For three days, the CHI Health Center in Omaha became a battlefield, where wrestlers from every corner of Nebraska waged war across eight mats, chasing history, glory, and the fleeting moment where their hand would be raised under the state’s brightest lights.

For Central City, it was a homecoming to Class B, a weight class up in size and competition. It wasn’t just a tournament—it was a test. Could the smallest school in the class hang with the best?

By the time the mats were rolled up and the final medals were handed out, the answer was clear: yes, they could.

The Bison finished fifth in the team standings, powered by a state champion in freshman Ace Schweitzer and a silver medalist in senior Bryce Kunz. It was a rollercoaster of triumph and heartbreak, filled with pins that sent the Central City crowd into a frenzy and gut-wrenching losses that ended careers in the most unforgiving way wrestling has to offer.

It was, in every sense, the madness of Omaha.

Ace Schweitzer: A Dominant Champion

Some wrestlers win state titles by grinding out close decisions. Some navigate the tournament with caution, picking their spots carefully. Ace Schweitzer wasn’t interested in any of that.

The freshman phenom at 106 pounds went into the tournament with a plan to pin everything in sight, and that’s exactly what he did.

In four matches, he spent just 3 minutes and 21 seconds on the mat. His first-round opponent, Que Farley-Martin of Beatrice, lasted only 30 seconds before Schweitzer ended it with a quick fall. In the quarterfinals, Lucas DeMilt of Fort Calhoun managed just over a minute before meeting the same fate. Then, in the semifinals, it took just 17 seconds for Schweitzer to flatten Wyatt Stabnow of Alliance, punching his ticket to the finals with one of the fastest pins of the entire tournament.

And then came the moment he had dreamed of. On Saturday night, under the spotlights, he stepped onto the mat against John White of McCook, a 40-match winner who had fought through the other side of the bracket. Schweitzer, once again, was not about to let things drag on.

Ninety-one seconds later, it was over. As the ref slapped the mat and raised Schweitzer’s hand, the freshman tore off toward his corner, leaping into his father’s arms. Chris Schweitzer caught him midair, the two locked in a moment of pure emotion—the kind that only wrestling, with its loneliness on the mat and its years of sacrifice off of it, can create.

“It’s definitely special,” Schweitzer said after the match, still buzzing with adrenaline. “Carrying on a great tradition here. Just keep it rolling.”

The next goal? More titles. More hardware. More dominance. “Freestyle and Greco season—we’re coming for a Fargo stop sign,” Schweitzer said. “That’s next on the list.”

Bryce Kunz: A Legacy Cemented

If Schweitzer was the new face of Central City wrestling, Bryce Kunz was its heart and soul.

A senior leader, Kunz entered the tournament looking for redemption after finishing as the state runner-up in 2024. He was determined to climb one step higher on the podium.

His first three matches were flawless. In the first round, he pinned Theo Kastl of Lincoln Pius X in 3:25. In the quarterfinals, he took down Caleb Jackson of Seward in 2:38. His semifinal matchup with Grant Maas of Wayne followed the same script—a fall in 2:17.

And just like that, Kunz was back in the finals.

His opponent, Tyler Harrill of Omaha Skutt Catholic, entered with a 32-2 record and a reputation for closing matches fast. Kunz fought, scrapped, and tried to break through, but Harrill found his opening and ended it with a pin at 1:10.

Another state runner-up finish. It wasn’t the ending Kunz had wanted, but his career speaks for itself. He leaves Central City with over 150 wins, multiple state medals, and a family name that will forever be tied to Bison wrestling history.

His brother Dyson saw his own career come to an end at Northern Colorado the same weekend, marking the close of an era for the Kunz wrestling dynasty.

The Bison Battled

The rest of the Bison squad left everything they had on the mat, each facing their own journey through the deepest Class B tournament in recent memory.

Dalton Lovejoy, a senior at 113 pounds, opened his tournament with a dominant 12-0 major decision over Bryce Lawler of Gretna, but ran into a technical fall loss to Waverly’s Dominic Olson in the quarterfinals. He fought back with a 1:28 pin over Archer Ferguson of Ashland-Greenwood, but his final match ended in a late pin against Taiten Almond of Bennington.

Dylan Lovejoy, another senior, wrestled at 120 pounds and found himself in an immediate battle, losing a tight 13-9 decision to McCook’s Tyce Hammerlun. He responded with a gutsy 4-3 win over Dominick Sterling of Nebraska City, but his tournament ended when Beatrice’s Talon Belding caught him in a second-period pin.

Freshman Quinn Jensen at 126 pounds showed he belonged in Class B, pinning Hudson Harlow of Douglas County West in 3:04, before falling to Cole Karlin of Beatrice in a major decision. His next match was a nail-biter, winning 11-6 over Trini Trejo of Alliance, but a heartbreaking 6-5 loss to Josh Sheard of Omaha Gross Catholic kept him off the medal stand.

Junior Parker Zikmund at 144 pounds battled through the brackets, picking up back-to-back consolation wins with pins over Aurora’s Evan Hermanson and Blair’s Jaxon Logan before being stopped by McCook’s Tristan Campbell in 41 seconds.

The upper weights were a battle zone. Freshman Preston Burbach at 175 pounds and sophomore Parker Santin at 215 pounds both ran into state contenders early and couldn’t find a way through, being eliminated after two matches.

Senior heavyweight Riley Lavene, in his final tournament, picked up two big wins by fall, including a second-period pin over Seward’s Cooper Fern, but his career ended in a 3-1 battle with Waverly’s Harrison Smith.

When it was all said and done, Central City finished fifth in Class B, proving that they belonged in the fight.

The seniors left their legacy. The freshmen made a statement. Schweitzer, Jensen, and Burbach will return with fire. Zikmund and Santin will be back with experience. And Central City isn’t backing down from anyone in Class B. For three days, they walked through the fires of Omaha. They left with a champion, a legacy, and a warning to the rest of the state.

The Bison are here to stay.