HCHS captures team title at T-C Wrestling Invite

 NEOLA (Jan. 11) -- Despite not having an individual champion, Harlan Community won Saturday’s Tri-Center Wrestling Invitational by placing in 12 out of 14 weight classes and outscoring 17 other teams.
 Led by a pair of runner-up wrestlers in freshman Zane Bendorf (160) and junior Jesse Schwery (220), HCHS scored 182 points to record its first tournament title of the season. Missouri Valley placed second with a total of 163.5, followed by Platteview (145), Kuemper Catholic (140) and Westwood (135).
 “The competition was the best it has been since we’ve been going to this tournament," stated HCHS coach John Murtaugh. "Our performance wasn’t pretty but winning ugly is better than losing. Once again, our nemesis was the semifinal round - we only won two out of nine matches. We need to find a way to get over that hump.”
 Murtaugh called Saturday the “coming out party” for Zane Bendorf, who went 3-1 with a pin to place second. “He defeated the second and third-seeded wrestlers to reach the finals,” said Murtaugh. “In the championship match, he took on the ninth-ranked kid in 1A [Nodaway Valley’s Austin Wilson] and had him on the ropes before losing a close decision. Very impressive.”
 Jesse Schwery finished 3-1 with two pins en route to his second-place finish. He lost to Kuemper’s Cal Wanninger 9-6 in the finals.
 Five Cyclones placed third and went either 3-1 or 2-1 on the day: Luke Musich at 120, Ethan Lemon (132), Dalton McKinley (145), Carter Bendorf (182) and Nathan Henry (195). Lemon’s only loss was an overtime decision and Murtaugh noted that Musich also had a good day.
 “He was in the toughest weight class of the tournament,” Murtaugh said.
 Wyatt Obrecht (138) and Jeremiah Davis (285) both placed fourth for HCHS - both Davis losses coming by medical forfeit. Thomas Frederick placed fifth at 170 but notched three pins after losing his first-round match to the eventual champion. Sammy Schmitz (106) and Luke Freund (113) placed sixth.

 
 

 

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