Bears win EMC Duals title

Larsen recognized as conference's Outstanding Wrestler

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The third-round wrestling dual between Blair and Waverly came down to a thorough review of the rulebook.
After Luke Frost's 8-3 decision win tied the Bears' matchup with the Vikings at 39, a long discussion followed with a decision coming several minutes later. BHS had two fewer forfeits Friday night at Waverly High School and earned the tiebreaker, keeping its Eastern Midlands Conference Duals Tournament title hopes alive.
Coach Erich Warner's team then delivered on those hopes, besting Elkhorn North and second-place Bennington, 36-33, for the conference championship. It was the Bears' second-straight EMC duals title.
In its final matchup of the event, Blair won eight of the 14 bouts contested against the Badgers. Bears Charlie Powers, Dylan Berg, Dane Larsen and Lance Hume earned pins, while Yoan Camejo, Braden Hanson, Dex Larsen and Gabe Gaskill won decisions. Dex Larsen's 5-3 win against highly-ranked, 195-pounder Luke MacDonald helped him earn the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler award.
The Bears also defeated Elkhorn (58-18), Norris (48-23) and Elkhorn North (65-14) to earn the conference crown. In their five overall duals, they won 27 matches by pin. Powers went 5-0 at 145 pounds with five pins in just 7:08, while Hume, Camejo and Berg finished with four victories by fall each.
Powers, Camejo (5-0), Kaden Sears (1-0), Hanson (1-0) and Larsen (2-0) finished their nights in Waverly without a loss. Jesse Loges, Frost, Berg and Hume all suffered just one loss each, while combining for 15 victories.
Blair's season dual record improved to 23-2 with its five EMC wins. The Bennington victory broke the Bears' school record of 22 dual wins set in 2019.
They pushed their new record total to 25 on Saturday.

BHS goes 2-2 in David City
A day after their EMC win, BHS traveled to David City for the Monarch-Scout Dual Tournament. It went 2-2, finishing fifth in the eight-event.
The Bears went 1-2 in their pool with a 58-21 win against Conestoga, but also losses to David City Aquinas (47-22) and Milford (45-29).
For fifth, coach Warner's bested York 40-31 to end on a winning note. Loges broke a 31-31 tie with a
technical fall in the second-to-last match before Frost capped it with his own at 113 pounds.
Loges, Camejo, Dex Larsen and Hume went without a loss during the Saturday dual tournament.

Blair Wrestling