In a modified version of the annual Flatwater Fracas, the Kearney High wrestling team finished in 3rd place out of 16 talented teams. The Bearcats posted a 3-2 record on the day and battled some great competition.
In the opening round of the mini bracket, Kearney High defeated Hastings High school 48-21 winning 10-14 matches in the dual. The Bearcats then took on Papillion LaVista in the mini pool championship. In a back and forth battle, the Monarchs emerged victorious over Kearney 37-33. With a 1-1 record, Kearney was placed in the championship bracket and wrestled Norfolk in the opening round. The Bearcat wrestlers won 8 of 14 matches including 4 by pin to win the match up 40-29. This set the stage for a rematch with Papillion LaVista in the semifinals. The rematch with Papillion Lavista provided some great match ups. Kearney battled with the eventual tournament champions but fell short in the end by a final score of 41-33. This led to a final dual with Lincoln East for the consolation championship. Kearney rebounded to win 9-14 matches against the Spartans, including five by pin to defeat Lincoln East 45-24. Kearney High has placed in the top 4 at this competition for the past 9 years in a row, including 2 team championships and 3 runner-up finishes. “We really enjoy dual format tournaments, this gives our guys a different feel in preparation and competition”, said head wrestling coach Ty Swarm. “We competed pretty well today overall, this was a fun event and our team is learning more and more each week as we compete”. The Bearcats are heading into Christmas break and they will be off from competition until they take on Lincoln East in a home dual on January 7th in the Kearney High Concert Hall and Theatre. This dual will begin at 7pm.