Wrestling coach thankful Longhorns had a season

    In a year ravaged by COVID-19 cancellations, Longhorn Wrestling Coach Matt Vlasin is happy that his team was able to compete the entire season.
    That’s not the case for some of Nebraska’s neighboring states, whose high school activity associations delayed seasons like Colorado, or limited competition to only duals like Wyoming.
    “We wondered if we’d even get to go, or what our stipulations would be, so getting to compete was huge,” Vlasin said as he looked back on the 2020-21 season.
    In Nebraska, high school wrestlers themselves saw few limitations besides mask-wearing when not on the mat, he said. Crowd attendance varied at the host schools.
    Vlasin said it was a little nerve-racking, though, late in the fall sports season when no NSAA announcements had been released yet about what wrestling would be like.
    In the end, though, winter sports were given the green light, with some restrictions.
    There were other highlights this season, too, Vlasin noted.
    Two state qualifiers in freshman Jaret Peterson and junior Cayden White were at the top of the highlight list, as well as knowing they’ll both be back next year.
    Peterson was just a match away from the medal rounds as he finished 2-2 at state. White got some good experience at a large meet, as well, in his two matches in Omaha.
    It was one of the first seasons in awhile where the Chase County team started and finished with 11 wrestlers. No one quit the team mid-season, he said.
    “That was nice,” Vlasin said.
    Some wrestlers suffered injuries midway to late in the season, taking them out for a week or two. Dawson Mollendor sustained a broken nose at Chase County’s meet mid-January, taking him out of competition the rest of the season.
    Kenyan Biesecker, the only senior on the team, stepped up a lot this season, Vlasin said, in providing leadership.
    “He’s one of those kids whose improvement took a big jump between his sophomore and junior years,” he noted.
    “He became a very solid wrestler.”
    Biesecker was among three on the team with 20 or more wins this season. Peterson led the group with a 36-12 record, White was 24-17 and Biesecker finished 23-16.
    In other stats, Peterson led in pins with 25, as Biesecker tallied 17. Mollendor and White each scored 14 pins,  and Cody Duffy finished with 13.
    Peterson also topped the squad in team points scored with 230. Also over the 100 mark were White 143, Biesecker 103 and Mollendor 100.
    Duffy was team leader for escapes with 24. Biesecker had 22 and Mollendor 21.
    For takedowns, Peterson led with 57, White had 35, Mollendor 34 and Biesecker 31.
Numbers good next year
    With everyone expected back except Biesecker next season, Vlasin is feeling good about an expected increase in team numbers for 2021-22.
    There were 14 eighth graders on the junior high team this season, and Vlasin feels certain five of them, maybe as many as 10, will be out as freshman wrestlers next year.
    Those extra numbers, at minimum, will increase the team nearly 50%.