Nebraska-Kearney left little doubt as they defeated Fort Hays State on Sunday to claim the MIAA Title outright. The Lopers used five bonus point wins to take charge in a 29-12 victory. This is the fourth dual title, and second in a row for Kearney.
The lopers jumped on Fort Hays early on Sunday, with third ranked Josh Portillo raced out to a 21-3 tech fall to start the scoring. Wes Dawkins from Lincoln High continued the scoring as he picked up a :50 fall to push the Kearney lead to Eleven. Fort Hays got on the board in the 141 pound match as Brandon Ball defeated Lincoln Southeast native Jon Killingsworth 7-0. Nick Babcock continued the dominance of bonus point wins, when he defeated Ryne Cokely by Major Decision 13-5. Fort Hays narrowed the gap, as they would win three out of the next four matches. At 157 pounds, Efe Osaghae defeated Alliance native Walker Johnson in a narrow 3-2 decision. 165 pounds saw number one ranked and undefeated Calvin Ochs pick up a fall in 4:33 over Conrad Vajnar. Aryus Jones and Micquille Robinson would win the next two matches by decision to bring the team score within nine points, and keep the upset minded Tigers hopeful. Senior Trey Schlender from Kearney slammed that door when he defeated Ryan Tiers by Tech Fall 15-0. The final match of the day saw number five ranked Jarrod Hinrichs from Filllmore Central win a 7-3 decision over AJ Cooper.
Nebraska Kearney is off for two weeks now as they welcome the NCAA Division 2 regional tournament to their home mats. Action will take place Saturday, February 23rd.
- 125: Josh Portillo win by Tech fall over Broderick Green. (21-3)
- 133: Wes Dawkins Win by Fall over Braden Visnieski. (:50)
- 141: Brandon Ball win by Decision over Jon Killingsworth. (7-0)
- 149: Nick Babcock win by Major Decision over Ryne Cokely. (13-5)
- 157: Efe Osaghae win by Decision over Walker Johnson. (3-2)
- 165: Calvin Ochs win by Fall over Conrad Vajnar. (4:33)
- 174: Aryus Jones win by Decision over Zach Stodden. (11-8)
- 184: Macquille Robinson win by Decision over Isaac Deaton. (9-8)
- 197: Trey Schlender win by Tech Fall over Ryan Tiers. (15-0)
- HWT: Jarrod Hinrichs win by Decision over AJ Cooper. (7-3)