What happened: On Saturday, Feb.11, the Millard North gym was full of cheers of victory, and sobs of defeat. Dreams of going to the Nebraska Class A State Championships were met for few, and  crushed for many. For the Thunderbird wrestling team six wrestlers qualified for state.

By the numbers: Six Bellevue West wrestlers punched their ticket to state. Seniors Tyler Ciurej, Levi Miller, and Oscar Baird, juniors Ty Reynolds and Nolan Koehler, and freshman Roy Ashburn all reached the three-win total that was needed to go to state. All six wrestlers placed in the top four in their respective classes.

They said it: Head coach Jerry Schumacher weighed in on the team’s chances at state: “We have some guys who will do well. Some of our draws were good, some were bad. I think we have a legitimate chance to walk out with three or four medals.”

Did you see that?: Freshman Roy Ashburn won a nail biting match against Corey Parsons of North Platte. Ashburn took a quick 4-0 lead, but Parsons fought back to even the score. In the end Ashburn was able to record enough points to slam his way into state.

Up next: The six T-Bird qualifiers made the short trek to the CenturyLink Center where all six wrestlers will take part in the second day of the state tournament, Feb. 17.