Expectations met

Blair wrestlers earn EMC Dual Tournament title

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The NSWCA's Class B No. 2 Blair wrestling team entered the Eastern Midlands Conference Dual Tournament on Friday with two prime targets.
“Definitely Bennington and Waverly,” Bears senior Landon Templar said. “They were the top two I wanted to face.”
While BHS would go on to decimate Elkhorn, Elkhorn North and Norris by a combined score of 207-18, it expected and got stiffer tests from both the No. 3 Badgers and No. 6 host Vikings.
“We've been doing extra conditioning just for them all week,” Templar said. “They're good teams, but I think we're just a little bit better.”
He was right. The Bears beat Bennington 42-25 during the third of five rounds before besting Waverly 35-27 in the fifth-round finale.
“Went how we expected,” BHS coach Erich Warner said.
The EMC champions were 5-0 in duals for the night, while the Vikings went 4-1 and Bennington was 3-2. Norris took fourth at 2-3.
After pasting Elkhorn North 71-6 and Elkhorn 70-12, the Bears lost their first three matches against Bennington. Jesse Loges, Tyson Brown and Atticus Dick kept their shoulders off of the mat, though, allowing Brock Templar — the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler — Landon Templar and Yoan Camejo the opportunity to produce a lead during the next three bouts.
First, Brock Templar pinned the Badgers' 138-pounder, Hunter Anderson, in 4:52. The win set up his brother, Landon, at 145.
Was the senior motivated by his freshman sibling?
“Most definitely,” he said. “That kid's a good wrestler in the state for Bennington and Brock put it to him.”
Landon trailed Bennington's AJ Parrish 2-1 through one period, but took him down, chest-to-chest, and pinned him in the second.
“He was really heavy on his hands, so I knew the feel of it and I threw it knowing it was going to work,” Templar said of his winning maneuver. “Just kind of put him away from there.”
Camejo scored the Bears' 18-13 lead with their third-straight pin before Charlie Powers added a technical fall at 160 pounds. Kaden Sears claimed a 10-9 decision at 170 before Noah Kuefler dominated and pinned Jack Jansen in 31 seconds at 182 pounds.
Bennington's Luke MacDonald stopped BHS' winning streak at 195, but Livai Opetaia, Hudson Loges and Luke Frost finished out the team win with their own victories.
The Bears handled Norris next, 66-10, before finally squaring off with their toughest test — Waverly. BHS won nine of the 14 matches, though, clinching the EMC Duals title with back-to-back-to-back wins at 106, 113 and 120 pounds. Hudson Loges' first period pin at 106 pushed Blair's lead to 29-21 before Frost's 5-3 decision boosted the advantage to double figures.
Then, to erase any doubt, Jesse Loges earned a 6-3 decision with just a match to go. The Bears' 35-21 lead was insurmountable and they won by eight.
“The kids were pumped,” Warner said. “They wrestled great, and anytime you beat Waverly and Bennington it's a great night.”

Bears beat Gretna
Before heading to Waverly, though, the Bears battled a former EMC foe on the mat Thursday evening.
Coach Warner's squad won at Gretna, 49-19, claiming team points across 10 of the 14 weight classes. Hudson Loges, Jesse Loges, Dick, Brock Templar and Camejo earned pins, while Frost, Brown, Landon Templar and Sears also won contested matches. Opetaia was awarded six team points by forfeit, too.
Camejo's pin at 160 pounds took just 35 seconds.

BHS caps weekend in Iowa
After Blair traveled to Waverly on Friday, it competed Saturday at Atlantic High School in Iowa. The Bears finished fifth out of 16 teams at the Rollin Dyer Invitational, scoring 139 team points compared to first-place Sergeant Bluff-Luton's 199.5.
Powers led BHS' efforts, earning first at 160 pounds. He won by quarterfinal pin, semifinal tech fall and a 5-2 decision in the finals.
Hudson and Jesse Loges added second-place finishes at 106 and 120 pounds, respectively, while Frost was third at 113.

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