In a tournament described as “a mini state meet,” the Seward/Milford girls’ wrestling team saw three wrestlers place in the top six of their weights.
Lauren Frihauf finished second at 105 pounds, losing to Mara Vanderpool of Omaha Westside 4-1 in the final. Coach Andy Sistek said Vanderpool has wrestled her whole life, traveled around the country to compete and is ranked N0. 2 in the state.
“We couldn’t generate enough offense to score,” Sistek said. “Now Lauren knows what to work on.”
Frihauf won her other two matches by tech fall and pin. She is 27-2 on the season with 19 pins.
Ava Rediger (135) and Addyson Wassinger (190) each placed sixth. Rediger was 2-3 on the day with two pins and showed a lot of heart, even in her losses, Sistek said.
“She has worked really hard this year. I think this will motivate her,” the coach said.
Rediger stands at 26-7 with 19 pins for the season.
Wassinger was the biggest surprise of the tournament, Sistek said. She was 3-3 with three pins. As a freshman, wrestling in the upper weights is tough to do and have success, Sistek said.
“We look forward to watching her develop,” he said. “She works really hard.”
Two of Seward’s JV wrestlers picked up championships at the tournament, as well – Karsyn Spurling at 110 and Adison Langan at 115. Annabelle Buchli (130) was second, and Amelia Juranek (125) placed third.
SM is starting to get some of its injured wrestlers back in the lineup, he said. Evelyn Theobald made her return at 140 pounds and was 2-2 with two pins. She’s dealing with a hand injury so will have to make some adjustments to her style, he said.
The team will host Northwest Thursday, Jan. 15, with matches beginning at 6:30 p.m. Sistek said. SM will compete at Nebraska City Saturday, Jan. 17.
