Bison prove they can grapple with SWC's best

McCook junior Tate Felber has returned from injury and building momentum for another state tournament push with his 18-6 record this season. He reached the Southwest Conference tournament finals last weekend.

R.B. Headley/McCook Gazette

OGALLALA, Neb. —McCook High’s wrestlers piled up plenty of superb wins while earning six Southwest Conference places among seven who competed on Friday.

The Bison highlight win had to be junior Tate Felber upsetting Class B No. 2 Gage Stokey of Ogallala (33-10 record) 5-3 in overtime at 145 pounds.

Yet senior Landon Towne took down a 37-match winner Alex Banuelos from Minden (37-10) for third place in their 152 division.

Junior Reid Steinbeck pinned two strong wrestlers en route to his heavyweight championship: 20-12 Steven Fullerton of team champion Valente and 26-9 Tyler Thomas from Broken Bow.

Freshman Alex Anthony defeated two wrestlers bringing 52 combined wins into the 160-pound showdowns.

Anthony edged Ogallala’s Hunter Skalsky (28-23) on his home mat, 2-1, and then trounced 24-16 Riley Baker of Gothenburg by a 15-8 final count.

McCook wrestlers also often lost to the best like 45-5 Cameron Zink of Ogallala giving Towne his lone SWC defeat.

Felber dropped his 145-final to 30-3 Morgan McGinley from the tenacious Valentine Badgers.

Junior Talyn Campbell tangled with two 126-pound foes who boast 60 combined wins this season.

Overall, Bison coach Nick Umscheid was pleased about his team’s No. 4 finish.

Now they plan on sending a stronger, deeper team into the crucial B-4 district tourney at Scottsbluff starting on Friday.

“Its the time of year that you want your guys to be healthy and peaking, and it seems like our guys are on the right track,” Umscheid concluded.

Team scores and all McCook Bison results from the Southwest meet:

Teams: 1. Valentine 186, 2. Broken Bow 154, 3. Ogallala 119, 4. McCook 92, 5. Minden 77.5, 6. Cozad 75, 7. Gothenburg 71, 8. Ainsworth 19.

195 pounds — Alec Langan (34-2 record) won the championship. He pinned B. Edmond, OGA, in :59; and pinned S. Schrunk, VAL, in 1:40.

285 — Reid Steinbeck (28-10) won the championship. He pinned E. Libich, GOTH, in 2:14; pinned S. Fullerton, VAL, in :39; and pinned T. Thomas, Bow, in 3:35.

145 — Tate Felber (18-6) placed second. He won 10-8 over B. Libich, GOTH; won 5-3 in OT over G. Stokey, OGA; and was pinned by M. McGinley, VAL, in :55.

152 — Landon Towne (28-14) placed third. He pinned C. Temple, AIN, in 2:36; was pinned by C. Zink, OGA, in 3:54; won 12-1 over J. Smith, GOTH; and won 11-9 over A. Banuelos, MIND.

160 — Alex Anthony (26-16) placed third. He lost 4-3 tiebreaker to E. Gonzalez, MIND; won 2-1 over H. Skalsky, OGA; and won 15-8 over R. Baker, GOTH.

138 — Nate Renner (14-18) placed fourth. He pinned B. Wyatt, OGA, in 3:56; was pinned by G. Krolikowski, VAL, in 1:38; pinned J. Birkestrand, MIND, in 3:43; lost by med forfeit to T. Conroy, AIN.128 — Talyn Campbell (25-15) did not place. He was pinned by I. White, COZ, in 2:44; and lost 8-0 to H. Heath, MIND.