Perhaps not as dire as the legendary 1804 duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, the NSAA State Dual Tournament will provide wrestling fans with many exciting duals and some top notch athletes.

Three of the tournaments participants are returning champions looking to defend their 2019 crown while others are looking to get back on top and a few are looking to make a splash in their first trip to the tournament.

One of those looking to defend their title from a year ago may be considered the best wrestling program in tournament history. Millard South will look to win their fifth Class A championship in the past six years and have qualified for the tournament in all of its eight year history. It’s been said that staying on top of the competition is harder than getting there but for the Patriots it is business as usual coming into Saturday.

“I don't think the kids feel any pressure,” says Patriots head coach Nathan Olson. “They all know what is expected of them, and if they try to do too much, it could turn into a bad situation where could go from winning a match to losing a match. They love to wrestle against the best kids in the State, and this tournament is definitely our chance to do that. I think the coaches put a lot of pressure on themselves because Millard South has such a strong tradition and has a history of doing great at the dual tournament but, we are trying to get the kids to understand that this is just another tournament on the way to the Individual State Tournament.

Millard South has been on top of the wrestling world in Nebraska and this season is no different as they come into the tournament the favorite thanks to great coaching and a solid group of 14 guys.

"Our 132 (Connor Knopick), 138 (Tyler Antoniak), 145 (Antrell Taylor), and 152 (Scott Robertson - Utah State Champion that transferred to Millard South) all really work well together,” says Coach Olson. “They all hate to give up anything whether we are doing live takedowns or mat wrestling, these guys are competing like it's the State Championships. Sometimes we have to remind them about being good practice partners and letting the other guy do or try a move.”

The Patriots have been a contender every year for nearly twenty years and that high level of success cannot be achieved without strong leaders and high level coaching. For years it was Coach Doug Denson who ran the show at Millard South and his guidance lives on even after his retirement in 2017.

“Our seniors have been great,” says Coach Olson. “They are the last part of the Coach Denson era, as they were freshmen during his last campaign. They bring that old school, ‘knock-you-in-the-mouth’ mentality that made the Denson era so special, and they do a great job of leading our team. Isaac Trumble is the guy we can count on to never take a break during practice, and a guy that we can use as a role model for the younger kids as to doing whatever it takes to be successful.”

* Class A isn’t the only class in the tournament that has had a dominant team over the past eight years as Amherst has also found success qualifying for the tournament all eight years and bringing home five state championships in Class D.

This year things have changed a little for Amherst as they move to Class C and look to maintain the same level of success as they have found in previous years.

“That level of success is something that is very rare, as there are only a few schools that have qualified for the State Duals every year since it started” says Amherst head coach Chase Klingelhoefer. “The athletes on our team understand how passionate our fan base and our community is about the sport and it is something we take very seriously. The path leading up to present day was built with unbelievably hard work, much like many other successful programs. We are fortunate to have the types of leaders that are developed throughout the years to help the underclassmen be the best that they can be.”

Wrestling is a big deal to the Amherst faithful and they have had plenty to cheer about in recent years as they have put together one of the most impressive runs of any team in Class D. Now after moving up to Class C it is business as usual for Amherst as they look to pick up right where they left off in Class D.

“Our goals remain the same after moving up to Class C,” says Coach Klingelhoefer. “We still have the same drive to be at the top of the podium. We still expect our wrestlers to compete at their highest level. Class D is a tough class, as is Class C. However, the biggest difference is the depth of each team in Class C compared to Class D. There are more teams across the state that are able to fill the entire line-up and that are able to substitute a backup wrestler if needed that is almost just as good as their varsity and so that has been a challenge to be able to still compete with some schools that are bigger than us. I think our wrestlers have adapted well and just the fact that we have been wrestling bigger schools and tougher competition, we have gotten better ourselves.”

Amherst has certainly spent their season wrestling bigger schools as their only losses come to Kearney, North Platte, Pierce and an Aquinas team that is the number one seed in the Class C bracket. Saturday they will be ready to go and know that every team in the tournament has a chance to make a big splash.

“Every dual this Saturday is going to be a grind,” says Coach Klingelhoefer. “The other seven schools that have qualified for the duals are very talented teams and that's exactly what you want at the State Duals. There will not be one easy match and our goal is to not give up bonus points (pins, techs, majors). I think if we can do that and let our heavy hitters get to work and do what they do, I think we can compete just fine. It will be an eventful State Duals Tournament, just like every year.”

The wrestling action will get kicked off at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning classes B and C followed by A and D at 10:30.

* The Class A field is made up of teams from Millard South, Grand Island, Lincoln East, Norfolk, Omaha Burke, Millard North, Kearney and Columbus.

Class B will be Hastings, Adams Central, Pierce, Bennington, Central City, Blair, Gering and Minden who is making their first appearance in the state dual tournament.

Also making their first appearance in Class C are Raymond Central and Conestoga. They will be joined by Aquinas, Valentine, Logan View, Amherst, David City and Battle Creek.

In Class D Plainview will be the favorite while Burwell returns as the two schools are the returning champion and runner-up from 2019 respectively. For Burwell their sight is set on making it back to the championship dual where Plainview will likely be waiting.

“Our team’s success has been based on our competition and leadership in our wrestling room,” says Burwell head coach Luke Gideon. “Our kids believe we have a chance to win a championship every year. Our goal is to take one dual at a time but we want to compete in the championship dual. Plainview is as good as any team regardless of class. It will take a lot for any team to beat them because they are solid from top to bottom of their lineup.”

The rest of the Class D field will be Neligh-Oakdale, Mullen, Pender, Elkhorn Valley, Maxwell and Winside.