Bergen wins gold at 175

Banta is state medalist for Sutton, placing 6th in the 215-pound weight class

After coming off a 42-5 state runner-up sophomore season, Sutton junior Griffin Bergen was looking for a shiny new gold nugget during the 2025-26 wrestling season, namely, the Class D 175-pound state championship, and boy did he deliver this past weekend in Omaha.

Sutton tallied a total of 39 team points to place 14th overall in the final team standings, with the Plainview Pirates edging out Burwell for the team championship 100-95.5.

BERGEN ROLLS TO 175 GOLD

Bergen’s weekend in Omaha began with a quick 15-second pinfall win over Sandy Creek’s Jackson Gerdes to start his trek to the 175-pound weight class state title.

In the quarterfinals, Bergen faced a stiff challenge from Shelby-Rising City’s Jett Vrbka. The two battled to a scoreless tie after the first period, before Bergen gained the upper hand with an escape and takedown to lead 4-0 going into the third period.

In the third, a Vrbka escape cut Bergen’s lead to 4-1 before the Sutton junior put the match away with a three-point takedown to advance to the semifinals against Shelton’s Dominick Larraga.

Larraga drew first blood during the semifinals with a takedown to lead 3-0, but midway through the second period, Bergen answered with a takedown that led to an eventual 2:47 pinfall win to launch Bergen into the state title match, where he was to face a formidable challenger in once beaten Cauy Meyer of Loomis.

Meyer entered the match with a 43-1 record, while Bergen stood with a 35-3 record.

Bergen, however, put his destiny in his own hands, opening the match with a 6-1 lead, giving up an escape to Meyer, while gaining a pair of takedowns.

As the second period began, the two stood in a neutral position to start the period. Bergen took full control from there, gaining a takedown at the 1:39 mark of the period and just seconds later, Bergen earned his first-ever state championship, pinning Meyer at the 3:34 mark of the match, ending his season with a 36-3 record to go with his gold medal.

Bergen, with his gold medal run, became Sutton’s sixth individual champion, dating back to 1987, when Paul Ulmer claimed gold.

Other gold medalists include thee-time gold medalist Mike Shoff, who won one gold at Cambridge and two in Sutton.

Tyler Bailey was a gold medalist in 2015, while in 2016, Ignacio Rivera claimed top honors.

Most recently, Joe Hinrichs earned gold medals in 2020 and in 2021.

COURTESY PHOTO BY JEROMY VAUBLE | CLAY COUNTY NEWS

BANTA PLACES 6TH AT 215

Junior Aydin Banta, after claiming a runner-up finish at the D-1 District meet in Oakland a week ago, came into the Class D 215-pound weight class with a full steam of adrenaline and a 27-15 record.

Banta opened his weekend in Omaha with a 5:43 pinfall win over Jaeger Frahm of Plainview. Banta led Frahm 11-0 before gaining the pin late in the third period to advance to the quarterfinal round were Banta ran into a buzz-saw of sorts in eventual state champion Coy Vrbka of Shelby-Rising City.

Vrbka, the top seed in the class, held a 40-0 record and gained a 1:11 pinfall win over Banta to send the Sutton junior into the consolation bracket.

Once in the consolation brackets, Banta reeled off a 4-0 win over Colt Gosnell of Maxwell, then claimed a 9-6 come-from-behind win over Creighton’s Isaac Fanta.

Fanta led 6-4 midway through the third period, but Banta willed his way to a three-point takedown and a 2-point nearfall to claim the 9-6 victory and secure a state tournament medal with the win.

In the consolation semifinals, Mullen’s Tate Kvanvig built up a 10-0 lead before pinning Banta in 1:40, placing the Sutton junior in the battle for fifth place in his weight class.

In the final match of Banta’s medal run at state, Karson Shuler of Hitchcock County claimed a 1:53 pinfall win over Banta to place the Mustang junior sixth overall.

POPPE, SCHEIDEMANN SHORT OF MEDAL CONTENTION The senior duo of Korey Poppe and Landon Scheidemann punched their tickets to state, with Poppe placing third in the D-1 District, and Scheidemann, fourth.

Poppe earned one win in three matches in Omaha during action in the 132-pound weight class, dropping a 10-1 decision in the opener to Franklin’s Carter Trambly, before securing a 3:26 technical fall win over Carson Green of Perkins County in the consolation first round.

Poppe was down 1-0 to Green to start the match, but then recorded a takedown and four-point nearfall by the end of the first period to lead 7-1 going into the second.

Poppe then outscored Green 4-0 in the second with an escape and takedown to lead 11-1 to start the third.

In the third, Poppe had a takedown and a four-point nearfall to register an 18-1 lead and gain the 3:26 tech fall win.

Second round consolation action pitted Poppe against Mullen’s Bo Pettit, and the match proved to be a heavy-duty battle.

Pettit took a 1-0 lead into the third period, following a scoreless first period.

Poppe, with a two-point reversal midway through the third period, earned the Sutton senior a 2-1 lead, but Pettit gained an escape and a takedown late in the match to claim the eventual 5-2 win to oust Poppe from the tournament.

Scheidemann’s weekend in the 144-pound weight class began with a tough challenge in 48-0 Briggs Hill of Arapahoe, with Briggs gaining a 2:39 pinfall win over the Sutton senior.

In the first round of the consolation bracket, Southern’s Blaze Barleen worked towards an 8-0 lead over Scheidemann by the start of the third period, before the Mustang senior could gain a one-point escape late in the match to give Barleen an 8-1 win, ousting Scheidemann from the tournament.

TEAM SCORES: 1. Plainview 100, 2. Burwell 95.5, 3. Aquinas Catholic 77.5, 3. Shelby-Rising City 77.5, 5. Elm Creek 77, 6. Amherst 70.5, 7. Loomis 66, 8. Southern 60.5, 9. Hitchcock County 53, 9. Mullen 53, 11. Neligh-Oakdale 51, 12. Central Valley 49, 13. Twin River 46, 14. Sutton 39. Other area teams: 48. Sandy Creek 8, 63. EMF 1.