Can Burke/Gregory's Colton Nelson climb to the top of a loaded Class B big-boy bracket
Burke/Gregory wrestler, Colten Nelson finished 3rd in the South Dakota Class B HWT bracket in 2015.
By Rich Winter
On a normal year the 285 pound weight class in South Dakota wrestling rarely draws more than a yawn as two big-boys push their weight around for 6 minutes with wrestling attendees stretching and grabbing for their keys to get out the door and head home.
Ummmm, might wanna strap in this year because the Class B 285 pound class is loaded with elite wrestlers. Six of the top-8 place-winners from the Class B tournament were underclassmen, and the top-3 are all back.
Wagner's Truman Ashes won the state title.
Winner's Tre ' zen Doren while at Lake Andes finished second.
And, Burke-Gregory's Colton Nelson, finished third, compiling a 30-9 record along the way...(Wonder how many of those losses came against Ashes and Doren?)
If you're going to watch Nelson, don't blink, don't go to the concession stands, the man pins and pins quick.
Other Burke/Gregory returning place-winners:
3rd Place - Jackson Eklund of Burke/Gregory (As an 8th grader) - 113 pounds
7th Place - Jeremiah Beck of Burke/Gregory (as a freshman) at 152 pounds
Congratulations to the Gregory tandem of Andy McCance, Jayd VanDerWerff (do you know how hard it is to spell that name?) Robert Vomacka (Vo-maatch-ka....really)...for being named to the first-team of the South Dakota 9AA field. I couldn't help but be a tad annoyed there weren't a few more players named to that squad from Gregory.
Did see that Triv Vosika and sophomore, J.J. Beck were named to the honorable mention squad but that just doesn't seem like it's enough. Prior to the start of the 9AA playoffs, the field-ahead looked loaded, and dangerous, and yet, Gregory outscored the opposition, 180-43 on their march to immortality.
They dominated the field, and while the offense got a ridiculous, and well justified amount of publicity, that team could tackle, had a tuffness about them and they were hard to score on....And yet, no defensive players on the first team....
Oh well, that's for another day....Mission inside sources tell me VanDerWerff plays basketball with a reckless abandon....Can't wait to see that!!
