Several wrestlers are undefeated at Pierce meet

PIERCE — The Pierce Tournament was the last action for the Cedar Catholic wrestling team before the Christmas break and it went well for the trending Trojans.

Despite being down five wrestlers in four duals at the Pierce Tournament, the boys managed to come out on top on the mat despite havingto give up 20-30 points in forfeits against each lineup.

Cedar lost to Pierce (39-34), Norris (39-37) and Fremont (46-35), but still found a way to record a 41-33 win over Wayne.

“It was a great overall effort from the boys at every dual,” Cedar head coach Justin Bartling said. “It’s hard to win when the other teams are guaranteed 24–30-point head starts.”

Despite the forfeits, Cedar was still in contention to win the duals. Bartling said the biggest match of the day was Cedar freshman Bodie Hochstein (126 pounds) beating the fourth-ranked Class B wrestler out of Wayne who is a senior and returning state medalist.

Easton Hochstein (132), Bodie Hochstein (126), Braeden Kleinschmit (144) and Maverick Heine (113) all went undefeated on the day.

“These four kids have been great at taking each match one at a time and not letting moments get to them,” Bartling said. “I am proud of the boys efforts but we need to hit on a few more moves to help keep themomentum going forward.

The local wrestlers have already put in a lot of mat time, so a break will be appreciated, Bartling said.

“We will definitely be using the Christmas break to rest and recharge our batteries going into the next half of the season. We will need to really improve on our top wrestling and keep improving on our feet. If we do that this team is going to be a dangerous but fun team to watch.”

The Trojans get back on the mat Dec. 29 at the Newman Grove Holiday Invitational.

The Cedar Catholic girls also headed to Pierce as Morgan and Madison Kuchta both represented the Lady Trojans.

Morgan Kuchta went 3-2 on the day in a very competitive 135-pound weight class according to Bartling. Madison Kuchta battled to one win in three matches in the 190-pound bracket.

The girls are definitely learning the sport and we had some great matches that we can build off of going forward,” Bartling said. “We will continue to use the Christmas break to really focus on just a few key fundamentals for the girls that are so new to the sport.”

The girls will take an extended break as they head to the Winside Invitational on Jan. 6.