By Marisa Dawson

The Bennington High School wrestling team had a strong showing on the second day of the 2026 NSAA State Individual Championships, advancing two wrestlers to the championship finals and positioning five more for medal opportunities in the consolation rounds. The Badgers will tie a school record with seven medalists guaranteed, showcasing resilience despite some tough losses.

Head Coach Alan Pokorny expressed mixed emotions after the day’s action. “Overall, I have kind of mixed feelings- we had some kids lose some close matches,” he said. “It happens here, some tough ones, but we are still getting two in the finals and total of seven medalists. That seven medalist ties a school record, so that was a positive.” He highlighted standout performances, including Ty Thomsen’s competitive effort against a top-ranked opponent: “The last match with Ty [Thomsen], that guy was ranked number one all year long and very tough.” Pokorny also praised Brayden Kreikemeier for fighting back after being caught on his back: “Brayden went and dominated this guy, then all of a sudden got caught on his back. I’m just proud of him for fighting off his back and coming back to finish with the win.”

On the team front, Bennington trails Omaha Skutt Catholic in the point totals but remains in a solid position for runner-up honors. “I think we’re in pretty good shape for that,” Pokorny noted. “I’m not sure who has the next most amount of medalists, but we’re far ahead of anybody there. Skutt, coming into this, we knew that we’d have to have a perfect weekend and they’d have to have a really bad weekend. So we just want to make sure that we finish with the trophy somehow.” A highlight included Brodee Scobee’s dominant win over a Skutt wrestler.

Finalists Advance to Championship Matches

Two Bennington wrestlers punched their tickets to the state finals set for this afternoon at 3 p.m.:

– Brodee Scobee advanced in the 138lb weight class with a major decision victory of 19-6, earning a spot in the championship round. Reflecting on his performance against a Skutt opponent, he said, “I beat him earlier [in the season]. I was feeling pretty confident going into the match. I knew I could get my shots on him.” Looking ahead, Scobee expressed confidence seeing who he will be wrestling in the finals: “I feel pretty confident. You know, I got a feel of him last time, but it didn’t come out how I wanted it to, so I’m coming in tough too.” He has a plan in place after reviewing past matches: “You know, I’m just thinking of his moves, his attacks, how to finish off of him and just get to my attacks, not letting him get to his attacks.”

– Brayden Kreikemeier secured his finals ticket in the 144lb weight class with a hard-fought decision win of 15-12 (and notably also celebrated his 18th birthday). “It felt great,” he said of the victory. “It’s been the first step to make my dream come true of being a state champ- so great.” On the milestone, he added, “Just made my dream come true. I feel like my birthday wish came true.” Preparing for tomorrow’s rematch (having beaten the opponent before), Kreikemeier said, “I’m just preparing to just go all three periods and wrestle hard. I know he’s going to be strong. I do have a win over him, but I don’t think that will matter. I think he’ll come out strong, he’ll try to win. I have to make sure I can battle through it and get the win.” He feels the nerves building, but said, “I’m also feeling confident at the same time because I have some good techniques that I think will help me in this match especially.”

Consolation Round 3 

Five additional Bennington wrestlers will compete on day three starting with consolation rounds at 9 a.m., vying for 3rd through 6th place. Here is a brief recap of the third consolation round matches:

– Lane Welchert fell by pin in consolation round 3 and is eliminated.

– Elijah McCrery won by decision 4-0 in the consolation round and advances to the consolation finals to medal.

– Paxton Morgan fell by major decision 6-17 and advances to the consolation finals to medal.

– Kellen Mann fell by pin in the consolation round and is eliminated.

– Ty Bouaphakeo fell by major decision 8-21 and advances to the consolation finals to medal.

– Ty Thomsen fell by decision 2-7 and advances to the consolation finals to medal.

– Mason Mostek won by decision 9-4 in the consolation round and advances to the consolation finals to medal.

Earlier in the Day (Consolation Round 2):

– Colton Archer fell by pin in consolation round 2.

– Evan Warner fell by decision 5-9 in consolation round 2.

– Dominic Gillett fell by pin in consolation round 2.

Pokorny summed up the team’s mindset and what he saw in his wrestlers today: “The effort they put into it. You know, they wrestled hard, aggressive, and win or lose, that’s all I can ask for. They give their best effort, and so that’s what I’m most proud of.”

Bennington fans can catch all the action tomorrow, with consolation matches beginning at 9 a.m. and finals at 3 p.m. Good luck to the Badgers as they chase hardware and a strong team finish!