Sports

Before either Keleigh Gonzalez or Maci Peters step on the mat at the CHI Health Center in Omaha this month, the two Central City wrestlers have already secured their spot in Bison wrestling history. On Saturday, at the District B-2 Tournament at Columbus Lakeview High School, Gonzalez and Peters became the first Central City wrestlers in history to qualify for the NSAA Girls State Wrestling Championships.

The message in the wrestling room at Central City High School is clear: everything the team does is designed to pay off in February. On Saturday, that mantra was well illustrated by the Bison, who entered the NSAA State Dual Wrestling Championships as the seventh seed and left Kearney with the runner-up trophy in hand.

After the Central City Bison stormed past Fairbury 60-24 on Lone Tree Night at the Bison Activity Dome last Tuesday, Central City Head Wrestling Coach Darin Garfield didn’t beat around the bush about what was at stake for his team during the last week of the regular season.

After one quarter of play in last Thursday’s game between Central City and David City, the visiting Bison were left looking for answers. The Green and Gold would eventually find those answers, using a dominant defensive performance and a second half rally to top the Scouts 40-19.

There was no shortage of offense in last Tuesday’s game between Nebraska Christian and Heartland-Hampton (H&H). Despite three Eagles scoring in double-digits, Nebraska Christian was defeated on their home court as the Bearcats used a hot start and a strong finish to claim a 72-57 win.

The consolation semifinals of the Central Valley Invitational were a bruising round for the High Plains Storm. On Friday, on the mats at Central Valley High School in Greeley, two members of the Storm’s wrestling team—Makayo Confer and Camden Mattox— exited the competition during the heartbreak round of the tournament.

With the regular season close to its end, the Nebraska Christian girls are hitting their stride at the right time. After placing third in the Goldenrod Conference Tournament, the Eagles rattled off back-to-back wins over Heartland-Hampton (H&H) and Wood River last week to improve their record to 12-6.

In their last taste of competition before the postseason, the Central City Bison didn’t disappoint. On Friday, Central City they hit the mats at the Raymond Central Invite, and from the field of nearly thirty teams competing at the Mustangs’ annual meet, the Green and Gold held their own.

When it matters most, the Central City Bison are playing some of their best basketball of the season. Last Thursday in David City, the Green and Gold ran away with a 58-30 win over the hosting Scouts, marking their fifth win in their last five games.