Hochstein brothers power Cedar Catholic at Crete

CRETE – The Hochstein brothers turned the mats at Crete into a family showcase Saturday, combining for three individual championships to lead Cedar Catholic through a deep and competitive field at the Crete High Invite.

Bodie, Easton and Brady Hochstein each wrestled their way to the top of the podium, accounting for a major share of the Trojans’ scoring and setting the tone for a strong team performance.

Powered by those three titles and solid contributions throughout the lineup, Cedar Catholic finished seventh in the 15-team field with 108.5 points. The Trojans remained in the mix all day behind bonus-point victories at the top of the bracket and timely wins in the consolation rounds.

At 150 pounds, Bodie Hochstein delivered one of the tournament’s most dominant runs, winning the championship with four consecutive falls. He opened with a pin of Cooper Vetick of Malcolm in 1:21, followed by a 2:39 fall over Elkhorn North’s Steen Christensen in the quarterfinals. Hochstein advanced to the finals with a 34-second pin of Beatrice’s Dre Garrison and sealed the title by pinning Kaden Knake of Syracuse in 1:13.

Easton Hochstein cruised to the 157-pound title with an equally commanding performance. After receiving a first-round bye, he pinned Tommy Geldes of Ralston in 1:40 in the quarterfinals and recorded a 16-1 technical fall in 1:49 over Jaydon Griffith of Beatrice in the semifinals. Hochstein closed his day with an 18-0 technical fall in 2:39 against Madden Richardson of Elkhorn North in the championship match.

Brady Hochstein completed the family sweep at 165 pounds. He opened with a fall at 1:04 over Santiago Rincon of Crete and followed with a 58-second pin of Crofton/Bloomfield’s Kolton Vornhagen. Hochstein earned a 9-5 decision over Milford’s Cory Langenberg in the semifinals before claiming the title with a 10-0 major decision against Cole Kansteiner of Conestoga.

Maverick Heine added points at 138 pounds after opening with a 7-3 decision over Alexander Kolman of Norris. Heine dropped a 4-1 quarterfinal decision to Seward’s Carter Hanes but rebounded with an 18-1 technical fall over Grayson Steinmeyer of Seward in 3:49. His tournament ended with a narrow 3-2 tiebreaker loss to Tristan Sisco of Syracuse.

At 175 pounds, Broderick Kleinschmit advanced to the semifinals following an 11-2 major decision over Milford’s Boen Schweitzer. After a semifinal loss, Kleinschmit battled back in the consolation bracket with a fall at 3:32 over Wyatt Higgins of Syracuse before finishing fourth following a decision loss to Elkhorn North’s Kingston McNeal in the third-place match.

Blake Bensen competed at 132 pounds, falling into the consolation bracket after a 13-1 major decision loss to Crete’s Liam Clarke. Bensen received a bye before his tournament concluded with a first-period fall to JaRuane Lott of Lincoln North Star.

At 144 pounds, Kody Bartling rebounded from an opening-round loss with a quick 43-second fall over Malcolm’s Cobi Witzel in the consolation bracket before being eliminated by Milford’s Jax Hansen.

Anson Noecker represented Cedar Catholic at 215 pounds. After an opening-round loss, Noecker earned a 6-2 decision over Pierce Jeannoutot of Crofton/Bloomfield in the consolations before his run ended with a major decision loss to Malcolm’s Justin Wisnieski.

Cedar Catholic also received junior varsity contributions during the tournament. At 150 pounds, Hunter Kuchta placed fifth after recording multiple falls in the consolation rounds and closing with a 12-4 major decision over Ashland-Greenwood’s Matthew Mc-Connell.

Eight Cedar wrestlers competed Saturday in the Crete Invitational.

Team scores — 1. Beatrice, 211; 2. Syracuse, 178; 3. Elkhorn North, 153; 4. Milford, 140; 5. Lincoln North Star, 129.5; 6. Seward, 122.5; 7. Cedar Catholic, 108.5; 8. Ashland-Greenwood, 104; 9. Ralston, 103.5; 10. Norris, 86.5; 11. Crete, 58; 12. Conestoga, 54.5; 13. Wilber-Clatonia, 45; 14. Malcolm, 44; 15. Crofton/Bloomfield.