By Marisa Dawson
The final day of the 2026 NSAA Boys State Wrestling Championships at the CHI Health Center in downtown Omaha capped off an intense three-day event, delivering thrilling medal matches, championship bouts, and team accolades in Class B.
The morning session featured consolation semifinals and medal matches, where wrestlers battled for 3rd through 6th place. Five Bennington wrestlers earned medals:
Elijah McCrery (126 lb) placed 6th overall. He advanced through early rounds, including a tech fall win over Tyson Philbrick (Elkhorn North) 19-4. He lost in the quarterfinals to Dominic Olson (Waverly) by fall at 1:28. In the placement rounds, he reached the 5th place match but lost to Bentley Holmes (Mount Michael Benedictine) by decision 8-3.
Paxton Morgan (150 lb) placed 5th overall. He secured fall wins in the round of 16 over Brayton Holding (Douglas County West) at 3:11 and in the quarterfinals over Marcus Wacker (Norris) at 1:49. He lost in the semifinals to Colt Eimermann (York) by major decision 17-6. In the placement rounds, he won the 5th place match over Ashton Weesner (Lincoln Northwest) by fall at 0:48.
Ty Bouaphakeo (190 lb) placed 6th overall. He won in the round of 16 by fall over Jayse Styskal (Wahoo) at 0:47 and in the quarterfinals by decision over Rylan Schoenbeck (Norris) 8-4. He lost in the semifinals to Merrick Johnson (Beatrice) by major decision 21-8. In the 5th place match, he lost to Rylan Schoenbeck (Norris).
Ty Thomsen (215 lb) placed 4th overall. He won in the round of 16 by fall over Parker Lienemann (Wahoo) at 0:55 and in the quarterfinals by fall over Brody Mattox (Crete) at 0:38. He lost in the semifinals to Cayson Boltjes (Sidney) by decision 7-2. After advancing through consolations, he lost the 3rd place match to Logan Rowell (Auburn) by fall at 2:47.
Mason Mostek (285 lb) placed 6th overall. He lost early but rebounded in consolations with a fall win over Ethan McDaniel (Ralston) at 0:46, a decision win over Josiah Nsoh (Lincoln Lutheran) 8-4, and a tech fall over Hunter Holle (Syracuse) at 4:59. He lost in the semifinals to Aidan Summa (Seward) by fall at 0:29. In the 5th place match, he lost to Garrett Schoen (Milford) by fall at 0:24.
Finals:
In the championship finals that afternoon, Bennington had two competitors vying for gold. Brodee Scobee (138 lbs) fought valiantly in a close battle but fell short, securing runner-up honors. His key matches included a major decision win in the round of 16 over Jackson Maybee (Lincoln Northwest) 12-2, a tech fall in the quarterfinals over Anthony Morales (Gering) 18-3 at 2:08, and a major decision win in the semifinals over Crew Carlson (Omaha Skutt Catholic) 19-6. He lost the 1st place match to Odin Anschutz (Plattsmouth) by decision 8-4.
Brayden Kreikemeier (144 lbs) delivered a standout performance this week. He started with a fall win in the round of 16 over Zane Wesely (Wahoo) at 1:50, followed by a major decision in the quarterfinals over Austin Lingen (Plattsmouth) 16-4, and a decision win in the semifinals over James Ferguson (Elkhorn North) 15-12. He won the 1st place match against Gage Grandel (Ralston) by major decision 12-4.
Following his victory, Kreikemeier shared his thoughts in a post-match interview. Kreikemeier, who celebrated his 18th birthday the day before his title win, spoke with raw emotion after having his hand raised in victory. “It’s amazing. It’s the best feeling in the world… I did it. I mean, I don’t know what else to say besides I did it,” he said.
He credited his support system for carrying him to this moment. “My coaches, my family, everybody. My friends, my teammates, they all supported me, got me here to where I am today, and I would like to thank them all.”
On the keys to winning the final match, Kreikemeier highlighted mental toughness amid nerves. “Just perseverance, you know, I was really nervous walking out there, but I got to my shots.”
Krekeimeier shared that he never dominated in this way as a youth wrestler, so to him the accomplishment felt surreal. “It sounds unreal, I never thought it would happen, but here I am,” he said of being able to call himself a state champion. He added, “As a youth wrestler? I was never the best, I never really won any tournaments. And to think that I’m here winning the biggest tournament of a high schooler’s dream is just crazy.”
Head Coach Alan Pokorny expressed deep pride in the team’s overall performance, highlighting seven total medalists and the relentless effort his wrestlers showed throughout the tournament. He shared what made him proud this week: “Just how much effort they gave and how hard they wrestled… They went out there and gave everything they got and then the excitement that they had for each other,” he said. “Just seeing when Brayden won his state championship, how the kids were so excited. It’s just great to see that team unity that they have, to be generally excited for somebody.”
Pokorny singled out Kreikemeier’s journey as especially gratifying. “I was very proud of him because, you know, he came into high school not really with high accolades, and really a lot of our kids on this team did have high accolades and they worked hard and really became something. And Brayden really became a leader in the last couple years. Even his freshman year, he was on JV and then varsity sophomore year and just kept going up from there.”
On Scobee’s runner-up finish, Pokorny admired his resilience, saying he was proud of “how he battled.” He added, “The last match didn’t go very well and he didn’t let that bother him. He came back and got him to tie it up. We figured we had to cut him and take a chance of taking him down and it just didn’t work out. But he was right there and he has one more year left. Just keep working and that’s what he will do. I’m so very proud of him for going out there, not being afraid, and going for the win.”
Reflecting on the season’s growth, Pokorny pointed to the team’s unity and the way many wrestlers exceeded expectations. “Probably the biggest thing I would say is… the unity- they brought the team together and some of those guys exceeded their expectations coming into high school. Obviously, Brayden winning a state title, but there’s Dominic and Kellen and Ty Thomsen and, you know, go right down the list… all those guys, you know, just down the list, I’d say they’ve exceeded expectations coming into high school.”
Overall, Bennington finished as Class B runner-up, tying a previous school record for the amount of medals (seven total). The championships showcased the grit, perseverance, and camaraderie that define Nebraska high school wrestling, with Bennington’s athletes leaving a lasting mark on the 2026 tournament.
