PARK CITY – One by one, Basehor-Linwood’s state qualifiers entered the wrestling circles Friday afternoon at Heartland Credit Union Arena, did their work and left after officials raised their arm in victory.
Granted, it was only the quarterfinals of the Class 5A state tournament. But it made a powerful statement.
“Overall, we wrestled tough, gritty,” Basehor-Linwood coach Jason Puderbaugh said. “I feel like our guys’ conditioning looked good. I think we were being aggressive in attacking positions and wrestling whistle to whistle.
“All the things we talk about, they did it, so I was very pleased with their performance today.”
Basehor-Linwood assistant Derek Morgan hoists 215-pound wrestler Gavin Mitchell after Mitchell's Class 5A semifinal victory on Friday.
The challenge got steeper for the Bobcats later in the day, as they went 3-6 in the semifinal round. But all 13 of their qualifiers advanced to the second day of competition as Basehor-Linwood piled up 139.5 points to take a commanding lead at the tournament’s midpoint.
Lingering in second with 95 points was Goddard, winner of 10 of the last 11 5A team titles. The Lions went 4-0 in the semifinal round, but with just seven remaining competitors the climb to the top spot appears steep.
Basehor-Linwood’s junior tandem of Trevor Christenson and Cael Puderbaugh will try to add to their individual state title collections on Saturday. Christenson, a two-time champion, stormed into the 132-pound final with first-period pins over Maize South’s Aaron Acosta, Lansing’s Jeremy Welch and Newton’s Exavier Torres, the 5A West regional champion.
Christenson, who recorded his 100
th career victory in early January, improved to 39-2 on Friday and will next face Goddard freshman Matthew Martinez, who knocked off 5A East regional winner Samuel Vasquez of Leavenworth.
Christenson came into state as a regional runner-up after defaulting to Vasquez in the finals. Prior to the regional, Christenson had strep throat and a 102-degree fever.
“His fever broke before the tournament, but he felt like dog and still got to the final,” Puderbaugh said. “He wanted to wrestle through it, but it was a coach’s decision for him to rest and get better.
“I’ve never met a wrestler in 20 years of coaching who’s more hungry than that kid.”
Puderbaugh’s son, Cael, will go for the 138-pound title after winning at 132 a year ago. He will also face a Goddard wrestler, senior Nick Miller, as both regional champions navigated their way through the winners bracket.
Sophomore Gavin Mitchell also won his semifinal for the Bobcats, defeating Hays’ Jaxson Chartier 4-0 at 215 pounds. Mitchell went 1-2 last year at 190 in his state debut.
Hutchinson's Cruz Cannon tries to turn De Soto's Shepherd Young during their 5A 126-pound semifinal. Cannon won a 19-4 technical fall.
Goddard will have a pair of wrestlers looking for their second state titles. Junior Oscar Gauna, No. 1 ranked in all classes by the Kansas Wrestlers Coaches Association at 113, pinned Blue Valley Southwest’s Caden Magdefrau in the semifinals to improve to 30-2. Gauna won the 106-pound crown last year.
Lions senior Kolton McElwain, who won at 126 two seasons ago, returned to the finals with second-period pin of Maize South’s Gavin Axtell in the semifinals. McElwain, the 5A West regional champion, is 32-10 and will face Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Eli Koster for the title.
Two wrestlers stayed on track for undefeated seasons Friday. Maize South junior Josh Kerr, last year’s champion at 138, improved to 51-0 with three victories, the last a 21-4 technical fall over Basehor-Linwood’s Jet Millison in the semis.
Another junior, De Soto’s Emerson Tjaden, moved to 43-0 with two pins followed by a semifinal technical fall over Newton’s Nikko Hinojos.
Kerr’s twin brother, Max, earned his second straight trip to the state finals with an 8-0 major decision over Basehor-Linwood’s Lane Jones. Kerr was a runner-up to former St. Thomas Aquinas wrestler Kaden Allen at 144 last season.