WP’s Konner McCrumb qualifies for state wrestling

After a one-year absence, the Wauneta-Palisade wrestling team is sending a wrestler to the state tournament following the D4 district that was held Friday and Saturday in Bayard.
Sophomore Konner McCrumb bumped up to 120 lbs. and battled his way through the seven-man bracket at districts. With wins over two wrestlers in the bracket, Head Coach Shad Wiese said coaches liked Konner McCrumb’s chance to qualify.
Still, WP tried that strategy last year and it didn’t work out.
“It was a hard decision to make,” Wiese said.
This year the move from 113 pounds paid off. After a first round win, Konner McCrumb lost his semifinal match, but got the all-important heartbreak round win. With a berth to Omaha in hand, Konner McCrumb fell in the consolation match.
“He wrestled hard and had a close semifinals match but fell short. He then wrestled back and took fourth,” Wiese said.
Senior Trey McCrumb had the Broncos’ best season.
    “We knew going into districts it was going to be tough, being the fifth seed we had to beat one or two guys that we battled with all season,” Wiese said.
T. McCrumb was one of seven wrestlers in the 175-lb. bracket that had winning records. He moved on to the quarterfinals with an opening round win, but lost to Karson Shuler of Hitchcock County, a familiar face from the RPAC. T. McCrumb picked up one win in the consolation rounds before losing his heartbreak round match.
“Trey wrestled well but came up short,” Wiese said, adding T. McCrumb didn’t win a match as a freshman and finished his senior season 27-17.
In his first year wrestling, Kameran McCrumb ended his season with two losses at districts.
Kameran McCrumb improved all season after playing basketball as a freshman but it put him behind from the start, Wiese said.
“He is a great worker in the wrestling room and helped push the other guys. We are looking forward to see what more experience will bring for him,” Wiese added.
“I’m proud of the McCrumb 3 because they were consistent and always there,” he continued.
Up next
Konner McCrumb (17-19)will be in the last first-round Class D 120-lb. match at state. He will face Treu Atkins of Sumner-Eddyville-Miller (26-5) Thursday afternoon.
Wiese said taking a kid to state helps out the program and helps build team morale.
Winners of their first round matches will wrestle again Thursday.
Those who lose in the first round will be back on the mat Friday afternoon when the first and second rounds of consolation matches will be held.
All class semifinals and third round consolations will be held Friday evening.
Consolation semifinals then third and fifth place matches will be held Saturday morning and afternoon.
Championship matches will begin at 3 p.m. CT Saturday.
D-4 District Meet
Team scores—1. Sutherland, 206.0; 2. Hitchcock County, 96.0; 3. Mullen, 85.0; 3. North Platte St. Patrick`s, 85.0; 5. Garden County, 79.0; 6. Bayard, 74.5; 7. Maxwell, 53.0; 8. Morrill, 51.0; 9. Hemingford, 50.0; 10. Perkins County, 49.0; 11. Crawford, 47.0; 12. Brady, 40.0; 13. Kimball, 34.0; 14. Paxton, 23.0; 15. Banner County, 20.0; 16. Wauneta-Palisade, 19.0; 17. Hay Springs, 17.0; 17. South Platte, 17.0; 19. Hyannis, 12.0; 20. Sandhills Valley, 7.0; 21. Dundy County Stratton, 3.0; 21. Medicine Valley, 3.0; 23. Leyton, 0.0; 23. Minatare, 0.0.
Individual results
120—Konner McCrumb (17-19) won by fall over Dylan Brownell (Sutherland) 6-18 , fall 1:45; lost by major decision to Nicholas Arroyo (Morrill), MD 18-10; won by fall over Gabriel Kendrick (South Platte) , fall 2:45; 3rd Place Match - lost by major decision to Kale Martinez (Sutherland), MD 14-4.
144—Kameran McCrumb (5-24) lost by fall to Xavier Pieper (North Platte St. Patrick’s) 35-19, fall 0:34; lost by fall to Paden Morava (Crawford), fall 0:49.
175—Trey McCrumb (27-17) won by fall over Lane Citta (North Platte St. Patrick’s), fall 1:15; lost by fall to Karson Shuler (Hitchcock County), fall 3:51; won by fall over Colin Grundlingh (Paxton), fall 2:42; lost by fall to Aydan Kaps (Sutherland), fall 2:33).