Norfolk’s captures Class A crown; Yutan dominant en route to Class B title
By Sean Trampe – For the Nebraska School Activities Association
After the final whistles blew Wednesday night at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Norfolk and Yutan were left standing above the field in their respective classes. Norfolk claimed the Class A championship on the strength of their seven state medalists. In Class B, Yutan placed three atop the podium to push them to the top of the heap.
For twenty-eight individuals, a season’s investment of time, tears, and trust was cashed out in gold as champions were crowned across fourteen weights in two classes. The championship finals, televised live on Nebraska Public Media, were a phenomenal display of energy, emotion, and excellence.
In a first for girls wrestling, the state championships were held separately from the boys, allowing the entire spotlight to shine on the ladies competing in the nation’s fastest-growing high school sport. If there were any questions on how well attended this event would be, they were put to rest quickly. The stands were full and the fans were loud in appreciation of the display put on by all competitors. Over the two-day event, over 16,000 fans came through the turnstiles to witness the spectacle, and things could not have gone better.
Individual Brackets | Team Results
Class A: Panthers Pocket Seven Medals, Pile Up Points in Championship Run
Winning a team championship takes a total team effort, and that is what Norfolk got from their squad in Omaha. All ten Panthers scored points to contribute to the team’s total effort, propelling them to the top of the leaderboard Wednesday night. That sort of production was nothing new for Norfolk.
“That style of tournament win really is the story of our season,” Norfolk coach Andrew Stowe said. “All year we got quality wrestling from top to bottom in our line up, and really speaks to the depth of our team and our practice room.
“The state tournament is a two day grind, so continuing to keep the right mindset and push forward is huge. This championship was a total team effort where everyone contributed and that is all you can hope for as a coach.”
Norfolk – which scored 142 points for the meet – trailed eventual runner-up Omaha Westside after day one, but turned things on in a big way on the final day of wrestling. The initial deficit wasn’t completely unexpected, Stowe said.
“At the end of day one I told the girls we are right where we need to be as a team,” the coach noted. “Out of 18 matches on the first day I thought we had two matches we probably should have won that got away from us.
“We knew it was going to be a battle through the end of the tournament, so we stressed the importance of focusing on the match in front of you. Never focus on the big picture, that will take care of itself. The girls and our coaching staff do a great job of keeping the mood light and having fun. We have a team that just loves to compete, and any day you get the chance to step on the mat is a good day.”
Despite just having one individual champion – Victoria Maxey at 145 pounds – the Panthers brought back five more wrestlers through the consolations and ultimately onto the podium. When asked about his team’s ability to regroup after suffering losses in the championship round, Stowe credited his team’s ability to focus on going and getting the next best thing.
“I understand the heartbreak of getting sent into the wrestlebacks. It is tough to deal with the goal of an individual state championship not being realized, but that is where you prove how mentally tough you are. You still have a chance to earn a state medal, which is a huge accomplishment,” said Stowe.
“These girls did everything I asked of them as a coach this season.”
Class A Notebook
Anyia Roberts Claims Hotly Contested A155 Crown
All eyes were on the Class A155 final on Wednesday evening, as two defending state champions took the mat. In the end, Grand Island’s Anyia Roberts finished out a stellar career with a second consecutive state championship, defeating two-time champ Zoey Barber by a score of 7-3.
Omaha Westview Celebrates First, Second Wrestling Champions
Omaha Westviews upstart program got a huge lift this week. The Wolverines crowned two state champions in Kalynn Lyons (A130) and Audre Herron (A235). Both Lyons and Herron beat returning state champions in their finals matches to help lead Westview to an eighth place team finish.
Lincoln Public Schools Shines with Two Top-Five Teams
Folks in Lincoln had plenty to be proud of this week, as both Lincoln East and Lincoln High School earned top-five team finishes at the state tournament. Both schools advanced two wrestlers into the finals and earned multiple additional medals.
Sheer Perfection: Six Class A Wrestlers Cap Off Undefeated Seasons
Among the champions crowned in Class A were six wrestlers who didn’t drop a single match all season long. At 105, South Sioux City’s Madelynn Bohnet won a battle of unbeatens in the final bout. Mia Anderson ended her remarkable freshman campaign unbeaten with a pin in the finals. Beatrice’s Morgan Maschmann picked up a 10-0 decision in her last high school match to stay perfect. Kayden Sipp of Adams Central went a perfect 40-0 to win her second straight title. At 145, Norfolk’s Victoria Maxey celebrated an undefeated season to go along with her team’s championship. Finally, at 190, Nebraska City sophomore Makayla Vasser earned a 15-0 technical fall in the championship bout to pick up her first championship in her second straight state final.
Class B: Three Gold Medalists Lead Chieftains to Championship
Yutan was able to realize their dream of winning a team championship with a dominant performance in Omaha. The Chieftains added three more state champions to their school’s already impressive legacy in cruising to the Class B team title 130-97 over runner-up Columbus Lakeview.
Sophomore Addisyn Darling won the Class B title at 110 lbs, with teammates Aubrie Pehrson (125) and Jordyn Campbell (130) also taking home individual crowns. This was Campbell’s second straight championship. The junior grappler will have a shot at a third next season. For Pehrson, the win in her final match ends a historic career with over 200 wins and three state titles.
Aside from the champions, Yutan placed another two wrestlers on the medal stand in Alexis Pehrson (3rd at 135) and Amalea Vaughn-Lantzer (4th at 155).
“It was an absolute pleasure to coach this team,” Yutan coach Dan Krajicek said. “When you have a group of girls in the room that work as hard as they do, want to be coached, and they all get along with each other, it was easy to see this coming for them.
“I had to pull them back more than push them. When everyone you wrestle with every day is a stud, I wanted to just make sure they didn’t wear out.”
Still, not every moment was easy for Yutan. The Chieftains overcame a loss by Alexis Pehrson in the semifinals to eventual 135 pound champion Ambie Custard of Southwest.
“This is a brutal sport and things happen, sometimes out of your control,” Krajicek said. “Alexis’ loss was heartbreaking, but it doesn’t define who she is as a competitor. She wrestled like a champion. It speaks to what an amazing young woman she is that she was still dealing with the emotions of losing and came out and pinned her way back to 3rd place.”
So what was the secret to Yutan’s success?
“They are competitors to the bone,” he said. “That is internal and can’t be coached so while I’d like to say us coaches had a small role in their success, we were just along for the ride.”
Class B Notebook
Prado Stays Perfect, Ends Career with Third Gold
Johnson County Central senior Jocelyn Prado entered the state tournament on a 110-match win streak. She added four more to that in Omaha, capping off a second straight undefeated season and ending her career with 114 straight wins.
Lakeview Lands a Team Trophy
The Lakeview girls wrestled their way to a runner-up finish at the state tournament. The Vikings’ 97 team points were 18 better than third place Conestoga. Four Lakeview wrestlers earned spots on the podium, led by senior Lacy Lemburg’s championship performance at 120 lbs. Also medaling were Meredith Bargen (4th, 115), Emma Glendy (3rd, 125) and Emma Finecy (3rd, 170).
Road to Recovery, Redemption: Southwest’s Ambie Custard Ends Career on Top
Life hasn’t always gone the way Southwest Senior Ambie Custard had envisioned. As a sophomore, she finished as the state runner-up for McCook High School. The following year, she suffered a severe injury and was unable to compete. After a season off for recovery, and a transfer back to Southwest (where she started her career as a freshman), Custard came into Omaha undefeated, but drew the fourth seed as a non-qualifier the year prior.
That pitted her against top-ranked Alexis Pehrson in Wednesday afternoon’s semifinals. The two previously met in the 2023 state championship bout, won by Pehrson. This time, it was Custard who prevailed, and she followed up her semifinal win with a 9-3 decision in the championship match to put a stamp on her undefeated season.
Unstoppable: Six Class B Wrestlers Complete Perfect Seasons
For six Class B wrestlers, the gold medal earned Wednesday night has some shiny company at home. A half-dozen wrestlers capped off undefeated seasons with their wins in Omaha. The aforementioned Prado and Custard were joined by Cozad’s Abby Negley (105), Yutan’s Jordyn Campbell (130), Hayley Rusher (145) of Chase County and Addison Arvdal (190) of Sutherland. These ladies proved to be unstoppable all season long.
Sean Trampe was the 2007 Class C state champion at 103 pounds for Ord High School. He was a coach at Conestoga for 10 seasons and joined the team at NEWrestle last year. Since 2016, the website has become Nebraska’s most in-depth source for wrestling coverage in the state.
Editor Tony Chapman is a freelance writer based in Grand Island. He has written for multiple Nebraska daily and weekly newspapers. His weekly Harvest Sports Newsletter covers a wide variety of Nebraska prep sports.