Three Repeat As Team Champions At Nebraska High School State Wrestling

Creighton Prep, Omaha Skutt, Battle Creek all defend titles on the mat.

NSAA.org

Three of the four reigning Nebraska School Activities Association State Wrestling team champions successfully defended, including one capturing a third straight crown this past weekend.

Battle Creek rolled to its third consecutive team championship in Class AA, as Creighton Prep in Class A and Omaha Skutt in Class B each defended. In Class D, Plainview knocked off Burwell for the gold.

Two wrestlers joined the four-timers club, as Zaiyahn Ornelas of Creighton Prep and Tyler Harrill from Omaha Skutt became the 39th and 40th individuals to claim four state championships.

Creighton Prep, Led by Zaiyahn Ornelas, Dominates In Class A

The Junior Jays racked up 255.5 team points to finish over 90 points ahead of runner-up Lincoln East, winning a second consecutive Class A team championship.

On the individual front, star Zaiyahn Ornelas as one of four champions, as the senior became the 39th Nebraska high school wrestler to win four titles.

“It feels amazing for this group of guys to go back-to-back,” Creighton Prep head coach Andrew Fisher told NSAA.org. “The effort is just always the best with these guys. In the classroom and on the mat.”

Joining Ornelas atop the podium were Cruzer Dominguez, Kameron Green and JT Smith. Creighton Prep qualified a dozen wrestlers for state, and 11 of them claimed medals.

“These guys went right back to work after state duals,” Fisher said. “There was no overconfidence, just hunger. It was so much fun to watch these guys go out there and lay it on the line.”

Kiernan Meink of Millard South and Mason Petersen from Columbus each won a third state title while Dominguez made it 2-for-2.

Terence Crawford, the son of boxing icon Terence “Bud” Crawford, won the 106-pound title as a freshman for Omaha North.

Omaha Skutt Picks Up Title No. 23 All-Time

The Skyhawks crowned six individual champions in winning their 23rd state title team, adding to the eight state dual crowns they also own in Class B.

Tyler Harrill was one of those six, as the senior captured his fourth individual title, making him the 40th wrestler in Nebraska history to do so. He finished off his career with a first period fall in the finals, making him the seventh Omaha Skutt four-timer.

“We’ve been given a lot of gifts and opportunities, and this is a pretty cool deal,” Omaha Skutt head coach Chas DeVetter said. “We’ve had a lot of good teams, but this team was really special.”

Ben Ziola and Riley Johnson each won their third state titles, as Ziola will be going for No. 4 next year as a senior. Coy Childers of Alliance won his second as a sophomore.

In Class C, Battle Creek held off reigning state dual champion Pierce by 13.5 points for team gold, as six wrestlers found the podium. Plainview’s Class D team gold was the first since 2021, when they won a third straight.