Shorthanded ‘Horns’ wrestlers score well

    Despite missing wrestlers at 113, 170, 195 and 285 pounds, the Chase County wrestling team placed fifth at Saturday’s Garden County Invite.
    CCS Head Coach Matt Vlasin said Arturo Misceles at 113 lbs. is out for the season, so he expects to do some rearranging of the lineup.
    Vlasin is hopeful Cooper Dillan will return from injury and step back in a 170 lbs.
    Ideally, Zach Tarin will wrestle at 195 lbs., leaving only the heavyweight spot open.
    Vlasin said his team scored well at Garden County despite missing those four weights.
    Jaret Peterson rolled through his first two matches of the day on his way to a first place finish at 220 lbs.
    In the semifinals, Peterson won by a 3-1 decision over 12-4 Gavin Anderson of Hyannis.
    Vlasin said the team was hopeful Peterson would see Sutherland’s Gavin White (19-2) in the finals, but White was ejected from the tournament
    Instead, Peterson beat 13-6 Austin Meyer of Perkins County 2-0 in the finals.
    Cayden White had his best tournament of the season, Vlasin said.
    At 120 lbs, White recorded pins in the quarterfinals and semifinals. White went the distance in the finals, but lost 5-6 to 17-5 Oliver Nutter of Sutherland.
    “Cayden wrestled really well in the championship match,” Vlasin said.
    Thomas Reeves placed fourth at 182 lbs.
    Reeves won by a 6-5 decision in his first match. After being pinned in the semifinals, Reeves won by fall to advance to the third place match where he lost by fall to 11-4 Ira Sittner of Highland, Colorado.
    At 138 lbs., Luis Co started off the day with two wins, before a loss to undefeated Jon Peterka of Sutherland. Co bounced back with a pin and advanced to the third place match. Co lost by decision to 13-5 Ezekiel Heaton of Hyannis.
    Vlasin said Co started the day off well and wrestled well in the third place match against a good opponent.
    Cody Duffy went 2-2 on the day, but Vlasin said Duffy had tough, close matches. Duffy won his first match of the day by pin in the third period. After losing his second match, Duffy won by decision in his next match before wrapping up the day with a loss by decision to 13-4 Trey Kirch of Garden County.
    Brice Vitosh was pinned in the third period his first match at 160 lbs. After wins by pin and decision, Vitosh lost his final match to 14-7 Gunner Robertson of Garden County.
    Freshmen Trevin Moreno at 106 lbs. and Malachi Christensen at 126 lbs. each went 2-2, as did Westyn Mendenhall at 132 lbs.
    Tarin, also a freshman, was a non-scoring JV wrestler at 220 lbs.
    Tarin lost to teammate Peterson in his first match then won by fall in his second match. With Sutherland’s White forced to forfeit his match against Tarin, the CCS freshmen placed third after his opponent chose to medically forfeit in the third place match.
    Also earning a win was George Colton, also at 126 lbs.  Tyler O’Neil was 0-2 at 145 lbs.
Up next
    CCS will host a quadrangular Friday evening with Kimball, Leyton and Wauneta-Palisade.
    Competition will begin at 7 p.m.
    Its invite will be Saturday.
    “It’s nice to be home and not have to travel,” Vlasin said.
    This year’s meet will have a girls’ division and see several additional boys’ teams, as well.
    Among the 24 expected teams at the meet are Alliance, Banner County, Bayard, Bridgeport, Crawford, Dundy County Stratton, Garden County, Hershey, Hitchcock County, Kimball, Leyton, Minatare, Morrill, Ogallala, Perkins County, Sandhills Valley, Wauneta-Palisade and Colorado schools Burlington, Holyoke,Sedgwick County, Wray and Yuma.
    Girls’ teams are expected from Bayard, Bridgeport, Chadron, Garden County, and Ogallala. Chadron is only sending a girls’ team.
    The meet is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.