Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Trevor Ryschon ties his opponent up during District competition last weekend. Though the Longhorns had a great season, there are no statebound wrestlers this year.
No state tournament qualifiers this year for the Kimball High wrestling team despite some outstanding efforts by the Longhorn squad, according to coach Wade Brashear.
"The NSAA C-4 District Tournament in Valentine turned out to be a great competitive tournament full of excitement and heart break," said Brashear. "Our goal was to wrestle our best matches at the end of the season and in some matches, we did just that, showing vast improvement from the beginning of the year. This district proved once again to be one of the toughest in the state. Trevor Ryschon made it to the semi-finals at 120 where he wrestled well but was ultimately beaten. The heartbreak round (matches to qualify for state) turned out to be just as labeled, for us. Jordan Cluff at 106, Ryschon at 120 and Eric Escajeda, at 285, were all beaten in that crucial round."
Cluff ended up going 2-2 at 106. Ryschon at 120 was 1-2. Garrett Pedersen at 126, a state qualifier a year ago, failed to make the return trip, also going 1-2. Jaden Mohr at 132 was 0-2. Isaak Glanz at 170 was 0-2. Stephen Bateman at 182 was 1-2. Escajeda, the lone senior on the team, went 2-2 at 282.
Brashear went on to say, "As a team, we need to get physically stronger, and more wrestling savvy. We are young and with the exception of losing a four-year senior in Eric Escajeda, we return everyone else. We will continue to grind, practicing in the spring, and attending several national tournaments along with attending summer wrestling camps. We look to be a better team next year, but like any other sport, this will all take a lot of work."