Area schools sent their representatives last weekend’s 3-2-1A State Wrestling tournament in Hays. The wrestlers earned a spot in the contest by placing in the top four at their respective regional tournaments. Rossville qualified four wrestlers, St. Marys and Onaga each got two through, and Wabaunsee sent one.
Rossville
The Bulldawgs earned two individual medals and amassed 44 points in the tournament to land them in 12th place in the final team standings.
At 138 pounds, senior Aryon Klesath made his first appearance at state after finishing third at regionals. He picked up a win by fall in the first round over Erie’s Landen Kmiec, but was pinned in his next two matches to finish his season without a state medal.
The 157 pound freshman Paxton Willet made his first trip to the tournament as well, earning his spot by placing second at regionals. He pinned Zach Hilton of Eureka in the opening round, then eked out a 5-2 decision over Brayden Suchy of Russel to land in the semi-finals. Willet was pinned in the semi’s by eventual state champion Derek Johnson of Hoxie but put together pins against Sabetha’s Johnathan Renyer and Phillipsburg’s Seth Keeten to take home the third-place medal.
Rossville Junior Barrett Leitz represented the 215 pounds weigh class, winning his first-round match 6-3 over Brandon Volz of Erie. He was then sent to the backside with a quarterfinal loss to Oakley’s Ivan Jirak, and was eliminated from the tournament by Dravin Chavira of Lakin.
Senior heavyweight Jacob Carver made a repeat trip to state, picking up a first round win over Kharson Montgomery of Smith Center. A quarterfinal loss to Hoxie’s Gavin Schippers sent him to the backside, but he proceeded to pick up three pins in a row to earn a spot in the consolation finals. In the final match against Norton Community’s Corbin Puga, both wrestlers made it to the second period tied at zero. But in the second, Puga scored an escape and a takedown, before eventually pinning Carver who had to settle for fourth place.
St. Marys
Coach’s son Tug Wilson earned a return trip to the state tournament, after capturing the silver at regionals. Competing at the 144 pound division, Wilson picked up a first round win over Sylar Rohr of Hill City, then defeated Cameron Svitak 7-2 in the quarter final. Wilson ran into eventual runner up Wyatt Gardner of Leoti in the semi-final, losing for the first time in the tournament 1-9. On the backside, Wilson earned a re-match with Svitak in the 5th/6th place match. Wilson fell behind 1-2 by the end of the first period, but a reversal and back points in the second gave him the lead, 5-2. The third period was a whirlwind, with both wrestlers earning points, but Wilson was able to hang on to the lead and pick up the 5th place medal.
Fellow Senior Abe Huaracha represented the Bears at 190 pounds. after winning his bracket at regionals. He lost a close bout in the opening round against Belleville’s Ryan Beavers 3-1 but picked up a backside win in his next match, pinning Leoti’s Isaiah Gerstberger. Huaracha’s season and career ended after his next match, however, when he was pinned by Plainville’s Kyle Werner.
“I’m proud of both of these guys,” St. Marys head coach Jude Wilson said after the tournament. “They did a great job representing St. Mary’s this weekend. Both had a good shot at making the podium, Abe just came up a little short. Finding your way through a bracket at the state tournament is quite a challenge. You really have to figure out how to win the close matches. It was a great effort by both of them.”
As a team, the bears racked up 12 points to finish 35th out of 61 teams.
Onaga
The Buffaloes sent junior 132-pounder Landon Koelling and junior heavyweight Tatum Lara to compete in Hays. Neither wrestler was able to pick up a win, ending Onaga’s season on Friday night. They scored no team points in the tournament.
Wabaunsee
The Chargers were only able to get one wrestler through to state, as Alex Beggs earned a third-place finish at the regional tournament. Beggs, a 175 pounds junior, got off to a good start with a first round win by fall over St. John’s Caden McCandless. He came short in the quarterfinals, however, getting pinned by Hill City’s Aiden Amrein. Beggs was eliminated from the tournament in his next match when Brayden Strobel defeated him in a 7-4 decision.
“Alex’s year was a roller coaster of ups and downs, but he peaked at the right time,” Charger head coach Tyler Douglass said. “To go out there in his first match at State and get a pin over a guy that beat him 7-2 previously is big. He had a tough second match that put him on the backside and we spent the night getting focused on that next one. The first match of a tournament is always a tough one, it sets the tone of the day, and with state the second day is like starting the tournament all over again. The nerves come out. Alex battled his butt off and at one point in time we were going to win that match, but in the sport of wrestling it’s your everything versus the opponents everything and ultimately somebody has to win, and it wasn’t us. I’m super proud of his effort to get to State and I think that experience is going to influence his performance next year.”