Ten area wrestlers earned a trip to next week’s state tournament after qualifying in district action Saturday.
In the B-3 district at Bennington, Wayne finished sixth and qualified three wrestlers to the state tournament. Gage Schultz was a consolation champion at 126 pounds, finishing third with a 9-1 major decision over Brayden Carda of Bennington.
Berto Vergara (195) and Mikey Reyes (220) both earned fourth-place finishes to qualify for state. Schultz will be a four-time qualifier for the Blue Devils, while Reyes earns his second trip to state. Vergara will be a first-time qualifier for Wayne High.
In the C-2 district at Cross County, Wakefield finished seventh and came away with three qualifiers, led by senior district champion Cody Thomas. Thomas improved to 29-0 on the year with a 4-2 decision over Brad Baasch to win the 182-pound title.
Moises Barboza earned district runner-up honors at 220 pounds, while Isaac Verzani finished fourth at 145 pounds to give the Trojans three entries in the state tournament.
Winside placed fifth overall in the D-2 district at Columbus and had four qualifiers for the state tournament. They were led by Koby Ellis, who was a district runner-up at 106 pounds.
Jon Escalante earned consolation honors at 220 pounds, while Sean Mann (126) and Zach Morris (152) both earned fourth-place medals to earn a trip to state.
Laurel-Concord-Coleridge did not have any qualifiers for the state tournament. The Bears came close with three wrestlers in the consolation semifinals, but were unable to get a win in the heartbreak round.
State tournament action starts with Class A and Class D action on Thursday morning at the Century Link Center in Omaha, with Class B and Class C wrestlers competing Thursday afternoon.
