A formidable lineup and a pair of performances from North Platte standouts powered the North Platte/Mid-Buchanan girls to the KCI Conference team championship at the conference wrestling tournament held Jan. 27 in Lawson.
North Platte/Mid-Buchanan finished with 201 points to claim the team title, well ahead of runner-up Lathrop (138.5). Plattsburg placed third with (84.5), followed closely by Lawson (83) while West Platte finished sixth with 46 points from just three wrestlers with two individual champions.
The Dragons’ title run was fueled by dominant performances from North Platte wrestlers throughout the middle and upper weights. North Platte underclassmen Vivian Stockbauer (155-pound division) and Savannah Crook (170-pound division) supplied runner-up finishes.
The Dragons looked to Olivia Cunningham to capture the 105-pound championship by pinning Lathrop’s Payton Reed in just 53 seconds. Cunningham’s title set the tone early and delivered a critical 20 team points.
At 120 pounds, Zuzu Kountz controlled the bracket and secured first place with a fall over Rylee Coots of Lathrop in the finals. Fellow Mid-Buchanan standout Sophia Smith followed suit at 135, ending her championship bout with a first-period pin to add another conference crown.
Mid-Buchanan also delivered key champions in the lighter weights to round out the team’s dominance. Brooklee Thomas (110) and Molly Meehan (115) each captured conference titles with falls in the finals, while Tayja Hernandez capped the championship run at 140 pounds with a late fall.
West Platte made its mark on the girls side behind a pair of champions. Addison Bailey claimed the 125-pound title with back-to-back major decisions, while Aylah Gray went uncontested at 190 pounds to earn first place and added 20 team points.
On the boys side, Lawson captured the KCI team championship with 218 points, followed by Lathrop (173.5) and Mid-Buchanan (160.5). West Platte placed fifth overall with 70.5 points after putting multiple wrestlers on the podium.
Several North Platte wrestlers played major roles in Mid-Buchanan’s third-place team finish. Sawyer Coons delivered a strong run at 113 pounds, earning the conference championship with a 7-3 decision in the finals after a semifinal fall. Galen Christiansen also added another title at 175, pinning his semifinal opponent in under a minute before winning the championship match via decision.
Johnny McCracken closed the tournament in emphatic fashion, capturing the 285-pound title with a fall in the finals after needing just 47 seconds to advance through the semifinals.
Additional North Platte contributors included Gus French (144 pounds) and Grady Coons (165 pounds), who both finished as the runner-up. Mid-Buchanan’s Kholden House added a second-place finish at 106, while Maddox Kountz placed third at 157.
Mid-Buchanan’s Colby Schreck displayed another dominant performance, claiming the 120-pound title by technical fall in the finals after pinning his semifinal opponent in just 42 seconds.
West Platte’s boys were highlighted by a conference championship from Canton Wilkins at 132 pounds, where he edged Lathrop’s Brody Busick by a 4-3 decision. The Blue Jays also received third-place finishes from James Lybarger (106), Wyatt Gill (126) and Cuin Vincent (138), helping solidify a top-five finish in the conference.
With the calendar hitting February, both schools will ramp attention up to find postseason form, with the girls’ district tournament set for Feb. 13-14 in Kearney. The boys will have an extra week to prepare before North Platte/Mid-Buchanan heads to Excelsior Springs Feb. 20-21 while West Platte heads to Lathrop.