Even he knew winning it all was going to be a long shot. So when Bricen Wilkie lost his semifinal match at the state wrestling championships, he needed little time to clear his head and move on.
The Malcolm senior went on to win two win two more matches to earn the Class C157 bronze medal.
His third appearance at state was the culmination of a special season for Wilkie. After earning a major decision in his opening match, a quarterfinal round pin placed him in the semifinals against the top-ranked wrestler in the class.
The eventual state champion, Chadron’s Quinn Bailey – a returning Class B title winner – entered and exited the match with an undefeated record after picking up a 12-2 major decision over Wilkie.
“He’s the best in the state,” Wilkie said. “He’s very intense the entire match. It’s what makes him so good.”
In the title match, Bailey pinned Central City’s Bryce Kunz whom Wilkie had pinned the previous week in the district final. Of the eight grapplers in the 157-pound finals across all four classes, Wilkie faced four of them during the season, beating two, including the Class A state champion.
“That speaks to the kind of talent Bricen has,” Malcolm coach Matt Coufal said. “He went toe-to-toe with the best the state had to offer.”
“It’s bittersweet knowing Kunz made the finals,” Wilkie said. “The bracket didn’t work the way I would have hoped. I’m satisfied with the result.”
Wilkie defeated St. Paul’s Alex Meinecke in the consolation semifinals before beating Robert Gilkerson of Falls City for third place.
“He rebounded well after running into a buzzsaw with Bailey,” Coufal said. “Nice to be able to end his career with a win. Not many get to do that.”
“I’m a much better wrestler this year than in previous years,” Wilkie said. “I’ve figured out strategy, how to minimize mistakes and how to win matches. That’s what finally got me on the medal stand.”
Wilkie finished his senior season with a 44-5 record and picked up his 100th career win during the tournament.
Cody Barton went 2-2 at state. After an opening round pin of Falls City’s Bailey Themes in the C113 bracket, the Malcolm sophomore had a rematch with Easton Malleck of Amherst. Malleck beat Barton two weeks earlier in Grand Island.
“We hoped Cody would take the lessons he learned from that match and the result would be different this time,” Coufal said. “It didn’t work out that way.”
After Malleck’s 8-3 victory, Barton moved to the consolation bracket where he picked up a win over Milford’s Quinn Zegers before being eliminated in the heartbreak round by Cedar Catholic’s Maverick Heine.
“Cody’s tough time at state doesn’t take away from a successful year,” Coufal said. “He beat wrestlers that made it on the Classes B, C and D medal stands. He’s got it in him and he’ll back more determined next year.”
Barton finished with a 37-5 season record.
