The Patriots were able to wrestle in championship fashion to bring home the school’s first state wrestling championship. Along the way, the team was able to set a state record for pins at the state tournament with 22. The team also narrowly missed out on setting a new scoring record, missing by 4 points. With 10 state placers and 192, the Patriots finished the state tournament with all class highs. Individually, Jake Muirheid and Aaron Denson both finished the season as undefeated state champions. These two are the first Millard South wrestlers to have 40 or more wins in one season. Aaron Denson sets a new class A state record with 44 wins on the year. 4 finalists in one season also sets a school record with Greg Garcia and Mitch Brown joining the two champions in the parade of champions. Other notes of interest at the state tournament:

• Aaron Denson and Mike Ramsey both finished the season as 3x state medalists
• Aaron Denson finishes the season as a 3x state finalist
• Curtis Miller, Jake Muirheid, Greg Garcia, and Trever Spudich finish as 2x state medalists
• The team finishes the year with a state record for team pins with 280 on the year

Millard South over Millard West 73 - 6

Comments:  While the Patriots fell 3 points short of upsetting the 7 time defending Class B state champs, the team wrestled well on the day. In head to head matchups with Skutt, our wrestlers were able to win 4 out of 6. It was, yet again, a true team effort. All 14 wrestlers placed in the top 5. So far this year, every wrestler has placed in every tournament. As far as I can remember, this has never been done before. Each guy works very hard to contribute. The challenge for the team will be to continue this kind of team effort as we work toward the class A state championship. The atmosphere in the finals was awesome. With one mat, a packed house, and noise beyond compare, you couldn’t help but feel the energy in the air. This will be valuable towards district and state preparations. Greg Garcia and Trever Spudich had great wins in the finals to propel the team.

During the tournament, the team set the class A state record for team pins previously held by Lincoln Northeast. The previous record had been 203, and now the Patriots have 218 with three meets left.

Pictures of the Skutt Invite

Omaha North was a little short handed for the dual giving up several forfeits, but as is the Patriots were able to score 3 pins out of 11 total wins in dominating the Vikings. The Pin total for the team this year is 197 which is only 6 pins shy of the Class A state record. Pat Doyle was able to pin 2nd ranked Aaron Terry in a rematch from the Burke Tournament.

Pictures

Comments: During last year’s Metro run, our team struggled the first day only to rebound with a great second day. This year, one of our goals was to wrestle well both days, and for the most part we did. Having all 14 wrestlers finish in the top 5 was a tremendous accomplishment for our team. The guys worked hard each and every match. We have a lot of things to work on, but one of them is NOT effort. Our effort was pretty solid. We had two champions at Metro, and each of the champions earned a pin in the final to seal the win. We would liked to have had more champions, however the competition was really tough so there were no freebees. The challenge for the team will be to finish stronger during the medal round. Winning half the medal round matches is good, but we really would like to win 2/3 or more of these matches. We won by over 100 points in a tournament which featured the 2nd and 3rd ranked teams in the state. Burke, ranked 2nd, was without their returning state champion which would have impacted the win margin. It was good seeing Burke and North because they are in our district. The challenge for the team will be to get better every day out for the rest of the year as we move to districts and state.

Coaching Notes: Coming out of Christmas break, every coach wants to know if the team is ready and just how ready are they are. We had a great Christmas break which really translated to a solid performance at the Millard West Invite. Any time you win by 130 points over the 2nd place team, you have to be pleased with the effort. We were really bolstered by the return of Greg Garcia to the lineup for the first time this year. Greg has been sidelined with a broken thumb, but is back to full health. He is a little rusty, but should be able to shake the rust off in a quick hurry. We were very happy with his 2nd place finish. Our team also continues to be a good pinning team which accounts for a lot of bonus points. We finished with 27 pins and that translates into over 50 points.

Like any big time tournament, there are ups and downs, but we look at these as a way to measure where we are now and where we want to be. With 6 ranked teams at this tournament, this was a good way for our kids to test the class A waters for the first time this year. We will use this to build on for Metro. Our five champions all wrestled really well on the day. Jake Muirheid had a great match against a kid who is one of the elite wrestlers in the state. Aaron Denson and Mitch Brown both defeated state medalists in the finals. Mike Ramsey and Trever Spudich continue to get better every match. It is truly exciting to see.

The exciting thing about this team is that every single wrestler contributes. We had 14 placers at Millard West, and I can't remember the last time anyone did that. These guys really exhibit a lot of team cohesiveness. Nobody wants to be left out. So you don't see one kid lying down or quitting. If we keep getting better each week, this could be a really special team.

103 Curtis Miller 1st
112 Kyle Conley 1st
119 Jake Muirheid 1st
125 Open NP
130 Mitchell Jennings 3rd
135 Josh Muirheid 3rd
140 Mike Ramsey 1st
145 Stephen Medina 1st
152 Aaron Denson 1st
160 Mitch Brown 1st
171 Josh Magill 1st
189 Trever Spudich 4th (Injury Default)
215 Skyler Heckman 2nd
275 Pat Doyle 2nd

We had a solid opening tournament at the Blair invite. We were without our 125, Greg Garcia, due to a broken thumb. Greg should be back around Christmas break. Of our 13 wrestlers entered, every wrestler placed in the top 4 which clearly shows our depth as a team. Trever Spudich was a little banged up on the day and had to default out, but would have had a chance at a championship if he were at full strength.

The breakdown of the tournament was 8 champions, 2 runner-up finishers, three 3rd place finishers and one 4th place finisher. On the day our overall record was 33-5; this is outstanding. Overall, Jake Muirheid, Aaron Denson, Mike Ramsey, and Stephen Medina handled their opponents pretty handily. Curtis Miller had a close finals match hanging on for a 12-11 win. Kyle Conley wrestled tough on the day, prevailing in tough semi and finals matches. Mitch Brown and Josh Magill both had nail-biters in the finals. Each wrestler eked out a 1 point win with time running out.

The Competition on the weekend was solid. Tekamah Herman finished 2nd, and will be one of the favorites to win class C. Plattsmouth is ranked in class B; they should be a solid team in B throughout the year.