The Class B state wrestling tournament exceeded expectation for the three Seward wrestlers competing in Omaha Feb. 15-17.
“Three guys who finished in third place at districts all won their first round,” Coach Andy Sistek said.
Two of them went on to earn state medals. Caleb Jackson finished fourth at 150 pounds, and Caden Schadwinkel was fifth at 190. Aidan Summa had a tough draw at 215 pounds after his first win, Sistek said.
All three will be back next season to lead the Jays on the mats.
Jackson was 4-2 over the three days and picked up a 12-9 win over Isaac Christo of Omaha Skutt in the consolation quarterfinals or heartbreak round.
“He wrestled a heck of a match against Skutt,” Sistek said. “He’s such a great kid. He’s got a great mindset and he keeps going no matter the score. His gas tank is forever – there’s no quit.”
Jackson finished the season with a 44-19 record.
After winning his first match, Schadwinkel ran into Seth Erickson of York, a conference opponent and eventual state runner-up. Erickson got the pin in 5:18, but Sistek said Schadwinkel almost pulled out the match.
He finished the tournament 4-2, winning in the ultimate tiebreaker over Ty Thomsen of Bennington in the heartbreak round. The score was tied 1-1 after three regular periods and three overtime periods. The ultimate tiebreaker is 30 seconds. The wrestler on top wins if he rides out the match. The wrestler on bottom wins if he gets an escape. Schadwinkel got the ride out.
“He got better as the season went on,” Sistek said. “It’s rewarding as a coach to see someone who works that hard do well.”
He finished with a 40-20 record
Summa was 1-2, winning his first match by pin. His final season record was 32-28.
Sistek said the practice partners – Cardin Goracke, Kaleb Torres, Xander Foulk, Cooper Fern and more – deserve thanks for pushing the state qualifiers to get better.
He’s looking forward to next season, with the returning state qualifiers, wrestlers who came close and new wrestlers.
