Fort Calhoun sophomores Ely and Lance Olberding qualified for the state tournament as freshman with Ely winning a state championship.
That doesn't mean the brothers peaked as ninth-graders, however.
“They've been able to build a lot this year,” Pioneers coach Drew Welchert said Saturday after his team competed in the Class C1-A Subdistrict Tournament.
“Trey is another,” he added.
Both Olberdings and senior Trey McCoy claimed first-place finishes in David City, earning the opportunity to compete in next Saturday's district tourney in Albion. The FCHS standouts will be joined by Aaron Duros, Grant Nixon, Mason Touring and Jesse Hartline after those Pioneers also claimed top-four finishes.
“We're outpacing other people,” Welchert said.
The subdistrict champs faced tough competition to claim their bracket titles Saturday. McCoy won his first match of the day by third-period pin before earning a 4-3 decision in the 106-pound final against Fillmore Central's Travis Meyer. The Calhoun grappler improved to 27-5 with the win, while Meyer fell to 35-5.
At 113, Ely Olberding (35-2) won his first match by injury default before besting David City's Zach Bongers 7-1 in the finals. The loss was just Bongers' seventh this season.
Lance Olberding, meanwhile, won the 120-pound final by 4-0 decision against 36-4 David City wrestler Simon Schindler. That came after the Pioneer topped 27-7 Boone Central grappler Gavin Dozler 2-1 and pinned Fillmore Central's Dylan Gewecke (34-9 overall) in 1:26.
The four FCHS wrestlers who also qualified for districts combined for four wins Saturday. Hartline was second at 220 pounds, Nixon was third at 182, and Touring and Duros were fourth at 195 and 126, respectively.
Pioneers senior John McKennan also won a match at 132 pounds, but fell short of a district qualification. The subdistrict bouts were his first after he was unable to compete in recent weeks.
Though his career is done, Welchert said McKennan remains a big part of Fort Calhoun's wrestling success moving forward.
“He's a great leader,” the coach said, noting that the senior will remain a key figure in the practice room as the Pioneers continue to build.
