The Blair High School girls wrestling coaches told their Bears they wouldn't have to practice Saturday if they swept through their 2 River Ruckus duals on Friday night.
“And they asked me if they could have practice tomorrow,” head coach Terry Bellamy said. “That's an example of a team that is together. They want to win. They want to compete.”
It's the kind of mindset that led BHS to a 3-0 sweep of Arlington, Fort Calhoun and Logan View on their home mats.
“We've been wrestling really well lately and that was our expectation coming in,” Bellamy said.
The Bears knocked off Logan View 69-12, Arlington 61-18 and Fort Calhoun 57-15, claiming the 2 River Ruckus traveling trophy.
“It felt really good having our team win on Senior Night,” 12th-grader Siena Smith said. “Everybody did their best.”
She went 2-0, earning a 12-3 major decision against Logan View in her first match of the day.
“It's low-key tiring just fighting through it for that long, but, in the end, it's worth it,” Smith said.
Blair senior Jo Inget also claimed a contested victory against Logan View as did Kara Rodriguez, Reata Malmberg and Katie Wheeler.
Against Arlington, Madi James, Rodriguez, Malmberg, Himes, Stevie Avila, Wheeler, Bella Borges and senior Jaslyn Raymond all secured pins. Emma Belnog secured a 14-4 major decision as well.
Belnog's second win of the day came against Fort Calhoun's Madi Larrick, who built a lead against the Bear. It just didn't stand as Coach Bellamy's wrestler reversed her fortunes and secured a pin.
“Emma coming up off of the bottom was big,” he said.
James had another big Blair win against Fort Calhoun, knocking off previously unbeaten Beckah Gossman. The 9-4 decision was accompanied by pins earned by Lily Warren, Smith, Wheeler and senior Ali Wheeler, too.
Bellamy said the Bears were confident going into the four-team quadrangular based on the tough competition they'd faced previously, earning their strengths.
“Records are only records and we talk about that all of the time with our girls,” he said, noting their improvements even in defeat.
While it was Senior Night for his girls team, Bellamy also acknowledge the contributions of his underclassmen during the Ruckus.
“We've got six seniors on that team and there's only three stepping on the mat right now, and we've got a lot of youngins that are filling in gaps,” he explained. “They're fearless.”
Pioneers earned 11 contested wins
Fort Calhoun lost two of its three duals during Friday's Ruckus, but earned the second-most contested match victories across them. While Blair secured 20, the Pioneers earned 11.
Annaleigh McLaughlin, FCHS' 105-pounder, earned three wins by herself. She had three pins, claiming her quickest in just 17 seconds against Arlington — a 42-35 dual loss, according to trackwrestling.com.
“I just really try to think about what I want to do,” McLaughlin said of her strategy going into matches. “I try not to tie-up when I go. I just try to shoot straightaway.”
Shots can lead to what the Pioneer calls her “signature move” — the half-nelson.
“It's what I do almost every match,” McLaughlin explained. “So, I make sure I try to get her flat and get to that.”
In addition to the 105-pounder's quick pin against the Eagles, Calhoun's Anna Rae Hartline, Beckah Gossman and Emma Ochoa-Gomez secured pins during the dual. Madi Larrick also secured a 15-0 technical fall in her season debut after an injury held her out all of December.
The Pioneers added three pins during a short, 51-24 dual win against Logan View as well. McLaughlin and Bella McLaughlin notched one apiece, while Aundrea Gutierrez took just 25 seconds for her's.
“I'm super proud of her,” Annaleigh McLaughlin said of Gutierrez. “She works so hard in practice.”
Against Blair, however, FCHS took home three more wins in defeat. Ochoa-Gomez notched a decision to go with the falls earned by McLaughlin and Hartline.
Eagles go 2-1 at Blair
The Arlington girls wrestling team went 2-1 during the 2 River Ruckus quadrangular in Blair, but coach Layne Laaker wasn't satisfied.
The Eagles beat both Logan View (48-36) and Fort Calhoun (42-35), but did so with a larger overall lineup, scoring a lot of their team points by forfeit.
“Didn't perform like I thought we would coming into it,” Laaker said. “On paper — and that's on paper — I thought we had a good chance of coming in and winning it.”
Injuries and weight management issues impacted AHS' showing, too, he explained, but there were bright spots. Senior Kelise Krivohlavek earned an noteworthy pin against Blair senior Ali Wheeler, for example.
“She just continues to get better,” Laaker said of Krivohlavek. “She works her butt off and she does everything I ask of her.”
The Eagles' Dianna Flores also picked up a pair of victories, securing pins against Fort Calhoun and BHS.
“Dianna is coming along,” Laaker noted. “She's getting some of her confidence back.”
He appreciated the shots the wrestler took and delivered on for takedowns Friday.
Additionally, Rylie Kyllo and Sofie Lewis earned Arlington match wins during the Ruckus. Kyllo secured two pins, while Sofie Lewis had one.
