Bon Homme edges Wagner 33-30 in first dual of season

TYNDALL — Blasé Vanecek looked exhausted walking off the mat.

The Bon Homme senior held off Wagner sophomore Trevor Lensing for an 8-7 win in the 182-pound match in a Southeastern South Dakota Conference wrestling dual Thursday night.

Vanecek picked up the first takedown quickly and held a 6-3 lead after two periods. But Lensing had two reversals in the third period and Vanecek needed to hang on in the final seconds for his first victory of the year.

“It was two big, strong kids,” Bon Homme coach Mark Stoebner said. “Blasé is coming off a football injury, so he hasn’t practiced like we’d like. But he gutted out the win, which is what a senior should do.”

Vanecek, fighting a shoulder injury, gave the Cavaliers a 27-24 advantage with three weight classes to go. The Red Raiders got decision wins from Dakota Zephier (195) and Truman Ashes (220) to go ahead by three, but Bon Homme’s Jesse Lozano earned a forfeit win at 285 to hand Bon Homme the three-point team victory.

The win was the second time in the past five years the Cavaliers topped Wagner in head-to-head action. Before Thursday night, two of the last four Bon Homme-Wagner duals came down to criteria, with the Red Raiders winning in 2008 and the Cavaliers winning in 2010. When a dual comes down to criteria, the score is tied after all of the matches, but one team wins based off pins or individual victories.

“It’s always close against these guys,” said second-year Wagner coach Chas Welch, whose team defeated Bon Homme 46-30 in dual action last season.

After Vanecek’s win, Bon Homme’s Ezra Bartlett staved off a few pinning combinations from Zephier at 195 pounds. Zephier won 8-2 to tie the match at 27.

Ashes, an eighth-grader, scored four third-period points for a 6-2 win over Alan Haataja at 220 to put the Red Raiders up 30-27. But Wagner didn’t have a heavyweight, and Bon Homme claimed the match.

“(Haataja) is a little frustrated that he lost, but in a dual like this you just have to do your job,” Stoebner said. “You can’t always want to wrestle like you want to win. You have to stay in position, so you don’t give up the pin. If he would have, it would have gone down to criteria.”

Wagner and Bon Homme split the matches, taking seven each and both teams having one forfeit. The Cavaliers opened the dual with a 2-0 decision win at 106 pounds by Zach Sykora over Ben Soukup. Duncan Stoebner (113) and Alex Caba (120) both pinned their opponent to give Bon Homme three wins out of the chute. Austin Kaul (152) had Bon Homme’s other win by fall of the match.

Sage Zephier picked up a forfeit win at 126 for Wagner, but Bon Homme’s Lincoln Stoebner won a back-and-fourth match at 132 with a five-point roll in the third period.

Tyler Dion (138) and David Kocer (170) each won by fall for Wagner and Austin Soukup (145) and Brady Soulek (160) both had decision wins.

“Overall, a good effort on our part, but there are a lot of things to clean up,” Welch said.

Both teams are back in action this weekend at tournaments. Bon Homme is at the Canton dual tournament Saturday, while Wagner is at the Kimball tournament Saturday.

Bon Homme 33, Wagner 30

106: Zach Sykora (BH) dec. Ben Soukup 2-0; 113: Duncan Stoebner (BH) pinned Dawson Petrik 1:09; 120: Alex Caba (BH) pinned Zach Rucktaeschel 4:22; 126: Sage Zephier (W) wins by forfeit; 132: Lincoln Stoebner (BH) dec. Nick Dion 8-5; 138: Tyler Dion (W) pinned Dylan Manas (BH) 1:35; 145: Austin Soukup (W) dec. Dustin Cuka 10-4; 152: Austin Kaul (BH) pinned Logan Kafka 4:30; 160: Brady Soulek (W) dec. Thomas Mitzel 3-0; 170: David Kocer (W) pinned Josh Vaith 3:30; 182: Blasé Vanecek (BH) dec. Trevor Lensing 8-7; 195: Dakota Zephier (W) dec. Ezra Bartlett 8-2; 220: Truman Ashes (W) dec. Alan Haataja 6-2; 285: Jesse Lozano (BH) wins by forfeit.

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