By Marisa Dawson
Bennington High School’s wrestling teams powered through a challenging week with impressive results, showcasing resilience amid injuries and depth in both the boys’ and girls’ programs.
The boys’ varsity squad, led by coach Alan Pokorny, captured the team championship at the John Higgins Invitational in Lexington on Saturday, Jan. 25, tallying 193.5 points to outpace a strong field that included Gering (156.5) and York (133.0). Despite being shorthanded, with five starters out and three open weights, the Bennington wrestlers rose to the occasion against a lineup featuring eight teams ranked in the top 13 of their respective classes and states.
Standout individual performances included three champions: Lane Welchert, Finn Williams, and Brodee Scobee. Welchert dominated his bracket, upsetting the #5-ranked Class B wrestler in the semis before defeating the #6-ranked Class A wrestler in the finals to claim gold. Williams earned his first high school title with a decisive 7-0 decision over the #10-ranked Class B wrestler, a testament to his steady improvement this season. Scobee was particularly dominant, not allowing any match to extend beyond the first period, he notched two first-period technical falls, a quick pin, and capped it with a 22-5 technical fall over the #7-ranked Class B wrestler in the championship bout.
Other key placers included Ty Bouaphakeo (2nd), along with Elijah McCrery, Brayden Kreikemeier, Kellen Mann, and Ty Thomsen (all 3rd), Knox Naughton (5th), and Ethan Clackum (6th). Coach Pokorny praised Mann’s grit in particular, noting how he overcame an opening-round loss while feeling ill to battle back for third and avenge that defeat with a pin.
“As a team we were short handed again this weekend… but I was proud of how our guys battled and won the tournament over a strong field,” Pokorny said. “We are expecting to get most of our guys back next week.”
The Bennington JV team added to the success, finishing fourth at the Bellevue East Tournament with 101.5 points. Jake Crawford and Lucas Ter Beest both claimed championships, while Trey Almond took second, Jerry Phewmyang third, Marcelo Grandel and Preston Sheets fourth, and Lane Kulhanek sixth.
On the girls’ side, coach Craig Pokorny’s squad continued to show toughness and growth. They competed in a quad meet earlier in the week (for full details on their two dual wins over state duals invite teams despite five starters out, see our previous article: Metro Quad Recap). Pokorny highlighted the team’s energy and preparation: “In our captains’ meeting, one of the topics we discuss is the energy of the team. We all agreed that the team had great energy and felt well prepared – as our results showed.” He also commended their consistency and rising confidence: “Our girls team numbers have held solid through the season… This shows the dedication and commitment to our team that the girls have. I’ve seen the confidence in our newer wrestlers grow, and that confidence is helping them win more matches.”
The week wrapped with the Weeping Water Invite on Saturday (after the Louisville Invite was canceled due to weather), where Bennington placed sixth with 92.0 points in a competitive field topped by Bellevue East (205.5) and Elkhorn (142.0).
Medalists included Mia Anderson (1st), who added another rated victory by defeating Fremont’s #5-ranked Class A wrestler in the finals; Sabhana Thapa (2nd); Maren McIlnay (2nd, after a 3-1 win over the #9-ranked Class A wrestler before an injury prevented her from competing in the finals); Eliza Flores (4th); Addi Shippen (5th); and Fae Hirsh (6th). Pokorny was pleased with the effort: “Our girls won twice as many matches actually wrestled than we lost. We battled through tough matches, never giving up, and in our aggressive style, turned some of those into a pin.”
“Overall, I am pleased with how our girls are continuing to improve. We continue to wrestle better and better each week,” he added. “We hope to get a few wrestlers back from injury soon, which should continue to improve our team results, as well.” Looking ahead, he noted excitement for the postseason: “We’re nearing championship season with Conference, Districts, and State coming soon, and I’m excited to see our team compete!”
With key returnees on the horizon for the boys and growing momentum for the girls, Bennington wrestling appears poised for a strong push into the heart of the season.
