By Scott Bidroski Both teams for the Mustang Wrestling program got their shot at a ticket to Omaha this past week in Broken Bow.
The Girls would be up first on Friday, February 9 and the three young ladies who made it through Sub-Districts the week previous to the mat.
Sophomores Lainey Filmore, Kirsten Heck, and Jenifer Banister jumped in with both feet in their 8 woman brackets.
Filmore would win her first two matches, advancing her into the finals and punching her ticket to Omaha.
Filmore would finish in second place in the 135 bracket.
Heck and Banister both lost their first matches and tried to wrestle back into qualification but fell short.
This put the finishing touches on outstanding seasons for the pair. Heck finishes with a 28-9 record and Banister ends at 279.
Filmore now heads to Omaha and will wrestle on Thursday, February 15 in the 135 bracket.
If she can advance into the second round, she will continue in Omaha on Saturday, February 17.
Filmore’s record heading into State stands at 20-11.
The Boys would take to the same mats the day after, vying for their spots in Omaha.
When all the dust settled on a long day of wrestling, two Mustangs found their way through their brackets to pick up a ticket.
Junior Kyler Vincent made it three years in a row in the 144 bracket, finishing his day with a 2-1 record.
Sophomore Jaxon Kearns is heading to Omaha for the first time in his career, earning a third place finish in the 106 bracket.
In the pivotal heartbreak round, Kearns secured a fall early in the second period to earn his trip to Omaha.
Senior Tucker Banister was unable to make it through the heartbreak round, ending his Mustang career.
In the quarterfinals of the 150 bracket, despite battling several injuries, Banister was able to secure a tech fall victory over his opponent from Chase County. This win would be career win #100 for Banister.
He would end his career as a Mustang with 100 wins.
Juniors Lain Tausan and Wyatt Feddersen also had strong showings for the Mustangs but fell just a match short of earning a spot in Omaha.
The District tournament also marked the final time senior Caleb Heck took to the mat. He finishes his senior year with a 13-22 overall record.
Vincent and Kearns will weigh-in and wrestle on Thursday morning in Omaha.
If they can advance past day one, they will finish out their wrestling on Saturday, February 17.