Fort Calhoun wrestler TJ DeMilt picked Battle Creek's Conner Neuhalfen up off of the mat Saturday and brought him back down — hard.
Even so, the Brave shrugged off the impact and forced the Pioneer into the consolation bracket Saturday during the Dan Mowinkel Logan View Invite.
DeMilt responded to the pinfall loss with four-straight wins, leading FCHS alongside Presley Olberding with a third-place finish at 165 pounds. Olberding, meanwhile, earned his bronze medal in the 126-pound weight class.
Together, though, the two Pioneers pushed their squad to a seventh-place tie with Broken Bow at the 17-team tournament. Coach Drew Welchert's squad scored 89.5 team points, while first-place Battle Creek notched 245, easily topping second-place Syracuse.
DeMilt went 5-1 overall on the day, securing his last three match wins by 6-minute decisions. He beat Yutan 165-pounder Tyler Keiser in the third-place match, 12-9.
Olberding, meanwhile, went 4-1. The 126-pounder lost his semifinals match by pin, but responded with back-to-back wins against Quinn Zegers of Milford and Central City's Quinn Jensen.
Lucas DeMilt and Merritt Olberding claimed fourth-place finishes for Fort Calhoun at Logan View, too. Lucas DeMilt went 2-2 with two pins at 106 pounds, while Merritt Olberding earned a 3-2 record at 120 pounds with a pin, a major decision and a 7-5 decision in the consolation semifinals.
Though they didn't finish on the podium, Pioneers Alex Schuler (two), Jayson Reynolds, Rocco Ruma and Fred Altstadt also earned pins Saturday during their time on the mat. Their team next competes 9 a.m. New Year's Eve during an Omaha Creighton Prep Tournament.
DAN MOWINKEL LOGAN VIEW INVITE
Saturday at Logan View High School
BOYS
Top-10 team standings: Battle Creek 245 points, Syracuse 169, Central City 158.5, Milford 150.5, Tekamah-Herman 107.5, Lexington 90, Broken Bow 89.5, Fort Calhoun 89.5, Tri County 89, Yutan 88.5.
Fort Calhoun top-6 placers: 3, Presley Olberding, 126 pounds. 3, TJ DeMilt, 165. 4, Lucas DeMilt, 106. 4, Merritt Olberding, 120.
