6 Eagles earn, but drop finals matches at Ashland tourney

AHS boys wrestling team finishes 4th overall

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Six Arlington wrestlers reached their weight class finals Friday during the Jack Murray Wrestling Invite in Ashland, but they hit the wall there.
All six Eagles earned second as coach Doug Hart's boys team finished fourth overall during the 11-team tournament. AHS totaled 150 team points, while Plattsmouth secured the team title over the host Bluejays with 209.5. Elkhorn Mount Michael was third with 189.5 points, too.
Haydn Hegemann wrestled Arlington's first finals match Friday, falling by pin to Ashland-Greenwood 113-pounder Archer Ferguson. Before that, though, the Eagle was 3-0 with two pins — including a 17-second effort in his first match — and a 7-6 decision in the semifinals against Omaha Buena Vista's Alex Carrasco.
Jake Flesner wrestled for a bracket win at 120 pounds, too, but fell short. He was 2-1 overall with a 15-0 technical fall and a first-period pin.
At 126 pounds, Arlington's Braxton Soll (9-1 overall) suffered his first loss of the season against Cash Stanek of North Bend Central. Prior to that, however, the Eagle was 3-0 with two pins and a 12-5 decision against 14-2 Plattsmouth wrestler Deacon Finn.
Cameron Hancock was unsuccessful in his 132-pound finals match, but had to win three matches to earn it, too. The 13-5 grappler secured two first-period pins and earned a semifinals fall against Ashland's RJ Goff in 5:45.
AHS' Ben Flesner pinned his way to the 165-pound title match, too, but dropped it to Mount Michael's Aaron Duran by 14-7 decision. The Eagle's quickest pin of Friday's tournament was a 44-second effort during the quarterfinals round.
Tate Johannes, meanwhile, had Arlington's best chance for a weight class title at 190 pounds. He battled Holdrege's Chase Bailey into overtime, but lost 2-1 by ultimate tie breaker. The AHS standout claimed his first-place match appearance with a pin and a 16-0 technical fall.
Non-finalists Cameron Wirsen (one win), Tanner Kyllo (three), Brayden Nath (one), Stokely Lewis (two), Tucker Jorgensen (two) and Zane Gerrish (two) earned Arlington victories in Ashland, too, but fell short of the top-four podium.
The Eagles next wrestle 4 p.m. Thursday during the Yutan Invitational.

Eagles win duals
The Arlington Eagles wrestled Thursday, too, winning a pair of duals in Oakland.
AHS beat Stanton 39-35 first before a 54-15 victory against the hometown Oakland-Craig Knights.
Gerrish, Jake Flesner, Soll and Johannes all had pins against the Mustangs. Lewis also claimed a contested victory at 175 pounds, winning a 6-3 decision.
Against the Knights, though, Arlington needed just three contested victories to easily dispatch the undermanned home lineup. Gerrish picked up his second pin of the night, while Kyllo took just 44 seconds to earn his at 150 pounds. Hancock also secured an Eagle pin at 132.

JACK MURRAY WRESLTING INVITE
Friday at Ashland-Greenwood Middle School
BOYS
Team standings: Plattsmouth 209.5, Ashland-Greenwood 191.5, Elkhorn Mount Michael 189.5, Arlington 150, Nebraska City 136.5, Omaha Buena Vista 127, North Bend Central 114, Holdrege 92, Centura 23, MVAOCOU 17.5, Omaha Westview 17.
Top-6 Arlington placers: 2, Haydn Hegemann, 113 pounds. 2, Jake Flesner, 120. 2, Braxton Soll, 126. 2, Cameron Hancock, 132. 2, Ben Flesner, 165. 2, Tate Johannes, 190.

Arlington Boys Wrestling