Three Arlington wrestlers earned top-four finishes Friday during the Jack Murray Invite at Ashland-Greenwood.
Trey Hill and Collin Burdess claimed third-place results for the 10th-place Eagles, while 113-pounder Aiden McDuffee took fourth. AHS scored 39 points overall during the 10-team tournament, while first-place Nebraska City notched 180.5 and second-place Plattsmouth scored 166.
McDuffee won his first match of the night, but lost the semifinal, setting up an elimination match in the consolation semis. Motivated by his adult brother Devin's attendance, he won a 9-2 decision and reached the third-place match of his weight class.
“Made me really think, 'Just fight. Keep going at it. Don't stop,'” McDuffee said of his brother's Friday night impact.
The 113-pounder did eventually drop his third-place match by 4-0 decision, though Hill and Burdess won their's. Hill won his 106-pound finale by second-period pin, capping a 2-1 night.
Burdess, meanwhile, finished with three pins during a 3-1 182-pound run in Ashland. The Arlington senior won his consolation semifinal in just 35 seconds before pinning Falls City's Cameron Schramm in 2:42 for third.
The Eagles' Kolton Gilmore also earned a pair of contested match wins during the Jack Murray Invite. The 160-pounder went 2-2 overall, claiming a 4-3 decision and a 9-1 major decision.
Coach Doug Hart's AHS team next competes 4 p.m. Thursday at the Yutan Invitational.
Burdess, Gilmore claim triangular wins
Before traveling south to Ashland, the Arlington Eagles took a trip north to Oakland-Craig High School for a Thursday night triangular. Coach Hart's team went 0-2, falling to both Stanton and the host Knights.
First, AHS dropped a 30-24 dual to Stanton. Of the four contested matches, just Burdess claimed an Eagle win. The senior pinned Mustang Garrett Hansen in 34 seconds to score six team points.
Then, against Oakland-Craig, both Burdess and Gilmore claimed contested match wins. The senior took just another 42 seconds to win his 195-pound bout, while Gilmore, a 170-pounder, pinned Oakland's Landon Hilliard in 1:30.
