2026 Nebraska Boys Wrestling State Championships: Southeast Nebraska qualifiers, results

Congratulations to all of the athletes from Southeast Nebraska-area schools who are competing in the 2026 Nebraska Boys Wrestling State Championships this week in Omaha!

A total of 53 athletes from 15 different schools across this part of the state will hit the mats to compete in Nebraska's boys wrestling individual championships, always one of the best-attended and most popular sports this state has to offer.

The boys wrestling field is split into four classes, with 14 weights in each subdivision. No Southeast Nebraska schools compete in Class A, but there are some serious medal contenders in each of the three other fields from this part of the state. 12 local athletes were champions of their district tournaments this past weekend, and a ten athletes who placed at last year's state tournament are back this year.

In Class B, Beatrice figures to once again be a contender for a spot on the team podium, anchored by a trio of legitimate solo podium candidates. Merrick Johnson is the marquee name on that list - he was a state champion last year after finishing as runner-up the year prior. Teammates Talon Belding and Cole Karlin are two-time state placers as well. And don't count out Fairbury's Konrad Kuzelka, who enters the tournament as one of just four athletes in Class B that has yet to lose a match.

In Class C, Thayer Central has built up an impressive program over the years and have two district champions, Aiden Degenhardt and Cole Vorderstrasse, with great shots at excelling at the state tournament. Johnson County Central's Erik Prado brings along plenty of pedigree himself as a two-time placer.

And in Class D, look no further than Southern, which authored an extremely impressive state tournament performance last year and brings a ton of that talent back, headlined by reigning state champ Drake Troxel and reigning runner-up Wyatt Forney, plus fellow district champion Koltan Ideus. And don't look past Meridian heavyweight Kyan Sones, who has been a standout in his weight class for years.

The following is a list of all of the qualifiers for the 2026 NSAA Boys Wrestling state championships from local schools, organized by class and weight. This page will be updated with results at the end of every day. For all the latest updates all week long, tune in to Ol' Red 99.5 or KWBE at the top of every hour to hear the latest results and bracket breakdowns involving Southeast Nebraska wrestlers.

2026 NSAA Boys Wrestling State Championships

Class B

106

Edison Omar - Beatrice | FR

113

Cole Steuck - Norris | SO

120

Carsen Hanshaw - Beatrice | FR

126

Cole Karlin - Beatrice | SR

Jonny Kohout - Milford | JR

132

Kellen Lovitt - Milford | JR

138

Talon Belding - Beatrice | SR

Gavin Gerths - Fairbury | SR

Quinn Zegers - Milford | SR

144

Finley Omar - Beatrice | FR

150

Dre Garrison - Beatrice | SO

Lyle Van Horn - Crete | JR

Marcus Wacker - Norris | SO

157

Jaydon Griffith - Beatrice | SO

Kahne McGee - Norris | FR

165

Cory Langenberg - Milford | JR

175

Konrad Kuzelka - Fairbury | SR

Boen Schweitzer - Milford | JR

190

Merrick Johnson - Beatrice | SR

Rylan Schoenbeck - Norris | JR

215

Brody Mattox - Crete | JR

Garrett Roelfs - Fairbury | SR

285

Wade Brewster - Norris | FR

Gavyn Rhoden - Beatrice | SR

Garrett Schoen - Milford | SR

Class C

106

Rylan Bergmeier - Tri County | FR

Aiden Degenhardt - Thayer Central | SO

Caden McDonald - Johnson County Central | SR

113

Jaxson Bowers - Thayer Central | SO

Erik Prado - Johnson County Central | JR

120

Juan Aguilar - Johnson County Central | FR

Cade Spahr - Tri County | SO

132

Grant Eschiti - Wilber-Clatonia | SR

138

Logan Zimmerman - Wilber-Clatonia | SR

144

Owen McLaughlin - Thayer Central | SO

157

Talyn Hancock - Freeman | JR

Chase Myers - Fillmore Central | SR

175

Cale Behrens - Freeman | JR

190

Jayleb Guthrie - Thayer Central | SR

215

Cole Vorderstrasse - Thayer Central | SR

285

Luis Alarcon - Tri County | JR

James Bonar - Thayer Central | SR

Class D

113

Wyatt Forney - Southern | JR

126

Silas Sedlacek - Southern | SR

138

Noah Troxel - Southern | SR

144

Blaze Barleen - Southern | SR

150

Drake Troxel - Southern | SO

157

Koltan Ideus - Southern | SR

190

Carsen Goes - Southern | SR

Hunter Svehla - EMF | SR

215

Gauge Schuetz - Pawnee City | SO

285

Dylan Layne - Pawnee City | JR

Kyan Sones - Meridian | SR