Peterson a match away from wrestling medal

    Two Chase County wrestlers had their first experiences at the state wrestling tournament last week, and freshman Jaret Peterson was just a match away from a medal.
    Coach Matt Vlasin said Peterson and fellow Longhorn teammate Cayden White also experienced a state tourney impacted by COVID-19, which changed the atmosphere and some of the experiences.
    Peterson went 2-2 in Omaha in the Class C 220 lb. division Friday and Saturday.
    In his opening match, he met up with the eventual Class C state champion in Nebraska Christian’s Carl Mundt, who was back this year after taking gold last year at 195.
    Peterson lost by pin in 3:34, but he was on the mat nearly the longest with Mundt as the Nebraska Christian wrestler pinned his way to the gold medal. Only Mitchell’s Coley was on the mat longer before losing by pin in 3:39.
    Peterson won his next outing by medical default, and finished Friday with a 7-3 decision over Jazper Ames of Lutheran High NE.
    Vlasin said Peterson did a good job not getting tied up with Ames, who liked to throw his opponents. Peterson held a 7-0 lead, which included a penalty point given for head butting, before Ames scored three.
    In his heartbreak match Saturday, Peterson was pinned in the second period by St. Paul’s Nathan Scheer after battling to a 0-0 score after the first.
    “We knew it would be tough for Jaret in that weight class, but he’s had some upsets this year so it was possible,” Vlasin said.
    One of those upsets this season was at the Elwood Invite opening weekend, when Peterson won a 3-2 decision over Perkins County’s Brandon Knoles, who won last week’s Class C 220 lb. gold medal. Knoles finished this season with a record of 37-4.
    In his other two matches with Knoles this season, Peterson lost one-point decisions.
    Peterson faced all seniors in his head-to-head matches at state. His win by medical default was to a junior, who did not weigh in at all for the state tournament.
    Peterson finished the season with a 36-12 record.
    White, a junior wrestling at 113 lbs., went 0-2 at state, losing both by pin.
    His opening match was against Aquinas Catholic’s Jakob Kavan, who went on to win silver on Saturday in a close 4-3 decision.
    While he was pinned in the first period against Kavan, White had a better match in his second round against Oakland-Craig’s Ben Loftis.
    “I thought we had a shot against Loftis,” Vlasin said.
    The coach said White is still “pretty new to wrestling,” and this was his first experience at any type of big tournament. His freshman year was White’s first to wrestle. He didn’t compete in junior high or kids’ wrestling, Vlasin said.
    He’ll take some good experience into next season, he said.
    White finished the season at 24-17.

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