Adams Central's Dylan Gilliland wrestles Ogallala's Toray Smith
in the 120-pound match of the Adams Central Invite Jan. 25.
In most cases, the first time a wrestler makes it to the state tournament, that athlete is just glad to be known as one of the state's best. But the second time a wrestler makes it to the state tournament, that's when the pressure really turns up.
The Adams Central wrestling team qualified seven for the Class B state tournament, which opens 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha. With four of those qualifiers returning from a state appearance last season, hopes are high for the Patriots.
With two days before the tournament begins, AC head coach Dan Lonowski said it's all about finding a balance between competing at a high level at practice and avoiding injury.
"Tonight was hard, it certainly wasn't fun. We ran quite a few sprints, wrestled live most of the time," Lonowski said after Monday's practice. "They went hard, worked well. Your biggest fear at this point is getting an injury going hard, but you can't let up because then you're going to let up in your matches.
"You go hard for a while and then kind of make sure you don't get into any precarious situations where someone tweaks an ankle or something. But it still happens once in a while."
To read more, see Tuesday's Hastings Tribune or the Tribune e-edition.>>>
