By Marisa Dawson
The Bennington wrestling teams had a busy and impressive week, competing in multiple duals and the prestigious Flatwater Fracas tournament in Grand Island from December 15-20. The boys team dominated early in the week with convincing wins, including a 63-18 victory over Omaha Central highlighted by Mason Mostek’s thrilling comeback pin at 215 lbs over the #1 ranked Class A wrestler, and strong triangular wins over York (55-13) and Lincoln Southeast (54-11).
At the Flatwater Fracas, the boys finished 5th overall, posting notable victories over top-10 teams like Papillion LaVista South (49-26) and defending Class A Dual State Champions Lincoln East (41-36). Standout performances included Kellen Mann going 8-1, Brodee Scobee and Ty Thomsen each earning their 100th career wins, and the team ranking high statistically: #3 in pins, #2 in technical falls, #2 in team points scored, and #2 in total match points scored.
The girls team also turned in a strong showing, starting with a 51-28 road win over Omaha Central before heading to the Flatwater Fracas. Despite lineup challenges and injuries, the Badgers battled tough opponents, securing wins over Smith Center, KS (54-30), Minden (42-30), and Papillion-La Vista South (44-36) to end on a high note. Three wrestlers (Jenisha Sasankhar, Katie Kos, and Maren McIlnay) each went 6-1 in matches, with Coach Craig Pokorny noting Maren’s “huge pin up a weight class in the Papio South dual” and Katie’s “hard fought battle over a tough opponent from Eaglecrest.”
Overall, both teams showed resilience through ups and downs in a grueling stretch. Boys Coach Alan Pokorny reflected, “Overall, as a team, we had some ups and downs. The highlights were wins over top 10 teams and a 5th place finish in one of the toughest Flatwater Fracas tournaments I can remember in a while.” Girls Coach Craig Pokorny added, “Overall, I felt like this was a great tournament for us… The girls showed a lot of heart, picking up dual victories even while having holes in our lineup.” Both programs are currently on break during the NSAA moratorium before returning to action next week.
Boys Wrestling photos can be found on our Facebook page and were taken by Tisa Kreikemeier from Central, the Southeast triangular and Fracas.
