Fort Calhoun boys wrestling coach Drew Welchert stood matside Saturday just minutes before the start of the Class B-1 District Tournament in Crete.
“Hopefully we get enough 'Ws' to punch our ticket,” he said.
His Pioneers sat in the bleachers behind him. TJ DeMilt wasn't the only one with his hair damp with sweat from the warmup.
“I'm really proud of what we've done so far and I'll be proud of what they do today,” Welchert said. “They are ready to go.”
Sure enough, the FCHS wrestlers delivered. Seven earned top-four finishes, advancing onto the NSAA State Boys Wrestling Championships in Omaha. The three-day Class B tournament starts 4 p.m. Thursday at the CHI Health Center.
Senior Alex Schuler will go into the championships as a B-1 District champion. The 190-pounder went 3-0 Saturday, securing his state spot with a 9-1 major decision against Lincoln Northwest's Cooper Floyd during the semifinals round.
In the finals, Schuler — who improved to 29-17 this season — bested 33-10 McCook wrestler Gabe Roberts by 7-4 decision.
Now two-time state qualifier Merritt Olberding earned a district title match Saturday, too. The Fort Calhoun 120-pounder lost to Omaha Skutt's Cole Welte, a former Blair High School wrestler, but only after a 3-0 start. He finished a double-leg takedown early during his tournament-opening 17-1 tech fall win before pinning Plattsmouth's Mylus Robison and McCook's Tyce Hammerlun back-to-back.
In addition to two finalists, Fort Calhoun's Lucas DeMilt, Presley Olberding, Levi Lasher, TJ DeMilt and Ray Caruso won consolation semifinals to earn their state spots. Lucas DeMilt was third at 106 pounds, going 3-1 with an 11-10 decision victory against Omaha Skutt's Conner Cooper in the third-place match.
Presley Olberding was 3-1, too, taking third at 126 pounds. He claimed a 12-1 major decision to secure the second state qualification of his career and won the third-place match by 12-5 decision.
Lasher, meanwhile, advances onto state at 138 pounds. The fourth-place finisher overcame a 5-4 loss in his first match to win the next two before advancing through to the third-place match by medical forfeit. The senior is 26-21 overall.
TJ DeMilt is 34-20 for Coach Welchert's squad, securing his state spot at 157 pounds with a 3-2 district record. After a loss during the semifinals, he beat Elkhorn's Colton Nowaczyk by 7-2 decision to move onto Omaha.
Caruso secured his 175-pound Class B qualification with a 44-second pin of Elkhorn's Tucker Tollefson. The 9-8 Pioneer finished fourth after a tight, 5-3 loss to Gretna's Brody Silva in his final match of the day.
Before a single bout Saturday, though, Coach Welchert said FCHS focuses on physical, but also mental preparation for days like the district tournament.
“We work on that through the year and we really hammered it home the last two or three weeks especially,” he said. “You do things one at a time. One match at a time is a big deal right now.”
Seven Pioneers' next match will come Thursday in Omaha in front of thousands in the crowd.
CLASS B-1 DISTRICT TOURNAMENT
Saturday at Crete High school
Team standings: Omaha Skutt 258 points, Plattsmouth 138.5, McCook 125.5, Fort Calhoun 123, Gretna East 115, Lincoln Christian 113.5, Lexington 104, Gretna 70, Crete 60.5, Lincoln Northwest 59, Elkhorn 54.5, Lincoln Standing Bear 9.5.
Fort Calhoun Results (top-4 placers qualify for state)
(Weight, wrestler: Tourney record (overall record), place)
106 pounds, Lucas DeMilt: 3-1 (28-16), third.
113, Kasyn Storm: 0-2 (8-18), NA.
120, Merritt Olberding: 3-1 (39-8), second.
126, Presley Olberding: 3-1 (34-12), third.
132, Rocco Ruma: 1-2 (8-14), NA.
138, Levi Lasher: 3-2 (26-21), fourth.
150, Seth Waters: 2-2 (12-22), NA.
157, TJ DeMilt: 3-2 (34-20), fourth.
165, Beau Ruma: 0-2 (8-22), NA.
175, Ray Caruso: 3-2 (9-8), fourth.
190, Alex Schuler: 3-0 (29-17), first.
285, Nathan Duros: 1-2 (22-23), NA.
