The Bluejays Powered through the Class C State Dual Championships with a Three Dual Run
By Kolten Wragge
The Pierce boys came into the Class C state dual championships ranked number one. They had an amazing opportunity at stake, and they sure did make the most of it.
In the first dual Pierce faced Gibbon. Starting off the dual at 285, Boston Krueger received a forfeit, then at 113, Andrik Sorrells pinned Gabriel Hernandez in under a minute. Kolten Wragge, at 120 pounds, pinned Giovanni Ramirez. At 126, Draydin Gossman won by injury forfeit over Graeson Swarm. Keegan Holan lost by technical fall, 22-3, at 132 against Lukas Altwine Adams. Karsen Wragge, at 138, also lost by technical fall, 17-2, to Darian Hernandez. At 144, Baiden Neuhalfen lost by major decision to Ivan Tamayo, 11-8. At 150, Cole DeBoer pinned Reuben Reyes. At 157, Brenden Bolling won by technical fall over Rogelio Hernandez, 20-2. Following that, Ethan Claussen (165) picked up a pin over Rodolfo Corona. At 175, Burkley Collison pinned Trace Smith, and at 190, Kyle Kuehler received a forfeit. To end the dual Christian Nordby dropped a close one to Jose Remirez-Aguiar 7-3. The Bluejays took out the Gibbon Buffaloes 53-17 to cap off the first round.
In the second round, the Bluejays faced the Battle Creek Braves. Starting off the dual at 106, Talon Dreger received a forfeit. At 113, Sorrells pulled off a pin over Kael Stusse. Ko. Wragge at 120 defeated Ryan Hoehne with a major decision, 10-1. At 126, Gossman defeated Tyan Thompson, 9-6. Keaton Kuchar defeated Holan 5-1 at 132. Neuhalfen lost by fall to Austyn Carstens at 138. Next at 144, Brody Kesting defeated Keifer Neuhalfen 10-7. At 150, DeBoer lost by technical fall, 18-2, to Ashton Kuchar. At 157, Bolling pinned Barrett Koehler. Next at 165, Hunter Kruse defeated Claussen in a close match, 13-9. At 175, Collison defeated Casey Schnebel in a 12-6 decision. Kuehler pinned Rilee Sellin at 190. At 215, Nordby pinned Levi Mahlin. And to wrap up the dual, Connor Heiderman defeated Xavier Miller by pin at 285. Pierce came out victorious with a final score 37-29.
Although Pierce qualified for the state dual tournament in 2023 and 2025 in class C, the last time they were in the championship was 2020 when they came home as runners-up in class B.
“It was nice to see that the hard work that all of our guys put in throughout the year was paying off. I’m proud of the way we executed and were able to display what we are capable of on a big stage,” Claussen, a sophomore, stated.
In the finals, the Bluejays faced Central City. Starting the dual at 113, Ace Schweitzer pinned Sorrells. Then at 120, Ko. Wragge pinned Bow Brandenburg. At 126, Gossman pinned Braiden Varley. Holan, at 132, defeated Harley Senkbile by major decision, 10-0. At 138, Ka. Wragge picked up a pin over Jacob Zimmerman. Then at 144, Neuhalfen beat O’rion Shepherd by technical fall, 20-3. At 150, Quinn Jensen defeated DeBoer by technical fall, 15-0. Ronnfeldt, at 157, picked up a pin over Lincoln Reeves. At 165, Bolling pinned Parker Zikmund. Then at 175, Collison pinned Damien Malachias. At 190, Preston Burbach defeated Kuehler by major decision, 12-4. At 215, Nordby pinned Colbyn Peters. And lastly, for Pierce Krueger, at 285, picked up a 16-5 major decision over Parker Santin. To end the dual Bentley Garfield received a forfeit at 106.
This was not just an accomplishment for the Bluejays; this was history.
“I’m excited that we just came out and wrestled through the moments. We didn't make it more than it was, and we just went out and had fun,” assistant coach Jason Freudenburg said.
In 2020, the Jays finished second in Class B. But now, for the first time in program history, the Bluejays return home as state dual champions.
