Blair sophomore Hudson Loges started his march to the Council Bluffs Wrestling Classic finals with blood on his teeth.
The 106-pounder scored a technical fall Friday to begin the two-day tournament, but he had to work nearly three full periods to do it.
“I think it's good for me,” Loges said after cleaning up his bloody smile a bit. “I got the first match out of the way and now I'm ready to go.”
The Bear won his 26-wrestler weight class Saturday, propelling the Bears to a sixth-place team finish — a 12-spot improvement from last winter. Overall, 41 schools scored during the regional tourney with Millard South claiming the title inside the Mid-America Center.
“We'll see if I finish at the top,” said Loges, the No. 1 seed, after his first match. “I'm definitely going to work hard and keep the tempo up.”
The 106-pounder went 7-0 in Council Bluffs, capping his tournament with a 7-1 decision against Iowa City West's Alexander Pierce. To get to that point, he'd claimed a tech fall, a pin, three major decisions and a 3-1 win against the champion Patriots' Kiernan Meink in the semifinals.
In addition to Loges, Jesse Loges, Yoan Camejo, Tyson Brown and Kaden Sears earned top-10 finishes. Jesse Loges, Hudson's older brother, was fourth at 138 pounds. The 2022 state finalist went 5-2 overall, securing his first-round win by last-second takedown.
“I just had to go for something big and I got something big,” he said. “And I won the match.”
Jesse topped Omaha Creighton Prep's Victor Kaminski 5-4 before claiming three more decisions and a win by injury default.
Camejo, meanwhile, was 5-3 at 160 pounds for sixth. The BHS standout lost his first match by decision, but bounced back with three-straight wins, including a first-period pin against Bryce Williams of Waukee Northwest (Iowa). He pinned Zaine Mayfield of Gardner-Edgerton (Kan.), too, but lost his fifth-place match by pin.
At 132 pounds, Brown went 5-3 for seventh. The Bear won his first two matches by major decision and ended his tournament in overtime with a sudden victory against St. Thomas Aquinas' Kaden Allen of Kansas.
Sears was 5-3 as well, earning 10th at 182 pounds. The senior won four-straight matches to start, besting Sam Imes of Mill Valley (Kan.) by first-period pin during the first championship round.
Blair's Atticus Dick (11th at 152 pounds), Seagan Packett-Trisdale (12th at heavyweight), Thomas Chikos (14th at 220), Luke Frost (17th at 120), Brock Hamm (18th at 195), Nathan Boswell (21st at 145), Keenan Wyman (27th at 126) and Griffin Rosterman (29th at 170) earned multiple victories in Council Bluffs, too. Boswell was the winningest Bear besides Hudson Loges, picking up six wins with four pins.
Frost, though, had the best winning percentage outside of the top-10 BHS finishers. He was 5-2, earning his 100th career victory along the way.
Overall, coach Erich Warner's Bears earned 22 pins during the Wrestling Classic. Packett-Trisdale's four took just 2:13. Frost and Hudson Loges, meanwhile, logged their team's lone tech falls.
Blair next competes today at Columbus Lakeview. The dual begins at 6 p.m.
COUNCIL BLUFFS WRESTLING CLASSIC
BOYS
Team 10 teams: Millard South 564.5, Fort Dodge 388, Lincoln East 361.5, Brandon Valley 329, Sergeant Bluff-Luton 294.5, Blair 274.5, Waukee Northwest 267, Omaha Skutt 262, North Scott 258, Glenwood 250.5.
Blair Wrestler Finishes (w/ tournament records): 1, Hudson Loges (7-0), 106 pounds. 4, Jesse Loges (5-2), 138. 6, Yoan Camejo (5-3), 160. 7, Tyson Brown (5-3), 132. 10, Kaden Sears (5-3), 182. 11, Atticus Dick (4-4), 152. 12, Seagan Packett-Trisdale (4-4), 285. 14, Thomas Chikos (2-4), 220. 17, Luke Frost (5-2), 120. 18, Brock Hamm (3-3), 195. 21, Nathan Boswell (6-3), 145. 27, Keenan Wyman (2-6), 126. 29, Griffin Rosterman (3-4), 170.
