriegler of Papio South in the 3rd set of quarters and
that would guarantee the freshman of Lincoln East a top-6 finish. I also have Mohamed of
Bryan winning close matches against Sponenburgh of Kearney in the last set of quarters and
then Marco of Lincoln East in the semi’s to set up the rematch with Caniglia in the finals.
113:
1. Abdi Unle – Omaha Bryan (11) 50-3
2. Creighton Lassen – Millard West (10) 38-7
3. Quinlan Johnson – Fremont (11) 33-5
4. Leland Sindel – Lincoln East (11) 27-7
5. Tyler Haneborg – North Platte (10) 36-5
6. Rudy Rodriguez – Grand Island (10) 29-9
Abdi Unle is trying to become a State Champion for Omaha Bryan! Abdi does hold a 2-1 record
over Lassen, but that one time that Lassen won, he won by a PIN. There are going to be some
exciting quarter finals, and then the 3rd round consolation match ups on Friday night are literally
going to be toss-up matches! That’s the beauty of the State Tournament…anyone can be beat
on any given night. In match 1014, I have Leo Kriegler of Papio South winning over Tyler
Haneborg in the first round. But, because of how the bracket shapes up, I have Haneborg
coming back to place 5th while Leo drops a match in the heartbreak round to Rodriguez of
Grand Island.
120:
1. Presden Sanchez – Creighton Prep (12) 17-0
2. Kiernan Meink – Millard South (10) 31-6
3. Enrique Haynes – Millard West (12) 29-5
4. Madden Kontos – Grand Island (12) 27-5
5. Tavean Miller – Kearney (12) 31-11
6. Josiah Leslie – Omaha North (12) 20-6
This is a loaded bracket, and the only one of the 14 that has two State Champions from last
year meeting up! Sanchez does have a 5-3 win over Meink at the Metro Conference
Tournament. Expect another low-scoring match in the finals of the State tournament. Meink will
have to get past Haynes in the semi’s, and he does have a 6-4 win over Haynes at the same
Metro Conference Tournament. 120 is a similar case as 113 where I have Tavean Miller winning
a close match over Josiah Leslie of Omaha North in bout 1023, but both wrestlers coming back
through the consolations and meeting again in the 5th place match.
126:
1. Alex Gates – Grand Island (11) 38-7
2. Josh Shaner – Lincoln East (12) 23-0
3. Brenyn Delano – Columbus (12) 45-3
4. Isaac Edkahl – Millard South (11) 39-11
5. Brian Davis – Millard West (12) 34-8
6. Ian Hardy – Papillion-LaVista South (10) 45-5
This is a tough weight class to figure out because everyone has beaten each other up
throughout the regular season. Shaner is unbeaten on the year at 23-0, but Gates is wrestling
at such a high level these past few weeks that it is hard to bet against him coming out on top of
this bracket. Gates has a chip on his shoulder from a disappointing season a year ago, and I
believe he gets past the tough freshmen, Kieran Akerson of Creighton Prep in the quarters and
then past the feisty Brenyn Delano of Columbus in the semi’s. Shaner on the other hand will
have the toss-up winner of Ian Hardy and Cree Soe (bout 1026), which is one of the top first
round matches to watch! After that, he will have a rematch with Isaac Ekdahl of Millard South –
a match that Shaner won 1-0 after a penalty point was awarded to the Lincoln East senior after
too many cautions by Ekdahl. The health of Shaner’s shoulder hopefully doesn’t stand in his
way from going all the way this year, but with this tough of a bracket, it’s hard to think it’s going
to hold up through some grueling matches.
132:
1. Scottie Meier Jr. – Lincoln East (11) 50-2
2. Jermaine Dortch – Omaha North (10) 27-5
3. Jude Kohl – Millard West (11) 37-7
4. Ross Bratetic – Omaha Bryan (12) 50-2
5. Brady Danze – Millard South (10) 31-15
6. Kaedun Goodman – Kearney (11) 33-16
132 is another tough weight to figure out because many of the top contenders here have losses
to someone lower on the list. Ross Bratetic is hoping to get past Brady Danze in the quarters,
which would set up a match between two wrestlers with identical records! Scottie Meier Jr., the
top seed and a junior will be 52-2 in the semi’s, and he will be wrestling against Bratetic from
Omaha Bryan who will also be 52-2. 104-4 combined record has to be the best win-loss
percentage of any two opponents in the tournament! At the end of the day, Meier is the top
dawg at this brutally tough weight class.
138:
1. Miles Anderson – Millard South (12) 39-3
2. Mason Petersen – Columbus (10) 43-6
3. Cal Price – Papillion LaVista (12) 21-5
4. Gavin Van Driel – Norfolk (12) 26-6
5. Imran Murad – Millard West (12) 34-14
6. Mason Masters – Millard North (11) 34-11
Miles Anderson is looking to become a 3x State Champion! But, standing in his way is
sophomore, Mason Petersen of Columbus, who shocked the State of Nebraska with a gutsy 7-2
decision at the Columbus dual. Cal Price, Gavin Van Driel, and Imran Murad are all seniors and
all are capable of making a major push towards the State Finals. With this being Miles last
State Tournament, I can see him putting on a show in front of the crowd one last time and
getting crowned CHAMPION for the 3rd year in a row.
144:
1. Kevin Boston – Omaha Central (12) 33-3
2. Jace Kennel – North Platte (12) 38-2
3. Tanner Hosick – Bellevue West (12) 35-5
4. Braedyn Rakes – Lincoln East (12) 47-5
5. Danny Gonzalez – Millard South (11) 25-15
6. Phoenix Burt – Omaha Burke (11) 30-2
New number 1 after districts, Kevin Boston beat former number 1 Braedyn Rakes in the district
finals by a score of 9-4. Jace Kennel has been on a terror and hasn’t lost since January 6th. I
picked him to score a slight upset over Tanner Hosick in the semi’s. I have Gonzalez and Burt
wrestling in the quarters and then again for 5th and 6th – both times won close by Gonzalez. I
wouldn’t be surprised if Ben McAllister wins match 1051 and makes a strong push towards a
State Medal.
150:
1. Logan Glynn – Millard South (11) 42-6
2. Dane Arrants – Grand Island (12) 25-6
3. LaBrian Parker – Bellevue East (12) 36-4
4. Ethan Jackson – North Platte (12) 20-4
5. Kaden Brownlow – Columbus (12) 34-15
6. Joe Novero – Creighton Prep (10) 37-13
Logan Glynn has been the unanimous number 1 at this weight since the season started. As the
returning State Champion, he has gone undefeated in Nebraska this year including wins over
Parker, Brownlow and Novero. Arrants has had a great season as well, and I’m picking him to
make the finals over Parker of Bellevue East. Those two have not wrestled this year, but Grand
Island will need that win if they want to get into the top team spot. Novero will be looking to get
much needed points for Prep.
157:
1. Sterling Sindelar – Papillion LaVista (11) 31-6
2. Lathan Huntsman – North Platte (11) 27-3
3. Sam Nachtigal – Kearney (11) 42-8
4. Harrell Jackson – Millard West (12) 33-11
5. Kasen Grape – Columbus (12) 19-7
6. Jordan Juma – Bryan (12) 43-9
With the absence of Aburumuh at districts, this weight class got a whole lot more exciting!
Sindelar came through the A1 district and filled in the Aburumuh void with an unbeaten record
and a district championship. I picked Lathan Huntsman to defeat Harrell Jackson in the
opposite semi’s from Sindelar and Nactigal. Juma and Grape lose in the quarters, but bounce
back in the consolations and come home with State medals.
165:
1. Henry Reilly – Millard South (12)
2. Jaeston Delano – Columbus (10)
3. Will Manning – Lincoln Southwest (9)
4. Taj Wilson – Kearney – (11)
5. Nolan Ienn – Gretna (12)
6. TJ Johnson – Millard North (12)
I have this weight being a rematch of the A1 district final won by Henry Reilly. Reilly is looking
to become a State Champion this year after a heartbreaking loss in the State Finals last year.
Just a sophomore, Delano is looking to play spoiler. Will Manning is looking to make a strong
push through the consolations after dropping in the semi’s to Delano. Ienn from Gretna put
himself into medal consideration with a strong showing at the A4 district. TJ Johnson could lose
his first match and then come all the way back through for a State medal!
175:
1. Noah Blair – Millard West (12) 29-2
2. Hudson Waldow – Norfolk (12) 32-4
3. Brody Wilson – Papillion LaVista South (12) 38-5
4. Joe Andreasen – Lincoln Pius (11) 29-4
5. JT Smith – Creighton Prep (9) 33-6
6. Tanner Fuller – Millard South (12) 32-20
This will be the second straight weight class that is a rematch of the district finals. Noah Blair is
the Princeton commit, and he is looking to become a 3x State Champion! He won in the district
finals by a score of 21-6. Wilson looks to stay undefeated against his district foes and bounces
back to 3rd place after losing a close match in the semi’s to Waldow. JT Smith and Tanner
Fuller wrestle in the first round and then again for 5th and 6th place.
190:
1. Sam Andres – Lincoln Pius X (12) 38-0
2. Adonis Bonar – Creighton Prep (11) 40-5
3. Hudson Oliver – Grand Island (11) 23-2
4. Jaeden Thompson – Norfolk (11) 29-4
5. Xavier Albertson – North Platte (12) 13-4
6. Kylonn Haynie – Omaha Central (9) 25-6
Sam Andres is putting together one of the most dominating performances in Class A history!
He is 38-0 and 37 of the 38 wins have come by way of pinfall. The only other win was by forfeit
in the Mt. Michael dual. Not only does he have 37 pins, but only 5 wrestlers have made it out of
the 1st period! This dude is not messing around! Standing in his way is Prep junior, Adonis
Bonar. Bonar is a national Greco Champion, and he’s going to need some of that magic if he
wants to take down Andres. Hudson Oliver is also no slouch! Him and Bonar will wrestle in the
semi’s on the opposite side of Andres. I have Jaeden Thompson making it to the semi’s against
Andres, which guarantees him a spot on the podium. Xavier Albertson only has a handful of
matches, and I have him losing a close first round match up with Grant Schwerdtfeger of Lincoln
East, but coming back through the back side to place in the top 6.
215:
1. Caeden Olin – Millard South (12) 41-2
2. Justyce Hostetler – Grand Island (12) 27-3
3. Sawyer Schilke – Kearney (11) 27-5
4. Michael Novero – Creight Prep (9) 8-3
5. Preston Wagner – Fremont (10) 29-6
6. John Bloomquist – Columbus (12) 22-10
Caeden Olin and Justyce Hostetler have been on a collision course since last year’s State
Finals. In that match, Olin won 12-4. Since that match, both guys have dominated Class A and
the State of Nebraska. Now, they again find themselves on opposite sides of the bracket for
Part 2! Kearney’s Schilke is only a junior and should find himself in the same semi’s as
Hostetler, and the only other time they met this year was when Hostetler won in the dual at the
Fracas by a score of 5-4. Expect more fireworks in their semi’s match! If freshman Michael
Novero can get past his opening round match, he has a chance to make it all the way to the
semi’s! Doing so would guarantee him a spot on the medal stand. Preston Wagner has been in
the rankings all year, but he gets the bad end of the stick with having to go through Olin and
Schilke.
285:
1. Tyson Terry – Omaha North (11) 40-0
2. Zach Pittman – Grand Island (12) 37-4
3. Logan Holtmeyer – Papillion LaVista (10) 30-5
4. Aidan Miller – Millard South (12) 19-10
5. Cooper Johnson – Lincoln Southeast (12) 38-3
6. Roberto Macias-Sidzyik – Creighton Prep (9) 23-11
Tyson Terry is unblemished on the year and is set to make his third trip to the State Finals. Only
two matches have gone the distance for Tyson Terry, and he is a machine on the mat! He took
care of Zach Pittman in the district finals 12-1, and I expect the two to meet up again in the
State Finals on Saturday. Pittman will have to try to tackle Cooper Johnson of Lincoln
Southeast in the quarters before wrestling Aidan Miller of Millard South in the semi’s. In the
3rd/4th place match, it will be a repeat of the district finals where Miller used a front headlock
trip to take down Holtmeyer. I have Holtmeyer winning round 2, however.