Throughout the final week of the 2022-23 regular season, Prescott senior Benny Olson and junior Nolan Thomey continued to set the pace for the Cardinals’ wrestling team.

Although Prescott lost three of its four duals at the five-team event in Somerset on Tuesday, Jan. 31, Thomley and Olson combined to finish 8-0 in their matches against opposition from schools including Spooner/ Webster, Unity, Mondovi/Eleva-Strum and Somerset.

The Cardinals suffered a 60-9 defeat in the first dual of the evening against Spooner/ Webster but saw Olson secure a pin in the 106-pound match while Thomley earned a win by decision in the 152-pound bout.

Olson and Thomley continued their success with wins via pin and technical fall respectively in their matches against Unity, a team that defeated Prescott 58-11 in the second dual of the evening.

Prescott’s lone team victory came in a 3027 thriller against Mondovi/Eleva-Strum. Olson earned a victory by forfeit in the 106-pound match while Thomley secured another pinfall win at 152. However, it was a total team effort, as the Cardinals tallied five match victories – three by forfeit – en route to the three-point win.

The Cardinals’ forfeit victories included Olson at 106, sophomore Colley Anderson at 132, and sophomore Ethan West at 160 pounds. Sophomore Steven Atherton and Thomley earned pinfall victories in the 145 and 152-pound matches.

Prescott suffered a 42-24 defeat to the host Somerset Spartans in the final dual of the evening. The Cardinals had five individual winners including Olson, Atherton, Thomley and Lono Thomason in the 160-pound match. Prescott head coach Ross Wargula spoke about the five-team event at Somerset.

“Overall the night was good for us on a couple of different levels. In the Spooner match, Nolan (Thomley) got a key win against a sectional opponent. As a team, we improved slightly from the first time we wrestled Unity earlier in the season. It was great to get a team dual win against Mondovi/Eleva- Strum and everyone did their part. Lono Thomason wrestled the best guy they had and went the full six minutes, limiting him to a decision win. If Lono gets pinned, we would have lost the dual on criteria. Against Somerset, we won four of the six matches we wrestled.”

Prescott’s final regular season event was at the Takedown on 22 Tournament in Maple River, Minn., on Saturday, Feb. 4. Several top-ranked teams and individuals in Minnesota were at the tournament, which served as a preparation opportunity for Prescott ahead of the upcoming postseason.

The Cardinals were again paced by Olson and Thomley, who both earned fifth-place finishes in their respective weight classes. After dropping his second-round match in the 106-pound bracket, Olson wrestled back and won three consecutive matches to secure his position on the podium.

Olson competed in one of the toughest brackets of the entire tournament, as the No. 1 and No. 5-ranked wrestlers in Class AA of Minnesota were both in his weight class on Saturday. Coach Wargula spoke about Olson’s fifth-place finish.

“It was a really good tournament for us to go to on a multitude of levels. We got to wrestle some fresh faces and we saw some excellent competition,” Wargula said. “Benny’s bracket had the No. 1 and No. 5-ranked wrestlers in Class AA. The third-place finisher was ranked earlier in the season in AA, we had a lead on and made a mistake that cost us. The fourth-place finisher has 30 wins as a seventh-grader. Benny did a good job. This tournament will serve him well as we head into the postseason.”

Thomley followed an identical line to that of Olson, as he lost in the second round and then won three consecutive matches to secure a fifth-place finish in the 152-pound bracket. Wargula spoke about Thomley’s performance on Saturday afternoon.

“Nolan was very workman-like all day,” Wargula said. “His quarterfinal loss had some clock malfunction controversy in the last 12 seconds. A couple of refs converged and made a call that didn’t go in our favor. It was unfortunate but we have to understand the situation better too. Nolan handled that well and worked his way back to fifth.”

Prescott will begin what it hopes is a long and fruitful postseason at the super regional in Neillsville on Saturday, Feb. 11. Wrestling is slated to begin at 10:30 a.m.