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Bison quartet looking for wins at Class B state wrestle meet
It's the culmination of several months of sweat, tears, some blood, mostly hard work, highs and lows, with the highest point of the season a berth in the state wrestling meet.
Four McCook matmen have reached that goal in qualifying for the 2012 Nebraska State High School Wrestling Championships. Seniors Skyler Kalinski, Jake Fahrenbruch and Kyle Groshong, plus freshman Kasey Taylor will compete in the Class B portion of the state mat carnival that begins a three-day run Thursday, Feb. 16, at the CenturyLink Center in downtown Omaha.
All four Bison will be in action when the state meet kicks off Thursday at 9:30 a.m. with first-round matches in Classes B and C. Quarterfinal matches will follow the completion of the first-round Thursday. Class A and D first-round and quarterfinal rounds will begin Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
Consolation bracket rounds start Friday, Feb. 17, at 9:30 a.m. for Class B and C, followed by the first two consolation rounds in Class A and D at 12:30 p.m. Championship semifinal matches in all four classes kick off Friday at 5 p.m., followed by the "heartbreak round" -- third-round consolation matches, with the winners securing a state meet medal and no worse than a sixth-place finish.
The third- through sixth-place medalists will be determined with two more consolation rounds Saturday, Feb. 18, starting at 9 a.m.
The championship finals in all four classes will begin Saturday at 2 p.m.
McCook head coach Nick Umscheid thinks all four of his Bison competitors can be successful at state and he's looking for all four to be in medal contention. But Umscheid knows that each of his McCook entries face tough tests.
"Everybody down at state is a competitive wrestler; there's no slouches down there," Umscheid said. "But we've got favorable draws, better than what's its been in past years. We feel pretty good about all four of them, as least through the quarterfinals. It seems like we've avoided the big studs, so to speak, in each of the four brackets."
Bison lineup
Kalinski will compete at 152 pounds, looking to improve on his third-place state meet finish at 145 a year ago. The talented senior, who won the 100th match of his career earlier this season, will compete in his fourth state meet. Coach Umscheid said Kalinski is just the fifth wrestler in Bison mat history to qualify for state four straight years.
Kalinski, with a 28-2 season record, will face junior Dylan Knigge of Fairbury in the first round. Knigge is 29-6.
"The Fairbury kid is a decent wrestler, but we don't know much about him," Umscheid said. "We're not overlooking that kid by any means -- that's when you get upset. You've got to take it one match at a time."
Kalinski's main nemesis this season, Chance Bila of Chadron, is in the opposite side of the bracket, meaning if both win three matches they could meet again in the finals Saturday afternoon. Bila had handed Skyler his only two losses of the season.
Jake Fahrenbruch had been tough at 132 pounds late this season. Fahrenbruch takes a 23-15 record to state, and he will face Layne Laaker of Bennington (32-8) in the first round.
"The way Jake's been wrestling the last two weeks, I'll put him up against anybody in the state," Umscheid said.
High-risk, high-reward has been Jake's motto late this season.
"We've got to go out there and throw the big five-point moves (takedown to a pin predicament) a little bit earlier in the match and not so much in desperation time," Umscheid said.
Groshong is 30-6 at 138 pounds, and the senior will meet Schuyler sophomore Kalen Kasik (26-9) Thursday morning. Coach Umscheid said he feels Groshong, who placed third at the B-4 District last weekend, faced tougher district competition than Kasik did in Schuyler's qualifying meet.
"We feel good about his chances in his first match," Umscheid said.
Both Fahrenbruch and Groshong will compete at state for the first time in their Bison careers.
Taylor is also getting his first state meet taste in his first year at the high school level. The freshman takes a 23-18 record to state to meet Grand Island Northwest senior Todd Lothrop (14-6) in the first round.
"We're hoping that this kid will overlook Kasey -- his record is not too intimidating," Umscheid said. "But we know that Kasey's lost to nothing but high-quality wrestlers along the way. If he goes out there and wrestles like he's capable, stays out of the tie-ups, changes his levels and gets in on the legs (of the opponent) and finishes and sets the pace early and wrestles his style, we think that's a match that we might be able to sneak through."
Bison ready for state
Umscheid and his Bison foursome are ready for the state meet test.
"All of our guys are pumped up. They've got a fire in their bellies, they want to go out there and prove something," he said. "For guys like Jake and Kyle, this is their one shot -- they've never been there. They've got to make sure they're not overpowered by the atmosphere, the big lights. They've just got to go out there and treat it like another tournament, one match at a time, and give it everything they have for six minutes (each match)."