Sports

Five seniors from Sutton High School signed their national letters of intent, Thursday, Feb. 2, to continue their athletic careers after graduation. Pictured in front, from the left is Andrea Reed, the mother of Maddie Baxa, Alivia Huxoll and her mother Erica Huxoll, Vance Smith and his mother Tysha Smith, Alvino Sanchez Jr., next to his mother Guaddalupe Sanchez, and Nathan Baldwin, next to his mother Brenda Baldwin. In the back row, from the left: Randy Reed, Sutton head volleyball coach Shelli Mohnike, Ed Huxoll, Sutton head football coach Steve Ramer, Hastings College assistant football coach Jeff Merritt, Alvino Sanchez Sr., Randy Baldwin, Sutton track throws coach Owen Schernikau, Concordia University throws coach Ed McLaughlin, and Sutton track coach Jon Yost. Baxa signed to play volleyball at Central Community College in Columbus. Huxoll will take her volleyball skills to Denver, CO and play for Metro State University.

Harvard senior Maria Perez made history this past Saturday, punching a ticket to the 2023 Nebraska State Wrestling Championships to build on the rich history of Harvard Wrestling over the last 40 years.

Her history-making journey adds to the Harvard wrestling aura, becoming the first female wrestler to qualify in an NSAA-sanctioned girls state wrestling tournament in Omaha, Feb. 16-18.

Going into districts, coaches Terry Owens, Brandi Owens, and Nate Schumm, were behind Perez every step up the way, helping to keep her confidence and energy up.

“We talked about all the time and work she had put into the sport, that she had everything she needed to be successful in this meet,” Terry Owens said. “We were very positive with her all week and that confidence showed up in every match.”

The annual in-county rivalry between the Sandy Creek Cougars and Sutton Mustangs certainly kept a strong contingent of fans from both schools tied down to their seats in the Sutton Dome, Thursday, Jan. 26, as the Cougars and Mustangs battled to an 11-10 Cougar lead after the first quarter and 19-17 at the half.

It was a third-quarter surge by Sandy Creek that led the Cougars to an eventual 44-36 win, improving the Cougars to 9-10, while Sutton fell to 5-11 with the eight-point loss.

It was Sandy Creek’s third straight win over the Mustangs, dating back to a 48-31 regular-season win on Jan. 27, 2022, and a 59-39 sub-district win, Feb. 22, 2022.

Sandy Creek went on a 14-9 third-quarter run to gain a 33-26 lead going into the fourth, with an 11-10 fourth-quarter Cougar scoring edge securing the 44-36 victory.

Senior Drake Lally had 17 points, making seven of nine shots from the floor, including a 3-4 effort from three-point range.

The sophomore duo of Connor Rempe and Rowan Jarosik came away from the 2023 Southern Nebraska Conference wrestling championships as the lone two medalists for the South Central Unified wrestling team, as the pair combined for 31 team points, with the Red Raiders placing ninth as a team.

The action at Centennial High School was won overall by Fillmore Central, as the Panthers outscored second-place Fairbury 170.5-136 for the team title.

Rempe’s run to a runner-up finish in the 120-pound weight class opened with a convincing 13-2 major decision win over Superior’s Holden McDonald, before Rempe knocked off top-seeded Cooper Rea of Milford by a hair-raising 1-0 victory over Rea to move to the championship match.

In the title bout, Rempe was upended by second seed. Triston Wells of Thayer Central, falling to Wells in 1:47 to gain the runner-up spot, while running his season record to 35-9 with his 15-point, silver medal performance in Utica.

Senior Cason Peterson came away from the 2023 Southern Nebraska Conference wrestling championships as one of two medalists in action at Centennial High School, Saturday, Jan. 28.

Peterson would score 18 of the Mustangs’ 25 team points during his runnerup run in the 220-pound weight class, winning two of three matches in the process.

The senior grappler opened the day with two impressive pinfall wins to reach the title match of his class, pinning Kasen Petsch of Milford in 5:08 in the quarterfinal round, while in the semifinals, Peterson coasted to a two-minute pinfall win over Nickolas Keith of Centennial.

In the championship finals, Fairbury’s Noah Hyson gained a 25-second pin over Peterson, as the Mustang senior improved to 19-17 on the year.

Brian Liberato was Sutton’s other medalist in the four-person 182-pound weight class. Liberato scored four team points, with his season record moving to 8-27 overall.

A tough road game loss at Ravenna led the Sutton Mustangs into their fourth win of the season, as the Mustangs downed the Fairbury Jeffs 48-33 in a Saturday matinee clash, moving Sutton to 4-10 on the year with the win.

Ravenna and Sutton battled strong in the first two quarters of their Tuesday, Jan. 17 trip to face the Bluejays, as the Mustangs held a narrow 18-17 lead, before Ravenna, behind a 16-12 third-quarter run and a 15-6 fourth-quarter rally, produced a 48-36 win over Sutton.

Harrison Herndon paced Sutton in scoring, dropping in 11 points. Aidan Jones hit for nine, while Jesse Bergen and Garrison Perrien both added five.

Sutton was 12-38 from the floor (31.6%), and just 4-11 from the foul line (36.4%). In contrast, the Bluejays were 17-35 from the floor (48.6%) and 10-13 from the charity stripe (76.9%).

Perrien led Sutton on the glass with four rebounds, while Tyson Scheidemann dished out five assists.

The Nebraska School Activities Association has released the new spring sports classifications for the 2023 season.

SUTTON

The Sutton track and golf programs will remain in Class C for the upcoming season, with the track teams being the 63rd largest Class C teams with 88 students enrolled at SPS.

The Mustangs boys golf team is the 71st of 76 teams that will compete in Class C this coming spring, with 43 boys enrolled at Sutton.

SANDY CREEK

Sandy Creek’s three spring sports teams will all compete in Class D this coming spring, with the Cougars’ boys and girls track teams, with a combined enrollment of 72 students, making the Sandy Creek teams the 12th largest school in Class D.

The Cougars boys golf team will also compete in Class D for districts and at state. Sandy Creek’s boys enrollment, according to the NSAA is at 39 boys, also making the Cougar golfers the 12th largest Class D school in the class.

HARVARD

The Nebraska Scholastic Wrestling Coaches Association has announced their 2023 hall of fame inductees. The NSWCA hall of fame banquet will be Friday, June 9, at the Boarders Inn and Suites in Grand Island, beginning at 5 p.m.

Longtime Harvard wrestling coach Terry Owens will be one of four coaches that will be inducted during the ceremony. Owens will be joined by Jim Meyer, former coach at Fort Calhoun, Randy Schroeder, who has coached at Rushville and Atkinson West Holt, along with Brett Schuler, who has coached at Plattsmouth and Louisville.

Additionally, former Sutton and Cambridge wrestling standout, Mike Shoff, will be inducted as a competitor. Shoff was a three-time state champion in the 285-pound weight class, winning one at Cambridge and two in Sutton. Shoff had a 153-1 career record, with his only loss coming during his freshman season, falling in the Class D state championship match his freshman year.

In a double-duty week of wrestling for the Sutton Mustangs, after placing seventh in action at the Superior Invite, Jan. 13, Sutton headed west for action in the Shelton Invite, with freshman Korey Poppe and senior Cason Peterson pacing the Mustangs. Poppe placed second in the 106-pound class, while Peterson earned third in the 195-pound class.

Sutton, as a team, tallied 87 team points, placing 11th overall in Shelton.

Conestoga outscored second place Red Cloud/Blue Hill 227.5-183 to win the Bulldog meet.

Poppe’s run would open with three straight wins, pinning Gage Gooden of Arapahoe in the opening round in 33 seconds, while gaining a medical forfeit win over Evan Morrical of Conestoga in the second round.

Poppe then advanced to the championship match with a 2:14 pin over Jace Thomas of Conestoga, before Gavin Patterson of Wilcox-Hildreth pinned Poppe in the title bout in 5:33. Poppe stands with an 18-6 record.

The sophomore duo of Connor Rempe and Rowan Jarosik continued their strong wrestling stints during the 2022-23 season, as the Red Raiders took on the field of competition at the Cross County Invitational Saturday, Jan. 14.

Both scored 20 of the Red Raiders’ 40 team points in the meet while earning second place finishes in their respective weight classes.

Rempe, wrestling in the 120-pound weight class, ran his season record to 29-7, winning three of four matches.

Rempe opened with three straight pinfall wins, taking down Isaac Sheilds of Amherst in the opener in 2:53, while in his second match, pinning Parker Zikmund of Central City in 3:25.

A 1:50 pinfall win over Keaton Kloke of David City sent Rempe into the championship match, where Jacob McGee of Logan View earned a narrow 10-9 win over Rempe to place the Red Raider second.