Tickets Punched: Riley County tops trio of MEL teams at Rossville
Riley County, Rossville and Silver Lake take the top three spots at the Rossville regional
Elliott Strahm won a regional championship and continues his quest for a second consecutive 285 pound state title. (Photo by Everett Royer, KSportsImages.com)
Though some regional tournament starts were delayed by “Old Man Winter,” all tournaments wrapped-up by the end of the day Saturday and the field is set for next weekend’s state tournaments.
Regional host sites included Garden City High School and Blue Valley High School (Overland Park) in class 6A; Bonner Springs and Arkansas City in class 5A; Chanute, Smoky Valley (Lindsborg), Paola and Pratt in class 4A; and Beloit, Fredonia, Rossville and Trego Community (WaKeeney) in class 3-2-1A.
In classes 5A and 6A regionals featured 36 total schools each and the top eight placers in each weight class qualified for state. Class 4A includes 59 total schools and 3-2-1A has wrestlers representing 89 total schools. At those regionals the top four placers in each weight class qualified for state.
State competition takes place next weekend, February 22-23, with classes 5A and 6A wrestling at Hartman Arena in Park City, class 4A at Tony’s Pizza Event Center in Salina and 3-2-1A at Fort Hays State University’s Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays.
3-2-1A Northeast, Rossville Regional
The Riley County Falcons won the 3-2-1A Rossvile regional tournament with 144 points and just 10 of 14 possible weights filled with wrestlers. The host Rossville Dawgs finished in second with 123 points and Silver Lake rounded out the trio of Mid-East League teams in the top three with 118 points.
Rossville junior Zach Archer defeated Pleasant Ridge senior Trevor Ragland 6-2 for the 106 pound championship and Atchison County freshman Mason Scholz pinned Riley County sophomore Tyler Fief for third.
At 113 White City sophomore Tom VanValkenburg continued his excellent season besting Wellsville freshman Ethan Elliott in a 4-1 decision. Riley County sophomore Horace Thelwell decisioned Silver Lake freshman Justin Rakestraw 4-2 for third.
Rossville senior Alex Archer pinned Osage City sophomore Elijah Collins in the second period for the 120 pound championship while Atchison County sophomore Brodie Page pinned Council Grove freshman Wyatt Johnson for third.
The 126 pound class saw Silver Lake sophomore Kai Allen decision Riley County sophomore Grayden Jackson 5-0 in the championship match while St. Marys junior Charles King defeated Sabetha sophomore Kaden Dillon 8-2 for third.
The 132 pound class was highlighted by a pair of close finals matches. Riverside junior Beau Horn downed Wellsville senior Ethan Ewing 4-2 in the championship while Council Grove senior Billy Sales used a one-point 5-4 decision over senior Jason Schroeder of Silver Lake in the third place match.
Rossville freshman Sam Twombly pinned Tiler Hewitt, a freshman from Atchison County, in the 138 pound title bout while Wellsville freshman Wyatt Bird used an 8-2 win over Council Grove sophomore Chase Bacon to secure third place.
Riley County senior Luke Richard continued his unbeaten season with a 4-2 decision over Riverside junior Luke Horn while Sabetha senior Kamden Brownlee downed Chase County sophomore Cory Owen 5-0 in the third place match.
At 152 Wellsville junior Anthony Signs decisioned Silver Lake freshman Daigan Kruger 7-1 and Sabetha junior Colby Tinklin defeated St. Marys senior Calvan Brown 6-2 for third.
At 160 pounds Riley County junior Deon Barnes was the second Falcon regional champion on the day after he pinned Riverside senior Kinstin Juhl. Sabetha junior Walker Lowdermilk pinned Chase County junior Cael Budke for third.
Mikey Waggoner continued his unbeaten season and earned the third regional championship for the Falcons at 170 pounds when he earned a 12-2 major decision over Mission Valley senior Caleb Hinck. Riverside junior Quentin Barron pinned Silver Lake junior Dawson Schwarz in :38 seconds for third.
Chase County senior Chase Owen and Oskaloosa sophomore Eli King wrestled one of the best matches of the day in the 182 pound championship when Owen would use overtime to defeat King 4-2. Doniphan West junior Nathaniel Howerton pinned Silver Lake senior Jon Rakestraw for third.
Rossville junior Kody Davoren defeated Silver Lake junior Gideon Remer 10-5 for the 195 pound title while Riley County senior Trystin McCoy got a 5-0 victory over Mission Valley freshman Jon Grame for third.
Sabetha senior Cauy Rokey capped a dominant run through the regional tournament with a pin of Osage City sophomore Dane Whalen in :50 seconds in the 220 pound championship match. Rokey recorded pins of :43 seconds and 1 minute, 10 seconds to get to the finals. Council Grove senior Preston Gilbert pinned Doniphan West freshman Riley Schuneman in the third place match.
Sabetha senior Elliott Strahm continued his undefeated season and a run toward a second consecutive state title by pinning Oskaloosa junior Christopher King in the 285 pound title match. Mission Valley sophomore Nolan Parker slipped by Doniphan West senior Norman Miller 1-0 in the third place match.
State brackets are now online at the Kansas State High School Activities Association website. Find state wrestling details and brackets at this link.
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