Meyer fifth, Pouk sixth at state wrestling

Perkins County wrestlers were on the mats all three days of this year’s NSAA State Wrestling Championships in Omaha.
Austin Meyer led the way for PCS with a fifth place finish at 220 lbs. Meyer won his opening match by a 10-2 decision, but lost to third-place finisher Kayden Stubbs (47-3) of Maxwell.
In the consolation rounds, Austin Meyer kept his season alive with a 9-7 win over Pleasanton’s Grant Hawkins (26-15) then advanced to the medal round with a 3-2 decision over Dax Doememann (31-19) of Guardian Angels Central Catholic.
Southwest’s Clayton Hardy (41-13) beat Austin Meyer 3-0 to send him to the fifth place match where Austin Meyer beat Cale Buss (26-15) of Burwell.
Despite being injured, Colton Pouk was also wrestling Saturday. At 145 lbs., Pouk won his opening match with a first-round pin over Burwell’s Cody Mayfield (20-11). Pouk’s quarterfinal opponent was eventual state runner up Art Escalante (41-4) of Winside. The loss to Escalante by third-period pin, sent Pouk to the consolation rounds where he beat Stanton’s Damien Erickson (31-17) by pin. Pouk took on Mullen’s Chase Gracey (39-18) with a medal on the line and won with a 7-2 decision. Pouk took on a familiar foe, Sutherland’s Samuel Foster (54-5) in the consolation semis, losing by fall late in the first period. Pouk battled Southern Valley’s Mason Noel (41-10) into the third period of the fifth place match, but was pinned in the third period.
Mason Toner at 126 lbs and Juan Perez and Ashton Meyer at 285 lbs. each finished one win short of a medal.
Toner lost his first round match with a third-period pin, but came back to win back-to-back matches by decision before a third-period loss ended his tournament.
Perez lost his first match to the eventual state runner up. In the consolation rounds, Perez won two matches, each by 3-1 decisions, but missed out on a medal with an 11-5 loss.
Ashton Meyer won his first match 5-2. After a 3-1 loss in the quarterfinals on a take down with seconds left in the match, Ashton Meyer won with a second-period pin. His season would end when he was pinned with seconds left in his consolation quarterfinal’s match.
Tony Lyon lost both his 120 lb. matches by decision, the first to Twin Loup’s Ethan Kipp (33-8) and the second to Wilcox-Hildreth’s Graiden Ritner (34-18).
Regional results
    The RPAC and SPVA conferences were well represented in Class D at Omaha.
    Southern Valley’s Braxton Hammond beat Alma’s Carter Brandyberry for the Class D 106 lb championship.
    Sutherland’s Cauy Kohl was the runner up at 126 lbs. and teammate Matt Bruns was fourth at 132 lbs.
    Sutherland’s team championship was helped along by championships at 138 lbs. and 152 lbs. by Jon Peterka and Hunter Cook, respectively. Each had undefeated seasons.
    Southwest’s Jacob Kerns at 132 lbs. and Cole Broeker of Southern Valley at 138 lbs were both sixth.
    The 145 lb. bracket was full of local athletes. Sutherland’s Samuel Foster was fourth. Mason Noel of Southern Valley beat Perkins County’s Colton Pouk in the fifth-place match.
    Arapahoe’s Tristan White was third at 152 lbs.
    Bridgeport’s Steven Menke won the 160 lb. championship.
    Kyler Gaston of Hitchcock County was fifth at 170 lbs.
    Cambridge’s Julien Grindle was sixth in the 182 lb. bracket.
    At 195 lbs., Hitchcock’s Keegan Shuler was fourth.
    Sutherland’s Gavin White won 220 lbs. Maxwell’s Isaac Stubbs beat Southwest’s Clayton Hardy in the third-place match. Perkins County’s Austin Meyer placed fifth.
    Arapahoe’s Levi Kerner capped off an undefeated season and the tournament with a win in the 285 lb. championship match.
    From McCook, Alex Anthony placed fifth. The Bison’s Makayla Pate advanced to the championship match of the girls’ 152 lb. bracket.
    In the first year of NSAA sanctioned girls’ wrestling, 144 girls qualified across 12-weight brackets in one class.
    The girls took to the mat Friday. Their championship matches were mixed in the with boys’ matches Saturday. Across the four classes of boys’ championship matches, boys would wrestle five-weight brackets before four girls’ matches until the end of the meet.
Results of last week’s meets are as follows:
State championships
Team scores—1. Sutherland, 141.0; 2. Mullen, 93.0; 3. Winside, 92.0; 4. Thayer Central, 72.0; 5. Plainview, 71.5; 6. Pleasanton, 61.0; 7. Burwell, 60.0; 8. Howells-Dodge, 58.0; 9. Arapahoe, 56.0; 9. Southern Valley, 56.0; 20. Perkins County, 31.0.
Indivdual results:
120—Tony Lyon (20-19) lost by decision to Ethan Kipp (Twin Loup), dec 15-9; lost by major decision Graiden Ritner (Wilcox-Hildreth), MD 10-1.
126—Mason Toner (29-19) lost by fall to Carter Beckman (Elgin Public/Pope John), fall 3:48; won by decision over Keller Twohig (Franklin), dec 11-7; won by decision over Carter VanPelt (Southwest), dec 2-1; lost by fall to Ted Hemmingsen (Riverside), fall 4:56.
145­—Colton Pouk (28-9) won by fall over Cody Mayfield (Burwell), fall 0:49; lost by fall to Art Escalante (Winside), fall 4:52; won by fall over Damien Erickson (Stanton), fall 4:17; won by decision over Chase Gracey (Mullen), dec 7-2; lost by fall to Samuel Foster (Sutherland), fall 1:48; 5th Place Match - lost by fall to Mason Noel (Southern Valley), fall 4:00.
220­—Austin Meyer (30-13) won by major decision over Wyatt Chipps (Summerland), MD 10-2; lost by tie breaker to Kayden Stubbs (Maxwell), TB-1 7-1; won by major decision over Grant Hawkins (Pleasanton), MD 12-1; won by decision over Dax Doernemann (Guardian Angels Central Catholic), dec 3-2; lost by decision to Clayton Hardy (Southwest), dec 3-0; 5th Place Match - won by fall over Cale Buss (Burwell), fall 2:48.
285—Juan Perez (21-12) lost by decision to Jordy Baland (Doniphan-Trumbull), dec 3-2; won by decision over Andrew Koehlmoos (St. Mary’s), dec 3-1; won by decision over George Fraher (Guardian Angels Central Catholic), dec 3-1; lost by decision to JySeann Pugh (Pleasanton), dec 11-5.
285—Ashton Meyer (30-11) won by decision over Syrus Snow (Hi-Line), dec 5-2; lost by decision to Thomas Psota (Ravenna), dec 3-1; won by fall over Tyler Dawe (Burwell), fall 2:34; lost by fall to Logan Mueller (Summerland), fall 4:54.