CLASS 4A BOYS WRESTLERS TO WATCH IN 2025-26
 

 
SEBASTIAN BENTLEY, ROSE HILL
 
Preseason No. 2 at 138
 
Bentley is no doubt hungry for an individual state championship in his senior season after a pair of runner-up finishes to Paola wrestlers in Class 4A. He was one of six Rocket finalists last season, dropping an 8-0 decision to Bryson Rockers in the 126-pound final, the last piece of a 38-9 season. Bentley earned first-place finishes at the Douglass Goodwill Invitational and Emporia Winter Duals prior to winning a regional title. As a sophomore in his first varsity season, Bentley helped Rose Hill to the first of back-to-back 4A titles with a 41-9 record, losing 2-1 to Paola’s Kaiden Powell in the 120-pound final. He won the Andale regional that season along with Rose Hill and Augusta tournament titles.  
 

 
PIERCE CASTEEL, ABILENE
 
Preseason No. 2 at 190
 
Casteel is coming off a fourth-place finish at state at 190 pounds a year ago, bouncing back from a major-decision loss to Chanute’s Cade Small in the quarterfinals to win three straight matches to reach the consolation finals where he fell to Holton’s Kyler Jackson. Casteel finished the season with a 38-8 record and now has a 79-31 record in his career with 54 career pins, 30 of those coming last year. He also qualified for state as a sophomore but did not place. He and younger brother Cael, Abilene’s 175-pounder, are the sons of former Abilene state champion and 21-year assistant Corey Casteel.
 

 
TRAYVEN CONGER, GOODLAND
 
Preseason No. 3 at 138

Conger captured a fourth-place state medal at 138 pounds as a sophomore last season. He bounced back from a first round loss to make his way to the third-place match before losing by decision to Scott City’s Alex Rodriguez. Conger finished with a 30-20 record. Conger will stay at 138 pounds, where he is ranked No. 2 behind Rose Hill’s Sebastian Bentley.
 

 
TRISTEN COX, ANDALE
 
Preseason No. 2 at 150
 
Cox, a senior, earned his second state medal in three seasons last March with a fourth-place finish in 4A at 144 pounds. He posted a career high for victories, finishing 40-13 to help the Indians place third in the team competition as one of six individual medalists. That came on the heels of 22-10 sophomore season that ended one victory shy of medal contention at 120 pounds. Cox posted a 32-8 record as a freshman, helping Andale capture the 4A team title with a fifth-place finish at 106.
 

 
RYDER DEMPEWOLF, COLBY
 
Preseason No. 1 at 120

The two-time reigning 113-pound champion, Dempewolf is expected to move up to 120 pounds, where he is ranked No. 1 heading into his senior season. Dempewolf showed a flair for the dramatic in both his championship matches. Last year, he trailed Rose Hill’s Trenton Richwine by a point in the final minute before getting an escape and a takedown to secure an 8-6 victory and defend his title. As a sophomore, he beat Paola’s Bryson Rockers 7-5 in overtime. In addition to his two titles, Dempewolf also has a third-place medal he earned as a freshman.  He finished last season with a 41-1 record, his only loss coming to two-time state champion Ian Giancola from Hoxie.
 

 
ETHAN ECK, ANDALE
 
Preseason No. 1 at 175
 
Eck moved into the No. 1 spot in the KWCA rankings toward the end of the 2024-25 regular season and made it stand, winning the 4A 165-pound title with an 11-3 major decision over Fort Scott’s Brody Gomez. One of three Andale cousins to win state titles last season, Eck posted a 43-2 record that was buoyed by titles at the Newton Tournament of Champions, where he knocked off then-5A No. 1 Kade Smith of Hutchinson, and Garden City’s Rocky Welton Invitational. Eck finished fifth in 4A as a sophomore at 150 pounds, compiling a 19-6 record. He joins sophomore Luke Martin (113) as preseason No. 1-ranked wrestlers in 4A for the Indians.
 

 
JUDD ECK, ANDALE
 
Preseason No. 3 at 132
 
Eck will open the season in a deeply talented Class 4A 132-pound pool, where reigning champion Noah Wuthnow of Abilene and Paola’s Bryson Rockers, last season’s 126-pound winner, also reside. Eck established himself last winter as a freshman, posting a 39-9 record and winning 4A’s 120-pound crown. He defeated Augusta’s Brayden Luinstra 7-1 in the finals. Eck also earned titles at the Pratt, Bishop Carroll and Rose Hill invitationals, and defeated Luinstra in the regional finals. He was one of three Andale individual state champions, helping the Indians place third.
 

 
PARKER GARDNER, SMOKY VALLEY
 
Preseason No. 1 at 215
 
Gardner returns to try to defend his 4A title at 215 pounds, which he earned with a 13-5 major decision over Louisburg’s Ashton Moore last March. Light for the weight class but with a muscular frame, Gardner posted a 33-2 record to become the Vikings’ first individual state champion in 10 years. Gardner’s title helped ease the disappointment of the end of his sophomore season, when he entered regionals at 31-1 at 175 pounds but was hindered by a sternum injury and was unable to advance. Gardner took fifth at state at 175 as a freshman, posting a 35-7 record. 
 

BLAZE GOSSMAN, SCOTT CITY
 
Preseason No. 2 at 165

Gossman earned his first state medal last year as a junior, taking fourth at 165 pounds. He reached the quarterfinals before losing to champion Ethan Eck from Andale in the semis. Gossman finished 38-12 on the season. He won his weight class at Abilene Invitational last season. Gossman is ranked No. 2 at 165 behind Paola’s Bodhi Shay. 
 

 
SAMMY HERSHBERGER, BUHLER
 
Preseason No. 1 at 138
 
Hershberger makes the move up to 138 after finishing second in 4A to Abilene’s Noah Wuthnow at 132 last winter. The Crusader senior is coming off a 34-8 season in which he won titles at the Pratt and Circle invitationals as well as the Emporia Winter Classic. Hershberger took second to Wuthnow at regionals, dropping a 4-2 decision, then earned a rematch in the state final after a 6-3 sudden victory in the semifinals over Winfield’s Owen Suttles. Wuthnow took the finale 9-2. Hershberger went 26-6 as a sophomore, missing the 126-pound medal rounds at state by one victory.
 

 
BROCK JOHNSON, PAOLA
 
Preseason No. 1 at 144

Paola senior Brock Johnson enters his final high school season on the edge of Kansas wrestling history. Johnson, a three-time Class 4A state champion, will attempt to become just the 42nd wrestler in state history to win four consecutive titles when he takes the mat this winter. Johnson is coming off a dominant 2024-25 campaign in which he finished 45-0 at 138 pounds, and capped the year with his third straight state gold. The Panther standout racked up 27 pins last season and now owns a career record of 127-7 with 74 career falls. Already a three-time Frontier League, regional and state champion, Johnson will again be among the favorites in 4A as he looks to close out a decorated career. He has committed to continue wrestling next year at South Dakota State University. 
 

 
JUDE KRENTZ, HAYDEN
 
Preseason No. 2 at 175

After solid freshman and sophomore seasons that saw him post a combined 55-15 record, Krentz was a totally different wrestler last year in moving up to 175 pounds. A summer spent at an Oklahoma State camp served as a huge momentum boost for his junior season and he navigated the regular season and regionals with an unblemished record, taking a 38-0 mark into the Class 4A state meet. Krentz couldn’t finish off an undefeated season, falling to Columbus’ Mason Obanion by a 19-3 technical fall in the state semifinals and ending his season with a fourth-place finish after a 17-6 loss to Fort Scott’s Lennox Vann in the consolation finals. He finished 42-2 with 34 pins and now sits at 98-22 in his career with 73 pins. He has a chance to become Hayden’s first four-time state qualifier in more than 20 years this season.
 

 
HARRY LANGILL, NEMAHA CENTRAL
 
Preseason No. 5 at 126
 
Langill was Nemaha Central’s lone state qualifier a year ago, earning his second straight state berth at 106 pounds. And for the second straight season, he came away with a fourth-place finish. Langill fell in the quarterfinals to Abilene’s Keyen Taplin but then won three straight before losing again to Taplin in the consolation finals. Langill finished 37-3 after going 34-5 his freshman year. He recorded 22 pins and now has 40 in his career. He’s also coming off an 11th-place finish at state cross country this fall.
 

 
BRAYDEN LUINSTRA, AUGUSTA
 
Preseason No. 1 at 126
 
Luinstra enters his junior season with high expectations after finishing third in 4A at 106 pounds as a freshman and second at 120 last season, when he finished 34-7 after a 7-1 loss to Andale’s Judd Eck in the state finals. Luinstra opened the final month of the season with a title at Chanute’s SEK Invitational and finished third at the Rose Hill tournament before the first of two postseason meetings with Eck. Eck won the regional matchup 2-0. As a freshman, Luinstra went 5-1 at state, finishing his path through the consolation bracket with a 5-4 decision over Santa Fe Trail’s Tanner Sleichter.
 

 
BRADY MARTIN, TONGANOXIE
 
Preseason No. 3 at 175

Martin is coming off a 39-8 junior campaign that ended with a runner-up finish at 175 pounds at the state tournament. He powered through the bracket with two dominant early wins before edging Pratt’s Blake Winsor 4-1 in the semifinals. In a hard-fought championship bout, Martin fell 4-1 in overtime to Rose Hill freshman Thunder Page. A three-time state medalist, Martin has climbed the podium every year of his high school career — taking third at 165 pounds as a sophomore and finishing as the 144-pound state runner-up as a freshman. 
 

CARSON MARTIN, PAOLA
 
Preseason No. 2 at 285

Martin, Paola’s senior heavyweight, enters his final campaign with momentum after a strong finish last winter. Martin is coming off a 35-12 season in which he captured the Frontier League title, finished regional runner-up, and earned a third-place medal at 285 pounds at the Class 4A state tournament. After falling in the quarterfinals, Martin worked his way back to pin Concordia’s Tracer Murdock in the third-place match. Martin recorded 28 falls last season and now sits at 57 career pins. He brings a 72-29 career record into the 2025-26 season and is already a two-time Frontier League champion and a two-time state qualifier. 
 

 
LUKE MARTIN, ANDALE
 
Preseason No. 1 at 113
 
Martin gave Rose Hill’s Samson Whitted the best of their four head-to-head battles last season at state, but came up just short in a 4-1 decision to finish second in 4A to the two-time champion at 106 pounds. Still, the Andale wrestler made a strong state debut, defeating a pair of regional champions on his way to becoming one of four Indian finalists. Martin’s 22-12 campaign included titles at the Pratt and Nickerson tournaments. With reigning 113-pound champion Ryder Dempewolf of Colby moving up to 120, Martin received the preseason No. 1 ranking with his move up in weight class.
 

 
TRACE METCALF, PAOLA
 
Preseason No. 1 at 150

Metcalf spent his first three seasons wrestling for Fort Scott, where he emerged as one of the SEK’s top wrestlers. He’s coming off a breakout junior campaign in which he went 33-7, won both the SEK and regional titles, and finished as the Class 4A state runner-up at 150 pounds. A three-time SEK League champion and three-time state qualifier, Metcalf enters his senior year with a 99-35 career record and 40 career pins. He provides another weapon to a Panther lineup that is currently ranked No. 1 in Class 4A. 
 

 
MASON O'BANION, COLUMBUS
 
Preseason No. 1 at 190

O’Banion enters his junior season at 190 pounds for Columbus, bringing the experience of a two-time state placer. Last year, O’Banion put together a 37-2 record, making a strong run to the 4A state championship with a pin and two technical falls before falling to Pratt’s Taye Wilson in the finals. The year before, he finished third at state with a 35-3 record at 175 pounds. Over his career, O’Banion has compiled an impressive 72-5 record and will look to continue his dominance at a new weight class this season. 
 

 
THUNDER PAGE, ROSE HILL
 
Preseason No. 1 at 157
 
Page, a sophomore, shook off a regional final loss to Pratt’s Blake Winsor and finished off a stellar debut season with the 4A 157-pound title. One of four Rose Hill individual champions, Page helped the Rockets claim their second straight team title with a 4-1 overtime victory over Tonganoxie’s Brady Martin in the championship match. That capped a 30-3 season for Page, who won the Valley Center December Pools, Douglass Goodwill Invitational and Augusta Invitational. He also took second to Goddard’s three-time state champion Jacob Goodwin in the Newton Tournament of Champions. With three of Rose Hill’s 2025 champions graduated, the spotlight will be even brighter for Page.
 

 
MURPHY RANDOLPH, ABILENE
 
Preseason No. 2 at 144
 
Randolph burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2023-24, taking an undefeated record into the Class 4A state tournament before settling for a runner-up finish at 126 pounds to Paola’s Brock Johnson, finishing the season 35-1. Randolph wasn’t catching anyone by surprise last year and moved up to 138 pounds. He captured North Central Kansas League and Class 4A regional titles for the second straight year and posted a 35-7 overall record, taking fifth at the state tournament after suffering a semifinal loss to Winfield’s Talon Suttles and consolation semifinal loss to Goodland’s Trayven Conger. Randolph had 24 pins for the second straight season and moves up to 144 pounds, where he’s ranked behind Paola’s Johnson.
 
 

STORM RIECK, GIRARD
 
Preseason No. 4 at 132

Rieck returns to the Trojans’ lineup looking to pick up right where he left off. The Girard junior was sidelined with an injury until the final three weeks of the season, but he still battled his way to the Class 4A state semifinals. Rieck finished the year with a 2-1 decision over Holton’s Sean Morrissey to secure a third place medal and finish with a 14-2 record. Despite the setback, Rieck owns a 45-7 record through his first two seasons, placing third at 132 pounds as a sophomore and sixth as a freshman at 113. 
 

 
BRYSON ROCKERS, PAOLA
 
Preseason No. 2 at 132

Rockers captured his first state title last winter at 126 pounds and now moves to 132, where he’ll look to cap his career with another deep postseason run as he is one of the leaders on a Panther team that is ranked No. 1 in Class 4A. He’s coming off a standout 41-5 campaign that included Frontier League and regional championships, along with 29 pins. With a career record of 113-21, the Paola senior has established himself as one of the Panthers’ most decorated wrestlers: a three-time Frontier League champion, two-time regional champion, two-time state runner-up, and now a state champion. Rockers plans to continue his wrestling career at the University of Central Missouri. 
 

 
TUCKER SAFERITE, ROSE HILL
 
Preseason No. 4 at 126
 
Saferite opened his sophomore season with a second-place finish to 2024 state champion Valley Center’s Braxton Moody at Valley Center’s December Pools, then navigated through quality competition the entire season to post a 28-17 record at 120 pounds. After taking fourth at regionals, the battle-tested Saferite won his first two matches at state before losing to eventual champion Judd Eck of Andale. An overtime loss to Holton’s Lucas Batz left Saferite in fourth, helping Rose Hill capture its second consecutive Class 4A crown.
 

 
LUKE SEILER, ANDALE
 
Preseason No. 3 at 126
 
Seiler moves up in weight class after finishing fourth in 4A as a freshman at 113 pounds. Seiler opened his first state tournament with consecutive pins before dropping a 9-7 decision to eventual champion Ryan Dempewolf of Colby in the semifinals. An 8-5 loss to Frontenac’s Chance Wilderman ended Seiler’s season at 34-16. Seiler finished third at the Bishop Carroll Invitational and collected five victories at the Nickerson tournament before finishing second to Rose Hill’s Trenton Richwine at regionals.
 

 
BODHI SHAY, PAOLA
 
Preseason No. 1 at 165

Shay made a splash in his debut season on the mat last winter — and expectations are only rising as he moves up to 165 pounds. Shay enters the 2025-26 campaign with a 40-10 career record, already a Frontier League champion, regional runner-up and a state medalist after placing third at 150 pounds in his first trip to the Class 4A tournament. Shay lost in the quarterfinals, but battled on the back side and earned a 5-2 decision over Abilene’s Parker Farr in the third-place match. 
 

 
KEYEN TAPLIN, ABILENE
 
Preseason No. 1 at 106
 
The next of a long history of Taplins that have had their impact on the Abilene program and son of three-time state champion Ross, Keyen nearly found his way to the top of the podium a year ago as a freshman. Wrestling at 106 pounds, Taplin captured North Central Kansas League and Class 4A regional titles and then made his way to the state semifinals before falling 4-0 to Andale’s Luke Martin. Taplin came back with dominant wins on the backside to finish third, going 37-7 in his freshman season with 22 of those wins via pin. He’ll stay at 106 this season.
 

 
OSIRIS UNRUH, JEFFERSON WEST
 
Preseason No. 1 at 285

After going 28-11 and qualifying for the state meet his freshman year, Unruh missed his entire sophomore season, But he came back with a vengeance and more than made up for lost time last year as a junior. He carried an undefeated record into the Class 4A state tournament and advanced all the way to the championship match at 285 pounds. Locked in a battle with fellow unbeaten Wily Jon Morales of Augusta, the match went to an ultimate tiebreaker tied 1-1. Unruh nearly turned Morales but couldn’t quite get there and the Oriole came up with a winning reversal with just seconds left for a 3-2 win, relegating Unruh to a runner-up finish. He finished the season 35-1 overall.
 

 
CHANCE WILDERMAN, FRONTENAC
 
Preseason No. 2 at 126

After a breakout freshman season, Wilderman is poised for another big step forward this winter. Wrestling at 126 pounds, Wilderman returns with momentum following a 41-5 record last season, highlighted by a 2025 regional championship and a third-place finish at state at 113 pounds. He made the semis at the Class 4A state tournament, before falling to Rose Hill senior Trenton Richwine. Wilderman battled back to earn an 8-5 decision over Andale’s Luke Seiler in the third place match. 
 

 
NOAH WUTHNOW, ABILENE
 
Preseason No. 1 at 132
 
Like classmate Keyen Taplin, Wuthnow has a family with a rich history at Abilene and he’s already carved out his place in it. Wrestling at 132 last year as a freshman, Wuthnow took a respectable 34-6 mark into the state tournament and then got on a roll in Salina. After pulling out a 3-0 overtime win over Santa Fe Trail’s Blake Slavin in the quarterfinals, Wuthnow knocked off Rose Hill’s Adam Bilby with a 7-1 win in the semifinals and then handled Buhler’s Sammy Hershberger in the finals with a 9-2 season to capture the state title with a 38-6 record. He also won North Central Kansas League and regional titles and finished the season with 15 pins and eight technical falls. He’ll likely move up to 138 this season, but starts ranked No. 1 at 132.