Wrestlers thrill at Black and Cardinal Classic

The Black Team defeated the Cardinal team 20-18, Thursday at the wrestlers’ annual Black and Cardinal Classic. Multiple matches were close and went down to the final seconds.

“In the past we used it (intrasquad dual) for wrestle-offs for starters. Now we use it to be at home and be under the spotlight just like having another dual,” Head Coach Brett Hunter said. “We don’t put much emphasis in intrasquad duals. It’s another dual to get ready for the RMAC schedule.”
In the first match Reed Burgener, senior of Douglas, Wyoming, 165-pounds, defeated Johnny Porter, redshirt sophomore of Bellevue, 149-pounds. Despite the weight difference, Porter kept the match close but eventually lost 8-3.
The second match was Josh Bird, freshman of Burlington, Wisconsin, taking on Brock Thumm, redshirt sophomore of Watervliet, Michigan, both at 141-pounds. This match continued the excitement with Bird pinning Thumm with 1 minute-4 seconds left in the first period. This was one of three pins in the duals.
Kai Dill, redshirt freshman of Clovis, California, 197-pounds, took on Matthew Kindler, freshman of David City, 184-pounds, for the fourth match. Dill managed to come back from a two-point deficit in the third but lost 5-3.
“The team is looking good,” Dill said. “I got minor things to work on; everyone’s got minor things they need to fix. It shows us where we are and everything we need to improve on for the team.”
The fifth match was Cooper Cogdill, redshirt sophomore of Chadron, 197-pounds, against Andrew Wilson, freshman of Albuquerque, New Mexico, 285-pounds. Cogdill was dominating the match leading 14-0 and with approximately 30 seconds left in the first period Cogdill earned a pin. This pin put the black team up 15-9.
“It’s good to get another live match under the belt and it helps us see where the team is at,” Cogdill said. “It felt good getting more mat time and being able to stand on my feet and work on things.”
Jacob Anderson, redshirt junior of Central City, 157-pounds; Chance Helmick, junior of Beatrice, 165-pounds; Shaq Bell, senior of South Haven, Michigan, 165-pounds; and Willy Cogdill, redshirt freshman of Chadron, 184-pounds, also earned wins.
“We’re on track for most guys, even our elite freshmen,” Hunter said. “We still have guys who need to be on track and, as a team we have things we need to work on to be where we need to be.”
The wrestlers’ next tournament is the Holiday Inn Open at University of Nebraska Kearney, 8 a.m., Saturday.