Despite being ranked third in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association's Class 5A preseason rankings, seven-time defending champion Goddard has performed well enough to rise to the top of both the 5A and all-class team rankings heading into state.
 
The Lions qualified 11 wrestlers and defeated runner-up Newton by 41.5 points to win the Valley Center regional last Saturday. Seniors Jerrdon Fisher and Kaden Glass won their respective weight classes and were ranked No. 1 in the final KWCA 5A rankings this week.

 
"At the beginning, it started off pretty rough," said Fisher, who is 37-1 at 152 pounds and looking to become a three-time individual champion after winning at 132 as a sophomore and 145 a year ago. "We have a pretty young team, but also an old team.
 
"We've been working hard all season. We always believe we can win, and it's been showing here at the end."
 
Glass, 36-4 at 195 pounds, will try to win his first state title after finishing second each of the last two seasons. He's also looking to join a list of champions on Goddard's current roster that includes Fisher, sophomore Zach Wessley and senior Quentin Saunders, a Wichita West transfer.
 
Wessley, who won the 132-pound title as a freshman, finished third at the regional at 145. But Goddard's most eye-catching result came from Saunders. The three-time Class 6A champion at West lost for the first time this season and just the second in his high school career when Maize sophomore Ayden Flores pinned him in the first period of their 182-pound final.
 
Saunders, who became eligible to compete this semester, said his abbreviated season hasn't been a negative.
 
"It didn't affect me at all because I was still practicing on the sidelines," said Saunders, who is 18-1 this season and 98-2 in his high school career. "The only thing was tournament-wise, I didn't get the competition and a chance to see what it was like."
 
Saunders will try to help Goddard win its eighth consecutive team title and 12^th in the last 17 seasons this weekend. The list of 5A challengers is deep with Blue Valley Southwest, Newton, Maize and St. Thomas Aquinas rounding out the top five in the state rankings.
 
"This is what we've been building for," Saunders said.
   
 

WAMEGO'S OVIATT CLOSING IN ON GOAL
 
Prior to the start of the season, Wamego wrestling coach Kevin Brown had a task for his team members.
 
On a sheet of paper, he wanted each to write down their individual goal for the season.
 
Not surprisingly, junior Hayden Oviatt's was simple. Be a state champion.
 
But it also came with a disclaimer.
 
"I wrote down 'Undefeated State Champ,'" Oviatt said. "That's where we're going."
 
A lofty goal – Wamego's never had one in its program history – but Oviatt is four matches from accomplishing it. When he steps to the mat Friday for his 195-pound opener at the Class 4A state tournament at Tony's Pizza Events Center in Salina, Oviatt brings with him a 29-0 record.
 
"It hasn't been done at Wamego and I wanted to be the first," said Oviatt, who is bidding to become Wamego's first state champion since Tyler Patrick claimed the Class 4A 285-pound title in 2018, finishing the season with just one loss.
 
In a way, Oviatt can somewhat thank Patrick for helping set him on his path. When Patrick was a senior, Oviatt's dad, Kaleb – a high school state champion for Osborne at 189 pounds in 1998 – frequently joined the Wamego wrestling room to give Patrick a workout partner. In junior high at the time, Hayden would tag along and mix it up with the high school wrestlers as well.
 
By the time he hit high school as a freshman in 2019-20, he'd already gotten a dose of what varsity competition would be like.
 
"I think that helped me leaps and bounds," Oviatt said. "I wouldn't say I was completely ready for high school wrestling, though."
 
Coming in at the 160-pound weight class as a freshman, Oviatt more often than not went up against juniors and seniors. And he took his lumps.
 
"I lost 10 matches as a freshman and I want to say eight of those were by pin," he said. "I went through the ringer. Coach didn't pull me from anything and I remember I wrestled the No. 1 kid from 3-2-1A, the No. 1 from 4A, the No. 1 from 6A. It was definitely very humbling."
 
Oviatt persevered through the ups and downs and wound up placing fourth at the Class 4A state tournament, falling in the semifinals 11-3 to eventual state champion Anthony Ferguson of Piper and then to Burlington's Cael Johnson in the consolation finals.
 
The lessons he learned that season have helped him in the two years since, changing his mentality a little bit.
 
"It's more than just muscle," he said. "You can beat dudes by knowing more than they do and having good standing position. My brother's a freshman this year and I'm able to tell him every day that you can beat kids by staying in position and capitalizing on their mistakes. If you can be the more technical wrestler, you can beat kids with more muscle than you."
 
Oviatt moved up to 182 pounds last year and moved up one spot on the podium, taking third at the state tournament. That showing provided plenty of motivation for this season as well as Oviatt was pinned in 27 seconds in his state opener by Frontenac's Dylan Ensch, but bounced back to win three straight, including a 9-2 win over Ensch in a rematch in the consolation finals.
 
"I think it forces me to go into state with a little more focus," he said. "Last year I was ready to go but I made one critical mistake and he capitalized on it. You can't change the past, but I like to think that this year I've prepared better to prevent something like that from happening."
 
The focus will certainly have to be there with arguably Oviatt's top challenger for the title on his side of the bracket. Augusta's Garrett Davis is 35-1 and has spent the season ranked No. 2 behind Oviatt.
 
That lone loss? It came to Oviatt, an 8-2 decision in the finals of the Rose Hill Invitational in early February.
 
"It was a great experience, definitely a confidence booster," Oviatt said of his meeting with Davis. "But it's also one of those deals where, he can game-plan just a little bit. It's definitely the closest match I've had. There are a little bit of nerves, but a little nerves never hurt anyone. You just have to work with it and stay poised."
 
The two could meet in the semifinals if both win their first two matches. And while it has the feel of a championship match, Oviatt doesn't lament that the match won't happen under the spotlight on Saturday.
 
"It's one of those things where you've got to beat them all to win it anyway, whether it's Friday or Saturday I have to beat him regardless," he said. "I honestly like it being on Friday because I'll have a couple matches to get what I've got going. Get a little bit of momentum going into it, keep my body nice and warmed up. I think I'll be ready to go."
 
A standout quarterback who's helped lead Wamego to the Class 4A state quarterfinals each of the last two seasons, Oviatt said any pressure of being undefeated at this point just comes with territory.
 
I've been thrown in so many high-pressure situations throughout my short career," he said. "I've been in enough to know how to handle it and keep the right mindset.
 
"I've had the self-confidence throughout this whole process. I know the training I've been putting in and I know that's worth something."  

SILVER LAKE'S KRUGER SEEKS REDEMPTION
 
Even though last year's 170-pound Class 3-2-1A bracket was flat-out loaded with standouts, Silver Lake's Daigan Kruger felt like the title was there for the taking.
 
He entered the state meet with a 47-1 record with 42 of those wins coming via pin, tying the state record set by Santa Fe Trail's Evan Dean in 2020.
 
But before his quest for the title could really begin in Hays, it ended. Kruger was whipped 14-6 by Plainville's Ben Hansen in his opening match.
 
"Physically, I wasn't all there," Kruger said. "I had a stomach issue during the night and wasn't feeling the greatest when I got there. Just got a little 6 to 10-hour stomach flu and had to fight through it."
 
Kruger wasn't 100% sure what the culprit was, but safe to say he'll be avoiding doughnuts as he returns to Hays to go after a title at 170 pounds again this weekend.
 
"Definitely, for sure," he said.
 
To Kruger's credit, he fought back after that opening loss and won out on the back side to finish third, avenging his loss to Hansen with a 9-4 win in the consolation finals. He pinned his way into that match, setting the state record for pins in a season with 44.
 
"It was really rewarding and I was glad I got the opportunity to see Hansen again," said Kruger, who finished the season 50-2. "I told myself going into state I wasn't going to lose twice. I had one loss already so I wasn't going to lose again."
 
The 170-pound bracket is once again loaded this year with Kruger going into the state meet ranked No. 6 despite owning a 28-2 mark. The Eagle senior will take on Kingman's Collin Schreiner (23-15) in his first match before potential clashes with ranked wrestlers in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
 
Either No. 2 Garrett Urban (31-10) of Norton or No. 5 Andrew Hubert of Republic County (42-6) will await in the quarterfinals while No. 4 Tate Kadel of Beloit (23-7) looms as a possible semifinal foe. Kruger has faced only Hubert of that trio this season, losing a 5-4 match in a tiebreaker in the consolation finals of the Beloit Invitational.
 
Kruger's only other loss also came at Beloit, a 6-5 loss to Class 4A No. 2 Tyler Voss of Colby.
 
Kruger said he isn't 100% healthy this season, dealing with a shoulder injury that kept him from competing at the Mid-East League meet two weeks ago. But he came back strong at regionals, earning outstanding wrestler honors, and said he'll just have to fight through it.
 
"I'm battling the shoulder, but we'll battle through it," he said. "I've kind of changed up my wrestling style a little bit and been more defensive than offensive like I've always been. I'll have to be more efficient with my attacks and get people out of position a little more. It's more difficult to do, but I'm getting comfortable with it and I just have to do what gives me the best opportunity to succeed."
   
 

DEFENDING CHAMP RURAL RETURNS TO NO. 1 IN 6A AHEAD OF STATE
 
Last season, Washburn Rural captured the first state championship in program history and left no doubt about it in doing so. The Junior Blues had 10 medalists out of 11 qualifiers, wrapped up the title before the start of the championship finals and then went out and put the icing on the cake with three individual state champions.
 
If Rural is to add a second straight crown this season, it won't be that easy. In fact, for the bulk of the season, the team rankings for Class 6A have been a revolving door at No. 1 with Rural, Garden City and Free State all taking turns at the top.
 
The Junior Blues reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in the final KWCA poll after winning last week's super-regional at Wichita Southeast. But if that regional was any indication – and it probably was – the battle will go down to the wire.
 
Rural scored 205 points at the regional to nip Dodge City by two points for the team title. Derby was third with 196 points, Manhattan was fourth with 193 and Garden City was fifth with 183.5. Free State took sixth with 174.5.
 
Game on.
 
""This is the final stretch where we start running as hard as we can run to try and get to the end," said Rural coach Josh Hogan, whose team qualified 11 wrestlers for state led by regional champions Aidan Boline (30-6) at 160 and Austin Fager (39-2) at 182 who are ranked No. 1 at their respective weights in 6A. " feel like the last couple of weeks, we've been on the course we've needed to be on. and we are peaking at the right time."
 
Rural returns two state champions from a year ago with Jon Morrison winning the title at 106 last year and Jacob Tangpricha taking the 113 title, his second state title after winning at 106 as a sophomore. However, neither is the favorite in their weight class this season.
 
Tangpricha (31-6) was runner-up at regionals to Garden City's Ryan Heiman at 126 pounds, dropping a 1-0 decision in the finals. Morrison (35-6) was third at 113, losing 7-5 to Wichita North's Richard Shields in the semifinals.
 
Rural also got a regional runner-up finish from freshman Easton Broxterman (36-5) at 106 pounds.
 
 

HOXIE HEAVY FAVORITE TO REPEAT IN 3-2-1A

The Hoxie boys wrestling team left last year's state tournament with three individual state champions, eight medalists and its first team state title since 2003.  

There's no reason to believe this year's showing can't be every bit as dominant. 

Hoxie is sending 10 to the Class 3-2-1A state tournament at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays this weekend. Five Indians are ranked No. 1 at their respective weights.  

They have three returning state champs in Drew Bell, Drew Bretz and Derek Johnson, as well as a strong mix of underclassmen. Bell and Johnson are both two-time state champions while Bretz captured his first championship last year.  

"It's really fun, because we've got those guys that are experienced bringing up the younger guys fast," Hoxie coach Mike Porsch said. "If you can always be working in three freshman – three freshman that qualified for state – and some sophomores with some juniors and seniors, it can flow through better.  

"We'll have a big senior class next year. And when you graduate four or five guys, it's tough to replace some. But we've got guys through the system, so that's really fun." 

Hoxie has been ranked No. 1 as a team in 3-2-1A throughout the season. The Indians are tabbed No. 2 behind Class 5A powerhouse Goddard in the all-class team rankings.  

They crowned four champions and placed eight in the finals in last weekend's regional at Norton.  

"It's a real competitive room," Porsch said. "They hold each other accountable. I don't have to call anybody out." 

Bell is the Indians' senior leader, taking a 156-10 career record into this weekend. The 138-pounder is 36-1 this season. He was the 132-pound champion last year after claiming the 126-pound title as a sophomore.  

Porsch said Bell has meant "the world" to Hoxie's program.   

"Drew does everything right," Porsch said. "He may lose some matches but it's not because he didn't do things right. He wrestles hard. He trains. He lives a good lifestyle, and all of these guys really do." 

Johnson will be looking for his third state title in as many tries. He went 43-0 last season to win the 145-pound title after going 38-3 as a freshman and winning the 132-pound crown. He's 36-1 this season at 160 pounds.  

Bretz captured the 138-pound championship last year as a sophomore. He's 38-2 at 152 pounds this season.  

Freshman Sam Wakins joined Bell, Bretz and Johnson as regional champions last week. Watkins is 37-3 and top-ranked at 170 pounds.  

"We had high expectations for Sam. Sam had high expectations for himself, and he's met every one of them so far," Porsch said. "We're not going to be disappointed no matter how things turn out (at state)." 

Hoxie's Carson Ochs is ranked No. 1 at 126. He was runner-up at regionals after losing a back-and-forth match with Hill City's Carter Underhill, who is ranked No. 3. Tate Weimer (113), Wayne Shepard (120) and Dayton Bell (132) were also runners-up at regionals for the Indians. Weimer and Bell both placed second at state last year while Shepard was fourth.  

Other state qualifiers for the Indians include freshmen Duncan Bell (145) and Kash Schiltz (106).  

-- Rick Peterson Jr. 

 

THREE'S COMPANY  

Dodge City's Damian Mendez will look to cap off a perfect season at 132 pounds with his third state championship.  

Mendez is the state's all-time leader in career takedowns with 432 entering the Class 6A tournament.  

The senior stands 41-0 this season. He won the 132-pound title as a junior, placed second at 113 pounds as a sophomore and won the 106 championship as a freshman.  

Mendez is 144-8 in his career. He is one of 12 Red Demons wrestling at state, including previous state champ Luke Barker, who is ranked No. 1 at 170.  

In addition to Hoxie's Drew Bell and Derek Johnson, Norton's Kolton Field will be pursuing a three-peat in Class 3-2-1A.  

Field won the 126-pound state championship last year as a junior and took the 120-pound title as a sophomore.  

Field is ranked No. 1 at 132 pounds this season and owns a 32-2 record.  

-- Rick Peterson Jr. 

MEYERS SEEKS PERFECTION  

Hays High senior Gavin Meyers has wrestled like a man on a mission in his senior season.  

Meyers saw his bid for perfection end in heartbreak last year with a 3-1 overtime semifinal loss to Mill Valley's Caiden Casella. He missed state his sophomore year because of injury.  

The 220-pounder is the only wrestler taking an undefeated record into the 5A tournament this year, sitting at 33-0.  

""The mindset is to just get that No. 1 trophy at the end of the year," Meyers said earlier this season. "That's what I've been working on my whole career, to get that first place at state. That's the only thing I want really." 

 

NEWTON'S TREASTER BUILDS TOWARD THREE-PEAT
 
Newton junior Nick Treaster already has two individual state titles and the best record of the 113-pound qualifiers heading into 5A tournament.
 
He hasn't gotten there by being satisfied.
 
After a hard-fought victory over reigning Oklahoma 4A champion Aden Sanders in mid-January at the Newton Tournament of Champions, Treaster said he had plenty to work on down the stretch.
 
Some of the evidence was on display when he won last week's Valley Center regional title with a 6-1 decision over Goddard's Levi Glover.
 
"I've been working on adding multiple shot attempts in one," said Treaster, who is 31-2 and ranked No. 1 in his weight class. "I was just really focused on opening up when I was wrestling, making sure I wasn't getting complacent on my feet."
 
Treaster, who won 106-pound championships as a freshman and sophomore, has a 104-4 career record. He's the son of four-time Beloit champion Matt Treaster and younger brother of Newton state winners Logan and Grant.
   

AUGUSTA SHOOTS FOR FIRST TEAM TITLE IN 4A
 
Augusta has had many good wrestlers over the years, but hasn't been able to secure a state team championship.
 
The Orioles might be in as good a position as ever to stake their claim in Class 4A.
 
Augusta qualified 11 wrestlers for state, including reigning 4A 106-pound champion Marcus Terry. Terry, one of five unbeaten wrestlers in the 4A tournament at 21-0, heads the 120-pound qualifiers this season.
 
In addition to Terry, the Orioles produced regional champions in Kalvin LaPlant at 113, Justin Lin (126), Cannon Carey (132) and Garrett Davis (195). Augusta, sixth at the 4A tournament a year ago, is No. 1 in the KWCA's 4A rankings.
 
BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST PRIMED TO PUSH POWERHOUSE GODDARD

Blue Valley Southwest got a bump up to No. 2, but still has a tall mountain to climb when it comes to knocking off Goddard for the Class 5A title.

The Timberwolves have eight wrestlers in the top six of their weight classes and six more joining them at Hartman Arena in Park City.

Senior Hayden Mills will look to earn his third state title after winning at 106 in 2019 and 113 in 2020. Mills lost in the 126-pound finals at state last year when Valley Center's Alyeus Craig picked up an 8-2 decision to cap an undefeated season. Mills enters this year's state tournament as the frontrunner at 132 coming off his 38-4 season, which includes an individual regional title.

Brett Umentum was the frontrunner at 160 before losing a 6-4 decision to Aquinas junior Dylan Elmore in their regional final matchup. Now a one-loss Umentum will need to pick up three victories to earn a shot at redemption against Elmore in the finals.

Junior Cole Cronk finds himself in the No. 3 spot at 152, but in a similar position to Umentum after losing his regional final to Aquinas' Jordan Habben. Cronk will arguably have a tougher path to a state title though as he will potentially need to defeat Goddard senior Jerrdon Fisher, a two-time returning state champion.

Freshman Kaden Markley, senior Ethan Cronk and senior Nate Kays gave themselves momentum by winning individual regional titles. Markley (106) and Cronk (170) sit at No. 3 for their weight class in 5A while Kays holds the No. 4 spot at 182. Senior Andrew Farrell holds the No. 4 spot at 285 and junior Torin Forsyth is No. 6 at 220.
   

TONGANOXIE BRINGING HEAVY HITTERS TO 4A STATE

The Tonganoxie boys surprised a few people when they took home their regional title.

The team hopes to have a lot of firepower sticking around for the medal rounds of the state tournament. Tonganoxie has seven wrestlers in the top six of their weight classes for the final KWCA rankings. Three of the wrestlers sit as the frontrunners for individual state titles.

Grayson Sonntag won Regional Wrestler of the Year as he became regional champ at 138. If he can stay on course, the one-loss Sonntag will likely face a two-loss Owen Eck of Andale in the finals. Eck's only loss against Kansas competition was Manhattan's Easton Taylor in the Newton Tournament of Champions last month. Sonntag is still undefeated against Kansas competition, having only lost to Allen's Kade Moore from Texas.

Sonntag was a state champion two years ago and took third last year in a state bracket that featured four returning state champions.

Sophomore Braeden Moore sits at the No. 1 in the 4A 126-pound rankings following his regional title, taking a 31-4 record into state. His road to championship will likely mean a battle with one-loss Daniel Vines of Concordia in the finals.

Senior Gabriel Bailey rounds out the Tongie's frontrunner contingent, sitting at No. 1 at 182 pounds. Bailey finished off with a regional title as well. He earned a 7-1 decision over No. 2 Jack Harvey of Baldwin during the regional finals.

Tonganoxie advanced eight wrestlers to the state meet, which trails the 11 wrestlers from the currently No. 1-ranked Class 4A team, Augusta. Chanute qualified 10 a year after edging out Tonganoxie for runner-up at state last year.

With Noah Bailey (132), and Tyler Pankey also coming off regional titles, Tonganoxie should have a strong core that has a chance to keep up with the points of a few of the top contenders with more state qualifiers.
RETURNING STATE CHAMPIONS
 
CLASS 6A
 
113 – Jonathan Morrison, Washburn Rural (106 in 2021)
 
126 – Jacob Tangpricha, Washburn Rural (113 in 2021, 106 in 2020)
 
132 – Damian Mendez, Dodge City (132 in 2021, 106 in 2019)
 
138 – Easton Taylor, Manhattan (120 in 2020)
 
145 – Jahir Contreras, Shawnee Mission East (126 in 2021)
 
170 – Luke Barker, Dodge City (152 in 2020)
 
195 – Blake Jouret, Olathe South (170 in 2021)
 
CLASS 5A
 
113 – Nick Treaster, Newton (106 in 2021, 106 in 2020)
 
126 – Bubba Wright, Kapaun Mt. Carmel (120 in 2021)
 
132 – Hayden Mills, Blue Valley Southwest (113 in 2020, 106 in 2019)
 
138 – Wyatt Weber, Great Bend (138 in 2021)
 
145 – Zachary Wessley, Goddard (132 in 2021)
 
152 – Jerrdon Fisher, Goddard (145 in 2021, 132 in 2020)
 
160 – Brett Umentum, Blue Valley Southwest (126 in 2020)
 
182 – Quentin Saunders, Goddard (6A 182 in 2021 and 2020, 6A 170 in 2019)
 
CLASS 4A
 
120 – Marcus Terry, Augusta (106 in 2021)
 
132 – Tucker Cell, Abilene (113 in 2021)
 
138 – Owen Eck, Andale (120 in 2021); Grayson Sonntag, Tonganoxie (120 in 2020)
 
145 – Ty Leedy, Chanute (145 in 2021)
 
160 – Sam Elliott, Buhler (160 in 2021, 152 in 2020)
 
CLASS 3-2-1A
 
120 – Corbin White, Jayhawk-Linn (106 in 2021); Gable Fredrickson, Marysville (113 in 2021)
 
132 – Kolton Field, Norton (126 in 2021, 120 in 2020)
 
138 – Drew Bell, Hoxie (132 in 2021, 126 in 2020)
 
152 – Drew Bretz, Hoxie (138 in 2021)
 
160 – Derek Johnson, Hoxie (145 in 2021, 132 in 2020); Bryce Eck, Uniontown (152 in 2021)

 
UNDEFEATED WRESTLERS
 
CLASS 6A
 
132 – Damian Mendez, Dodge City (41-0)
 
195 – Blake Jouret, Olathe South (32-0)
 
CLASS 5A
 
220 – Gavin Meyers, Hays (33-0)
 
CLASS 4A
 
120 – Marcus Terry, Augusta (21-0)
 
145 – Ty Leedy, Chanute (37-0)
 
152 – Dawson Lapping, Frontenac (33-0)
 
160 – Sam Elliott, Buhler (35-0)
 
195 – Hayden Oviatt, Wamego (29-0)
 
CLASS 3-2-1A
 
106 – Cohen Kaiser, Plainville (6-0)
 
145 – Creyo Koop, West Elk (41-0)
 
182 – Jace High, Douglass (40-0)


STATE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, FEB. 25

9:45 a.m. -- Opening ceremonies/parade of athletes

10 a.m. -- First round (four mats)

Lunch break (30 minutes)

Championship quarterfinals (four mats)

Consolation first round (four mats)

Break (10 minutes)

Championship semifinals (two mats)

SATURDAY, FEB. 26

9 a.m.  -- Consolation wrestle-back (four mats)

Consolation quarterfinals (four mats)

Lunch break (30 minutes)

Consolation semifinals (four mats)

Break (15 minutes)

Third-place matches & fifth-place matches (two mats each)

Break (45 minutes)

Parade of champions

Championship finals (one mat)