CLASS 3-2-1A BOYS WRESTLERS TO WATCH IN 2025-26
 

MAX BOTTORFF, ATCHISON COUNTY
 
Preseason No. 2 at 175

Despite moving up five weight classes from 132 his sophomore year to 165 last year as a junior, Bottorff made the transition a smooth one overall and not only earned his second straight state medal, but moved his way up the podium as well. After finishing fifth in Class 3-2-1A at 132 in 2024, Bottorff advanced to the state championship match at 165 pounds last year. He ran into Hoxie’s Duncan Bell in the finals and gave the Indian standout all he wanted in the title match before falling 6-4. That capped a 25-5 season in which Bottorff also won Northeast Kansas League and 3-2-1A regional titles and also had 13 pin victories. Bottorff goes into his senior season with a 95-27 career record with 63 pins and will move up to 175.
 

BLAKE BURESH, PHILLIPSBURG
 
Preseason No. 1 at 175

Buresh won his 157-pound state title in thrilling fashion last season, defeating Atchison County’s Easton Schletzbaum 4-1 thanks to a sudden-victory takedown in overtime. Buresh’s championship came after he placed third as a sophomore and fourth as a freshman. He finished with a 39-4 record last season. Buresh was the regional and Mid-Continent League champion and also won tournaments at Hays, Marysville and WaKeeney. He is ranked No. 1 at 175 pounds heading into his senior season.
 

BRODY CHAMBERS, SOUTHEAST OF SALINE
 
Preseason No. 1 at 285

A state title couldn’t have come in any more dramatic fashion for Chambers a year ago. Locked in a 1-1 tie with Smith Center’s Kharson Montgomery heading into the ultimate tiebreaker, Chambers started the 30-second period in the down position and had just been ridden by Montgomery in the previous overtime period. But with one second left in the match, Chambers got the escape to capture the state title with a 2-1 win. The win capped a 40-4 season for Chambers and also avenged an ultimate tiebreaker loss to Montgomery in the 2024 state quarterfinals. Chambers placed sixth at state in 2024, going 37-6 and was 35-7 as a freshman, going 2-2 at state that season.
 

DEREK CLYDESDALE, NORTON
 
Preseason No. 1 at 132

Clydesdale won the rubber match against Hoxie’s Kash Schiltz last season, avenging a regional final loss by taking a 3-1 decision over Schiltz in the 126-pound championship match after they had split the previous four matches. Clydesdale finished 38-5 on the season. In addition to his state title, he was an MCL champion and won tournaments at Goodland, Holdrege (Neb.) and WaKeeney last season. Clydesdale helped Norton take second as a team in 3-2-1A last year. He’s ranked No. 1 at 132 heading into his senior season.

CHASE COURTOIS, WEST FRANKLIN
 
Preseason No. 3 at 132

It was quite a season for the Courtois brothers as Chase and older brother Logan each took an undefeated record into the Class 3-2-1A state tournament. After placing fifth at 106 pounds his freshman year while wrestling for Burlingame, Chase transferred to West Franklin last year and moved up to 113 pounds. He carried a 31-0 mark into the state tournament and easily advanced to the semifinals before falling 10-3 to Quinter’s Tate Blackwill. Courtois bounced back to finish third and end the season with a 35-1 record. He'll make a big move up in weight this year to 132.
 

 LOGAN COURTOIS, WEST FRANKLIN
 
Preseason No. 2 at 138

Transferring from Burlingame to West Franklin a year ago along with younger brother Chase, Logan already had an impressive resume put together, going a combined 83-5 in his first two seasons, finishing as the Class 3-2-1A state runner-up at 113 pounds as a freshman and then placing third at 132 as a sophomore, both years seeing his title bids thwarted by Hoxie state champions. Last year, there was no denying Courtois the title. Both Logan and Chase went into the state tournament with undefeated marks but only Logan was able to finish off the perfect season, capturing the state title at 144 pounds. Courtois pinned his way into the finals and then pulled out a wild 21-17 victory over Norton’s Brennen Pfannenstiel in the title match, building a 19-6 lead only to see his Bluejay rival storm back. The win capped a 45-0 season for Courtois as he became the first state champion in West Franklin program history. He'll start this year at 138, where he's ranked behind Hoxie's Ian Giancola, who handed him one of his previous state losses.
 

 XZANDER DONNER, RUSSELL
 
Preseason No. 1 at 106

Donner turned in a tremendous freshman season last year, going 38-5 and capturing third place at 106 pounds. He made the semifinals after beating Hoxie’s Gunner Wente by a 7-4 decision in the quarterfinals. Donner took an 11-2 major decision loss to Jayhawk-Linn’s Landon Higgins in the semifinals. He secured third place by pinning Garden Plain’s Nate Eck. Donner was a regional champion last year and won four other tournaments.
 

 XZEPHREN DONNER, RUSSELL
 
Preseason No. 2 at 120

Donner became Russell’s first state champion in 56 years. He beat a familiar foe in Quinter’s Tate Blackwill by an 11-7 decision in last year’s 113 final. Donner finished his sophomore campaign with a 38-3 record. He was a regional and Mid-Continent League champion and won five other tournaments. Donner placed third at 106 pounds as a freshman. He enters his junior season ranked No. 2 at 120 after moving up a weight class this year.
 

BRADLEY DOORNBOS, COUNCIL GROVE
 
Preseason No. 3 at 138

Doornbos picked up his second straight state medal a year ago, finishing sixth at 126 pounds in putting together a 44-4 overall record – three of the losses coming at the state tournament. Doornbos captured his second straight regional and Flint Hills League titles last fall and brings an 82-11 record into this season. He recorded 14 pins and 25 technical fall wins last year and has 40 career pins and 30 tech falls. Doornbos will move up to 138 pounds this season.
 

NATE ECK, GARDEN PLAIN
 
Preseason No. 2 at 106
 
Eck notched the last four of his 34 victories last season at the Class 3-2-1A tournament to finish fourth in the state at 106 pounds. A quarterfinal loss to eventual runner-up Landon Higgins of Jayhawk-Linn knocked Eck into the consolation bracket, but he nearly matched his third-place regional finish. Russell’s Xzander Donner, who starts this season one spot in front of Eck in the KWCA preseason rankings, pinned Eck in their season finale to end Eck’s season at 34-11. Eck’s first high school season also included a first-place finish at the Circle Invitational and runner-up finishes at the Eureka and Halstead tournaments.
 

MICAH GALVAN, ELLSWORTH
 
Preseason No. 3 at 215

Galvan reached the 175 quarterfinals last year before falling to eventual champion Easton Nickelson of Hoxie. He captured his first state medal, taking fifth place in his second trip to the state tournament. Galvan finished with a 34-9 record. He was the North Central Activities Association champion and also won tournaments at Phillipsburg and Halstead. Galvan is ranked No. 3 at 215 pounds heading into his senior season, moving up two weight classes.
 

IAN GIANCOLA, HOXIE
 
Preseason No. 1 at 138

Giancola came up one win short of a third straight championship last year. He took a 30-0 record into the 120 final before dropping a 13-3 major decision to Southeast of Saline’s Roman Tuttle. Giancola won state titles at 113 and 120 pounds in his freshman and sophomore seasons. He owns a 106-5 career record. Giancola enters his senior season ranked No. 1 at 138 pounds after jumping up three weights. He’ll be a senior leader for a Hoxie team that has won five straight 3-2-1A titles.
 

JAMES GREENLEAF, KIOWA COUNTY
 
Preseason No. 4 at 144

Greenleaf wrapped up a strong freshman season last year with a fourth-place state showing at 120 pounds. He finished with a 37-5 record. Greenleaf lost in the quarterfinals to Burlingame’s Scott Leandro but reached the third-place match before taking a loss to Maur Hill’s Jaxson Vice. He won six tournaments on the season. Greenleaf is ranked No. 4 at 144 pounds.
 

CARTER GREEN, DOUGLASS
 
Preseason No. 1 at 215
 
Green enters his junior season as the reigning 3-2-1A 215-pound champion and a two-time state finalist. All that kept him from perfection during the 2024-25 season was a loss to Garden City’s David Holguin, last season’s 6A champion, in the Newton Tournament of Champions semifinals. Green, who finished as state runner-up to Hoxie’s Sam Watkins at 190 pounds as a freshman, takes a 77-4 career high school record into the winter campaign. His final steps toward his first state title included a 4-1 semifinal victory over Norton’s Colton Stover and a 7-0 decision over Council Grove’s Ace Monihen in the state finals. 
 

REID GRIFFITHS, HERINGTON
 
Preseason No. 3 at 157

After taking third in his 144-pound bracket at regionals a year ago, Griffiths made an impressive run to the semifinals at the state tournament, knocking off Canton-Galva’s Jaxon Chrislip 14-2 in the first round and then upsetting regional champion Giovanny Gomez of Hoxie 17-6 in the quarterfinals. His run ended with a pin loss to eventual undefeated state champion Logan Courtois of West Franklin, but Griffiths bounced back with a pin to reach the consolation finals where he finished fourth. He posted a 37-6 record during his sophomore season after placing sixth at 138 pounds as a freshman.
 

JACE GRIZZLE, LYONS
 
Preseason No. 2 at 165

After qualifying for state and going 2-2 to just miss out on earning a state medal at 120, Grizzle took a big leap last year as a sophomore. He moved up to 150 pounds and made a dominating run to the state championship match, pinning his first opponent and then tacking technical fall wins in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Grizzle came up just short in his bid to win his first state title, falling 4-2 to Hoxie’s Elston Moreno in the title match. He finished the season with a 38-3 record, pushing his career record to 67-6. Grizzle had a whopping 35 pins last year and captured North Central Activities Association and regional titles.
 

LANDON HIGGINS, JAYHAWK-LINN
 
Preseason No. 2 at 113

Higgins bumps to 113 pounds after a dominant 35-2 campaign at 106, where he reached the Class 3-2-1A state finals before falling by major decision to Norton standout Kaleb Keiswetter. A two-time regional champion and reigning Three Rivers League champion, Higgins brings a 69-10 career record into his third season, along with 37 career pins — 19 of them last season. The Jayhawk-Linn junior is also a two-time state placer, finishing sixth as a freshman despite suffering an injury in the semifinals that forced him to default out of the tournament. 
 

AYSTON KATS, NORTON
 
Preseason No. 5 at 138

Kats made his second straight state tournament and captured his first state medal last season as a sophomore. He made the semifinals after beating Northern Heights’ Leo DeDonder before losing to three-time state champion Brogan Monty from Beloit. Kats went on to place fourth.  Kats finished with a 26-14 record. He is ranked No. 5 at 138 pounds this season.
 

KALEB KEISWETTER, NORTON
 
Preseason No. 1 at 113

Keiswetter is halfway to becoming a four-time champion. He defended his 106 title last season as a sophomore, capping a 42-3 season with a 12-3 major decision over Jayhawk-Linn’s Landon Higgins in the title match. Keiswetter’s two losses against in-state opponents last year came against Garden City’s Pace Plankenhorn and Maize’s Zyion Martin. He is headed up 113 pounds, where he is ranked No. 1 ahead of Higgins.
 

CHASE MEYER, HOXIE
 
Preseason No. 2 at 157

Meyer is a two-time state placer for the powerhouse Indians. He took third place as a sophomore last year at 132 pounds, moving up three spots on the podium after placing sixth at 126 as a freshman. Meyer defeated Haven’s Tanner Loughrie in the state quarterfinals last season before losing to Bluestem’s Axton Vice in the semifinals. Meyer earned a 4-2 decision over Norton’s Ayston Kats in the third-place match to cap a 31-13 season. Meyer is set to make a significant move up to 157 pounds, where he is ranked second behind Smith Center’s Parker Hutchinson.
 

KHARSON MONTGOMERY, SMITH CENTER
 
Preseason No. 2 at 285

Montgomery has finished one win away from a state championship in each of the last two seasons. As a sophomore in 2024, Montgomery lost to Norton’s Corbin Puga in the 285 title match. He beat Puga in the semifinals last year before losing 2-1 to Southeast of Saline’s Brody Chambers 2-1 in overtime in the final. Montgomery finished his junior campaign with a 37-4 record. He is ranked No. 2 at heavyweight behind Chambers.
 

BROGAN MONTY, BELOIT
 
Preseason No. 1 at 144
 
Monty goes into the season on the verge of history, having a chance to become the next member of the four-time state champions club. He’s been nothing short of dominant throughout his career, owning a 122-5 career record. That included a 45-2 mark last year as Monty captured the state title 132 pounds after winning his previous titles at 106 as a freshman – when he went 41-0 – and at 113 as a sophomore, posting a 36-3 mark. Monty moves up two more weights to 144 this year and has a shot at both 150 career wins and 100 career pins, sitting with 71 career pins after getting 26 last year.
 

ROMAN TUTTLE, SOUTHEAST OF SALINE
 
Preseason No. 1 at 120

How impressive was Tuttle’s freshman season for the Trojans? For starters, his 43-1 record saw his only blemish come to Class 6A state runner-up Matthew Long of Garden City at the Newton Tournament of Champions. Aside from that match, Tuttle ran the table and capped his debut season at 120 pounds with a dominating 13-3 decision over undefeated Ian Giancola of Hoxie, a two-time reigning state champion. Tuttle was one of two Trojans to capture state titles last year along with heavyweight Brody Chambers as Southeast of Saline enjoyed its best state finish as a team.
 

KEEGAN URBANEK, ELLSWORTH
 
Preseason No. 1 at 190

Urbanek became a first-time state placer last year, making it all the way to the 190 finals. There, he ran into Hoxie star Sam Watkins, who got a quick pin of Urbanek to finish his career as a back-to-back champion. Urbanek got his title shot with a 7-4 win over Kingman’s Collin Schreiner in the semifinals. He finished his junior season with a 33-7 record and will remain at 190 this season, where he is ranked No. 1.
 

KILLIAN VAUGHAN, SOUTHEAST OF SALINE
 
Preseason No. 2 at 165

Despite winning 40 matches his sophomore season, Vaughan’s season ended in somewhat disappointing fashion as he came up short of earning a state medal, going 2-2 at state at 157 pounds after placing sixth at 138 pounds his freshman season. He wasn’t going to be denied a medal last year. Moving up to 165 pounds, Vaughan didn’t reach 40 wins again, going 37-7, but he did reach the medal podium, He won his first two matches at state to reach the semifinals where he was pinned by eventual state champion Duncan Bell of Hoxie. He came back to win his next match before falling 12-8 in the consolation finals to finish fourth. Vaughan won his 100th career match last year and enters his senior season with a 113-19 career mark.
 

AXTON VICE, BLUESTEM
 
Preseason No. 1 at 150
 
With 71 victories, two regional titles and a state runner-up finish, Vice has already accomplished a lot in his first two seasons. Now, the Lions junior enters a higher weight class with a lofty preseason ranking. Vice posted a 34-8 record last season at 132 pounds, finishing second in 3-2-1A to Beloit’s Brogan Monty, a three-time state champion. Vice went 37-5 as a freshman, finishing fifth at state at 120 pounds after a 3-1 semifinal loss to Minneapolis’ Chase Johnson. Vice is a two-time Tri-Valley League champion, and opened last season by winning the Caney Valley’s Kan-Okla Varsity Classic.
 

JAXSON VICE, MAUR HILL
 
Preseason No. 1 at 126
 
Vice took a few steps up the podium last year as a junior when he finished third in Class 3-2-1A at 120 pounds, coming back from a quarterfinal loss to eventual champion Ian Giancola of Hoxie to win four straight matches, including a pin of Kiowa County’s James Greenleaf in the consolation finals. That capped a 34-4 season for Vice, who had placed sixth at state as a sophomore. A Missouri Valley commit, Vice record his 100th career win in the consolation finals last year and sits with a 100-13 record in his career, claiming two Northeast Kansas League titles the past two seasons. He also has 74 career pins and will move up to 126 this winter where he starts the year ranked No. 1.
 

 
JATIN WEIGEL, NORTON
 
Preseason No. 2 at 144

Weigel is a three-time state placer. He made the 126 championship match as a sophomore in 2024, delivering one of the biggest upsets of the tournaments when he pinned top-seeded Carter Krier from Oakley in the semifinals. He finished runner-up that year to Phillipsburg’s Kaden Sisson. Last year, Weigel took third at 138 pounds, finishing with a 32-16 record. Weigel is headed up to 144 pounds, where he is ranked second behind three-time reigning champion Brogan Monty from Beloit.
 

DENTON WHITE, JAYHAWK-LINN
 
Preseason No. 2 at 132
 
White, who will compete at 132 pounds, returns after a 37-7 campaign in which he won a regional title, claimed his third straight Three Rivers League championship and placed fourth at state. The Jayhawk-Linn senior has put together a memorable career with a 117-20 career record, 86 career pins and three state medals (sixth as a freshman, third as a sophomore). Now, he’ll look to become the third member of his family to reach the state finals. His brother Brody was a state runner-up at 113 pounds in 2019, while his other brother Corbin won back-to-back state titles at 106 and 120 in 2021 and 2022. 
  

BRADYN WILSON, HOXIE
 
Preseason No. 2 at 126

Wilson delivered a successful freshman season a year ago, securing a fourth-place medal at 113 pounds. Wilson beat Caney Valley’s Silas Good in the state quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Xzephren Donner from Russell. He lost to West Franklin’s Chase Courtois in the third-place match, finishing with a 27-18 record. Wilson is set to move up to 126 pounds, where he is ranked second behind Maur Hill’s Jaxson Vice.