4A State Wrestling Preview: Chanute enters as top-ranked team
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With 10 state qualifiers each Chanute, Marysville and Winfield headline the 4A field
Chanute hopes to be a factor in the 4A championship race with 10 qualifiers and the top ranking entering the tournament. Front row, left-to-right: Colton Seely, Trent Clements, Dalton Misener, Kolton Misener, Parker Winder. Back row, left-to-right: Brady McDonald, Brayden Dillow, Qualin Powell, Tuker Davis, Logan McDonald. (Courtesy Photo)
With the past champions in a new classification, Chanute, Marysville, and Winfield will each bring ten wrestlers to Salina this weekend to compete for the Class 4A State Wrestling Championship.
Fifty-four schools will bring a total of 224 wrestlers to compete across 14 weight brackets in the two-day tournament.
Last year's team champion, Arkansas City, moved up to Class 5A this year. Second place Andover Central and third place Bonner Springs also moved up to 5A. Seventh place McPherson and ninth place Basehor-Linwood joined the other three schools in the next larger class as well.
Chanute, Marysville, and Winfield each will bring ten wrestlers, most of any schools attending. Abilene and Pratt both will send nine wrestlers to compete. Chanute enters the tournament ranked first in the team category by the KWCA. Marysville, Scott Community, and Pratt round out the top four.
One school of note that has joined Class 4A this year is Scott Community. They won Class 3-2-1A last year and ended Norton's championship streak at five years. This year's team consists of only six wrestlers, and they are considered to be in the mix for a high place in the team competition.
Six wrestlers come into State with undefeated records. Devon Weber a sophomore from Pratt wrestles at 106 and carries a 37-0 record. Osawatomie's Chance Mitzner enters the 113-pound bracket with a 32-0 record as a freshman. Riley McDaniel of Frontenac brings his senior season record of 34-0 to the 138-pound competition. Tonganoxie senior Korbin Riedel enters the 152-pound weight class with a 38-0 record. Austin Moore carries a 12-0 record in the 220-pound weight class as a senior from Louisburg. Fellow senior Qualin Powell of Chanute brings an 8-0 record into the 285-pound weight class bracket.
Eleven wrestlers return to Salina after finishing on the podium last year. Rhett Koppes of Clay Center finished third in 106 pounds last year. William Stroda from Abilene returns to the 113-pound weight class after finishing third. Burlington's Evan Totty takes another trip through the 120-pound weight class after finishing fourth in 2018. Pratt's Kadence Riner finished second in the 145-pound weight class last year, this year he competes at 152-pounds.
The 160 pound class features the most returning placers with last year's champion Gavin Cullor of LaCygne-Prairie View and fifth place Kadon Koehler of Pratt both qualifying again. Marysville's Storm Slupianek took third last year but will compete in the 170-pound bracket this year. Winfield's Owen Braungardt returns as the 182-pound runner up.
Braden Morgan of El Dorado currently holds the 195-pound state championship. This year he will try to add the 220-pound title to his résumé. LaCygne-Prairie View's Chanz Gerleman remains in the 195-pound bracket and looks to improve upon his fifth-place finish from 2018. Andale's Ethan Shackelford returns to the 285-pound bracket after finishing fourth in 2018.
Kansas Pregame caught up with Chanute coach Andy Albright to get his thoughts on his team's prospects heading into the state tournament.
Q. Were you pleased with your team's regional performance?
A. I certainly can’t be disappointed with winning regionals and sending 10 wrestlers to the State tournament; however, I felt we definitely let some matches slip through our hands.
Q. After an 11th place finish at state as a team last year, did you anticipate having the type of season you are this year?
A. Most definitely. We under-performed last year in my opinion. The boys and I both knew we were returning a lot of potential and we picked up a couple new freshman as well. The boys worked hard in the off-season, preparing for what they knew could be a solid season. We’ve had our eyes on the prize since state ended last year.
Q. Do you feel there is a target on your back entering the tournament as the top ranked team in the classification?
A. We know we’re a solid team with some depth and have an opportunity to be in the running for a state title, regardless of our ranking. So, the pressure just comes from knowing that we have the potential to be that good, and making sure we perform accordingly. We try to focus on taking care of us, and not getting too worked up on rankings. At the state tournament, everyone is good, so you better be at the peak of your season.
Q. If you had to give me the name of one of your wrestler's who you think could surprise people at state, who would it be?
A. Several of our kids could surprise people at state because none of them are ranked number one, and I think on the right day at the right time, Comet wrestlers can compete with anybody.
The 2019 competition will take place at Salina's Tony's Pizza Event Center again this year. Wrestling will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Friday and 9:00 a.m. on Saturday.
Check out images of some of the other top teams below:
Joey Bahr is a photographer from western Kansas who has photographed teams from across the state and recently started writing about the teams he captures with his camera. Kansas Pregame covers high school sports in the Sunflower State. Know of a great story that needs to be told? We want to hear from you! Email us the next great story or video focused on Kansas high school sports at kansaspregame@gmail.com.