By CONOR NICHOLL
For the fourth straight year, Sports In Kansas has its weekly wrestling notes covering all classes, boys and girls. Check out more notes at the end of this week, along with features and stories throughout the winter. Augusta, Hoxie, Ellis, Uniontown on the boys’ side, Washburn Rural, Pratt and Free State’s Madyson Gray are off to big starts for the girls. Plus a key result between Buhler’s Sam Elliott and Eisenhower’s Mason Levin.
Augusta wins the 69th annual Douglass Invitational, off to a strong start
Last season, Augusta finished sixth in Class 4A with 55 points. Augusta qualified five wrestlers for the state tournament: Marcus Terry, Canon Carey, Grady Fox, Garrett Davis and Jacob Money.
Terry, Carey, Fox and Davis are all back this season, which has helped Augusta deliver a nice start. Terry won the state title at 106, and Carey was fourth at 113. Fox took sixth at 120, and Davis took fourth at 170.
Augusta had a big showing at the Douglass Invitational. Augusta posted 209 points, while Newton was second at 190, Derby third with 169.5, and Abilene fourth at 101.5.
Augusta is ranked fourth in 4A.
At 113, Kalvin LaPlant and Newton’s Nick Treaster matched up in the championship match. Both were undefeated. Treaster won, 8-4. He improved to 8-0 and is ranked first at 113 at 5A, and LaPlant dropped to 5-1. LaPlant is ranked sixth in 113 in 4A.
At 120, Terry placed first and improved to 7-0. Terry is ranked first at 120.
At 132, Abilene’s Tucker Cell improved to 9-0 with a fall against Augusta’s Cannon Carey. This marked Carey’s first loss, who dropped to 6-1. Cell is ranked first, and Carey is fifth at 132, both in 4A.
At 138, Grady Fox (5-1) captured the crown with an overtime championship win versus Newton’s Collin Bybee. Fox is ranked fifth in 4A. At 182, Thomas Johnson dropped to 5-1 with a 10-3 loss to Douglass’ Jace High (8-0).
Garrett Davis improved to 5-0 with a 4-2 win versus Spring Hill’s Draven Pipkin. At 285, Willy Jon Morales was second at 285 and is 7-2. Newton’s Rio Gomez won by fall in the final and improved to 8-0.
Other titles featured Newton’s Lucas Kaufman at 106, Derby’s Braden Tatum at 126, and Knowlyn Egan at 145, and Troy Allen at 152. Buhler’s Cooper McCloy won at 160 and improved to 8-2.
In a huge match at 170, Buhler’s Sam Elliott beat Eisenhower’s Mason Levin. Elliott is a two-time defending state champion, and Levin is an elite wrestler. Elliott is 6-0, and Levin dropped to 4-1.
Elliott is ranked first at 170. Levin is ranked third in 5A at 182.
Andover Central’s Bronx Wood picked up a key championship at 220. The junior beat Derby’s Miles Wash, 5-4, in the championship.
On the girls’ side, Augusta took sixth out of 16 teams with three wrestlers. Jill High earned the title at 126, and Emma Otuska was third at 138. High is ranked fourth at 126.
Augusta also won the Pratt Invitational in early December with six championships and 12 total placers. A that tournament, Kalvin LaPlant, Marcus Terry, Justin Lin, Cannon Carey, Garrett Davis and Jill High all won. Grady Fox, Gabe Kant and Emily Hess finished second.
Ellis wins own tournament
Ellis captured its 11-team tournament by a close margin. The Railroaders won with 145.5 points, Council Grove was second with 144, Beloit with 141, Hoisington had 108 and Cimarron delivered 91.
Mason Younger improved to 6-0 at 120 pounds, including a key 12-7 victory versus Hoisington’s Eastin Redetzke. Younger was highly ranked throughout last winter before he suffered an untimely injury the week of the state tournament. Younger is ranked sixth at 120.
At 132, Council Grove’s Wyatt Johnson beat Ellis’ Jarret Mader by fall in 2:20. Johnson improved to 12-1. At 152, Beloit’s Caden Anderson improved to 6-0 with a win by fall in the 152-pound championship over Zeke Haag.
Ellis’ George Crawford improved to 8-0 with a 160-pound title. He captured four wins by fall, all in 3:54 or less. In a key 182-pound final, Ellis’ Mason Gottschalk, who has multiple college football offers, won by fall in 53 seconds over Council Grove’s Ace Monihen. Gottschalk is 7-1, and Monihen is 13-2.
At 195, Ellis’ Cale Younger was second and improved to 5-3. In the championship match, Council Grove’s Holden Ziegler won 3-1 and improved to 13-1.
Ellis girls are ranked tenth in Division II, and defending state runner-up Kaydawn Haag is ranked first at 138.
At 106, Beloit sophomore Coe Neilson captured the title. Cimarron sophomore Erik Garcia earned the 113 crown. Hoisington sophomore Josiah Ball won the 126 championship and improved to 8-1.
Council Grove’s Jace Goodman earned the 138 title. Oberlin’s Reece Grafel earned the 145 title over Trego’s Tanner Sells. Grafel is ranked third at 145.
Hillsboro’s Tristan Rathbone picked up the 170 title over Beloit’s Tate Kadel, a multiple time all-state placer. Rathbone, a senior, improved to 7-0. Kadel is 30-1. Rathbone won the match, 14-5.
Beloit’s Braden Burks captured the 220 title over Hoisington’s Logan Philbern. Burks improved to 5-0 with a 12-4 win. Hoisington’s Cole Gilliland is 6-1 at 285.
Beloit is ranked sixth in 3-2-1A. Kadel is ranked third at 160, Walker second at 182, and Burks third at 220.
Hoxie boys win at Clay Center
Hoxie rolled to the Class 3-2-1A state title last winter and been off to a big start this year. Hoxie won with 208.5 points and Clay Center was second at 131.5. The tournament featured 11 teams. Hoxie is ranked first as a team in 3-2-1A.
At 113, Hoxie’s Tate Weimer (9-1) earned the championship by fall in 4:55, by fall in 3:15, and a pair of 16-8 decisions. Wayne Shepard was second at 120. Carson Ochs improved to 8-0 and earned the 126 title.
At 132, Dayton Bell (8-2) earned the crown with four dominant wins: falls in 2:41, 5:07, 3:07 and 33 seconds.
At 138, Drew Bell (9-0) won by fall in 17 seconds, 27 seconds, 38 seconds, 47 seconds and 1:05.
Duncan Bell earned second at 145. Drew Bretz (8-0) captured the title at 152 in 1:09, 1:36, 9-0 and 10-0 contests. Two-time state champion Derek Johnson improved to 9-0 at 160. He captured his five wins in 44 seconds, 1:34, 1:46, 4:45 and 11-0 major decision.
Sam Watkins (9-1) won at 170, including a 4-2 win versus Clay Center’s Brett Loader.
Drew Bell, Bretz and Johnson are all defending state champions. Drew Bell and Johnson went a combined 87-0 last winter.
In 132/138 girls, Marissa Porsch, a two-time top-four state finisher the last two winters, improved to 9-0. She won by fall in 2:39, a technical fall victory, a forfeit win and a technical fall versus Marysville’s Ella Johnson. That marked Johnson’s first loss this year.
Porsch is ranked second on the girls’ side. Weimer is ranked first at 113, Shepard is fourth at 120, Ochs is first at 126, Dayton Bell is second at 132, Drew Bell first at 138, Bretz first at 152, Johnson second at 160, and senior Brandon Baker is third at 285.
Pratt girls enjoy dominant start
Pratt girls won the 15-team Douglass Invitational with 184 points, 60 ahead of second place Derby. Two-time state champion Livia Swift was named the Outstanding Wrestler. Pratt also picked up the Team Sportsmanship honor.
Lilly and Daisy Herrman each finished as runner-up at 101 and 109 pounds, respectively. Jadyn Thompson captured a 120-pound crown. Wendy Candia was third at 126. Keimarla Thompson, Emmaline Primrose, Swift and Ava Mull earned titles at 132, 138, 143 and 191, respectively.
Thompson is 7-0. At the tournament, she earned two wins by fall in a combined 1:42, and then defeated Campus’ Erin Jackson, 7-2, in the final. Thompson dominated her three matches by fall with a combined total of 2 minutes, 4 seconds. She is 8-0 this winter. Swift is 6-1 and earned her three tournament victories by fall. Mull improved to 7-0, including an 11-2 win versus Derby’s Meya Howell. That marked Howell’s first loss of the year and dropped her to 6-1.
Pratt is ranked first as a team in Division II. Herrman is ranked fifth at 101, Jadyn Thompson is first at 120, Keimarla Thompson is third at 132, Swift is first at 143, and Ava Mull is second at 191.
Other champions included: Derby’s Amara Ehse at 101, Goddard-Eisenhower’s Lainie Burkhart, Spring Hill’s Jay Yoder at 115, Augusta’s Jill High at 126, Douglass’ Jewella Coakley at 155, Derby’s Trinity Williams at 170, and Spring Hill’s Avery Feeback at 235. Williams, a sophomore, improved to 6-0. Feeback, a sophomore, improved to 5-0.
On Dec. 3, the Valley Center girls’ tournament featured 19 teams. Dodge City rolled to the title with 193 points, and Derby was second with 111. Garden City and Wichita North tied for third at 107.
For Dodge City, Ariana De La Rosa won at 126 with four wins, all by fall in 2:39 or less. At 132, Hailey Ramos captured the crown with four victories by falls. That included a win in the finals against Hays High’s Katie Gutierrez. Dayanara Garcia captured the 138 title. In the finals, Garcia beat Garden City’s Bethanie Cruz in a tiebreaker.
In the 155 final, Coakley beat Dodge City’s Ashley Arroyo in a matchup of two elite wrestlers.
Dodge City is ranked second in Division I behind Washburn Rural. De La Rosa is ranked third at 126, and Arroyo is ranked first at 155.
The other champions were Derby’s Amara Ehsa at 101, Mulvane’s Leinnah Landreth won at 109, Wichita North’s Rodah Bengi won at 115, and her teammate Diana Colchado captured the title at 120.
Ehsa is ranked second at 101, and Benji is ranked first at 115.
A key matchup happened at 143 with Garden City’s Alondra Guzman was first, Circle’s Katelyn Schmidt was second, Mulvane’s Kammie Schanz third and Hays’ Lexi Burton fourth.
Schanz was an undefeated 3-2-1A champion last winter. Guzman won the matchup by fall in 4:54. Then, Schanz dominated on the backside with wins in nine seconds, 1:29, 3:31 and 2:53.
Guzman is ranked third at 143 in Division I. Schanz is ranked second at 143.
Derby’s Trinty Williams won at 170, and her teammate, Meya Howell won at 191. Wichita West’s Dru Johnson captured the 235 title. Williams is ranked second at 170. Howell is ranked first at 191, and Johnson is second at 235.
Manhattan Duals feature 5/6A squads
At the Manhattan Duals, Lawrence Free State, Manhattan, Paola and Bishop Carroll finished first through fourth, respectively, in its pool.
In Pool 2, Shawnee Heights was first, followed by Dodge City, Smith Center and Blue Valley. In the Gold Bracket, Manhattan took first, Dodge City second and Shawnee Heights tied for second, and Free State was fourth. In the Silver Bracket, Bishop Carroll was first, Blue Valley second, Paola third and Smith Center fourth.
Three wrestlers finished with five pins: Manhattan’s Easton Taylor, Shawnee Heights’ Preston Hartman, and Paola’s Kaiden Powell. Free State’s Nolan Bradley delivered four pins. Paola’s Drake Bartlett had three pins in a combined time of 1 minute, 29 seconds.
Here were the top wrestlers in each weight class:
At 106, Paola’s Kaiden Powell finished 5-0 with five wins by fall. Lawrence Free State’s Grayson Hagen was 4-1 with only a loss by fall in 5:50 to Powell. A freshman, Powell is ranked fourth at 106.
At 113, Lawrence Free State’s Nolan Bradley and Drew Streeter combined for a 5-0 record. Bradley also won a pair of matches at 120. Shawnee Heights’ Brock Ferguson won two matches in 1 minute, 17 seconds.
At 126, Lawrence Free State’s Darius Shields, a former state champion wrestler at Norton, finished 5-0. He had a forfeit victory, and earned wins by fall in 25 seconds, 7-2, 5-1 and 5-2.
At 132, Paola’s Macoy Johnson finished 5-0 and is unranked. Johnson had a forfeit win, along with victories by 7-3, 12-0, fall in 4:28 and fall in 2:56 last week.
Smith Center had a dominant tournament with Bentley Montgomery at 138. He won by fall in 2:31 and 23 seconds. Montgomery won his other three matches by 7-2, 14-0 and 15-0 margins. He is ranked sixth at 138.
Manhattan’s Blaisen Bammes finished 5-0 with a win by fall in 59 seconds, a 6-4 decision, a fall in 1:01, a 1-0 victory against Dodge City’s Ismael Ramirez, and an 11-2 win versus Bishop Carroll’s Caleb Means.
At 152, Lawrence Free State’s Ben Mellenbruch, Manhattan’s Tucker Brunner and Bishop Carroll’s Sam Duling were 4-1. Shawnee Heights’ Caden Walker and Bishop Carroll’s Antonio Huerta finished 5-0.
Dodge City’s Luke Barker enjoyed a dominant run. He had a forfeit win, a fall in 1:40, a fall in 58 seconds, a 17-1 technical fall victory and a fall in 1:59. Barker is ranked first at 170.
At 182, Shawnee Heights’ Preston Hartman went 5-0 with his five falls. Lawrence Free State’s Matthew Marcum was dominant with a 4-0 mark at 195. Marcum won by falls in 3:36 and 1:52, along with technical falls by 18-1 and 15-0 margin.
Shawnee Heights’ Garrett Peery finished 5-0 with two forfeits, a 10-5 decision, a 3:44 fall and a 4-2 decision. Shawnee Heights’ Christian Gonzales had three falls and earned a sudden victory win versus Dodge City’s Edgar Hernandez.
Overall, Free State is ranked fourth at 126. Nolan Bradley is ranked second at 113, Shields is sixth at 126, Eric Streeter is fifth at 138, and Muellenbruch is fifth at 152. Marcum is fifth at 195. Senior Tai Newhouse is fourth at 285.
For Manhattan, Taylor is ranked first at 138 and Bammes is third at 145.
Free State’s Madyson Gray and Bonner Springs’ Olivia Stean dominant again; Washburn Rural off to big start
Lawrence Free State’s Madyson Gray is 61-0 in the last two seasons against KSHSAA competition. She pinned every opponent. Gray opened with another dominant showing at the Inaugural Girls Challenger at Leavenworth. Stean is a defending state champion when she won as a freshman. Stean improved to 4-0 with a win by fall in 46 seconds in the championship match.
At the Girls Challenger, two-time defending champion Washburn Rural won with 242 points, 84 ahead of anyone else. Gray improved to 5-0 at 138. She won by fall in 1:02 and 10 seconds, 1:36 and 2:44.
Washburn Rural girls went to the two-day massive Council Bluffs Wrestling Classic this past weekend. Rural dominated the 26-team field that had squads from multiple state. Rural, with coach Damon Parker, had 191 points, 90 ahead of Lewis Central, a non-Kansas school. Gardner-Edgerton finished third at 100.
At 100, Rural’s Kristen Rezac improved to 6-3 and won the title. At 120, Addison Broxterman was second. In a key championship match, Blue Valley Southwest’s Hannah Glynn earned an 8-5 win versus Broxterman. Glynn is 8-0, and Rural is 9-1. At 132, Madison Davison was third and is 10-1 with its only loss to an out-of-state wrestler. Alexis Frederickson was second at 132 is 8-2 and took second.
At 165, Jaliah Johnson won the championship and improved to 7-1. Johnson, one of the state’s best and most experienced wrestlers on the girls’ side, earned wins by fall in 1:31, 22 seconds, nine seconds and 3:14.
Washburn Rural is first in Division I. Gray is ranked first at 138. For Rural, Kaitlyn Morris is first at 109, Kendall Reid is sixth at 115, Broxterman is first at 120. Johnson is ranked third at 155.
Uniontown’s Eck off to a strong start
Uniontown’s Bryce Eck became the school’s first-ever state wrestling champion last winter. Eck opened at the Kan Okla tournament at Caney Valley. Pittsburg won with 160 points, including wins by Matt Smith and Jaquan Augustin at 170 and 195. Eck won his three matches by fall in 1:01, 1:21 and 2:21.
On Saturday, Eck competed at the Anderson County tournament. Ottawa was first with 177.5 points, and Wellsville second at 159. Labette County was third at 132, and Caney Valley fourth at 131.
For Ottawa, Brock Sutton (6-1) and Zack Cunningham (6-3) won titles at 106 and 113. At 220, Aaron Clevenger (9-1) captured the crown in dominant fashion with falls in 51 seconds, 1:45, 1:25 and 40 seconds and 4 minutes.
At 160, Eck moved to 10-0 with five falls: 1:48, 2:34, 31 seconds, 1:30 and 50 seconds. Eck is ranked first in 3-2-1A.
