OVERLAND PARK — The blueprint was drawn months ago in a Maize wrestling room that believed it was capable of more. 

On Saturday night at AdventHealth Sports Park, that belief became history. 

Maize crowned four individual champions, sent seven wrestlers to the finals and piled up a Class 6A-record 237 points to capture its first-ever 6A state championship. The Eagles won the team race comfortably over Manhattan, which finished second with 192.5 points, while Washburn Rural was third at 180 — the highest point total in Rural program history. 

For first-year head coach Tyler Gonzales, the moment was validation. 

“I knew that these kids had a lot of talent, but they needed just a little bit more direction,” Gonzales said. “We did a lot of mental work, changing up how they train and changing up the culture in general. I felt like looking at their past results that they had underperformed the last two years.” 

Under Gonzales — whose previous head coaching stops included Junction City and Santa Fe Trail — Maize didn’t just improve. It exploded. 

The Eagles qualified 12 wrestlers to state, placed in nine weights and overwhelmed the bracket with bonus points all weekend. By Saturday afternoon, the team race had turned into a runaway. 

“We believed in ourselves,” Gonzales said. “We thought we could get 10 in the semifinals. We put nine there and then got seven in the finals. The kids showed up every day, put in the work and believed in what they could do.” 

At 190 pounds, junior Everett Joyce put the finishing touches on a dominant, undefeated season. 

Joyce rolled through the bracket with a fall, two technical falls and a 17-2 technical fall in the championship match over Free State’s Zane Shaw. He finished 43-0 this season and has gone 77-1 over the past two years, earning his second straight state title. 

“Well it is certainly a lot less stressful when you look back on it and realize that you really didn’t have stress at all,” Joyce said. “Every match was fun to be a part of.” 
 

Joyce credited Gonzales for pushing him to hunt bonus points and expand his attack. 

“He’s a great leader and great role model,” Joyce said. “He pushes us. I had a great week of training leading up to state and just went out and had fun.” 

At 113 pounds, junior Cooper Smith was just as clinical. Smith pinned his first two opponents in 37 seconds each, added a technical fall in the semifinals and capped his tournament with an 18-3 technical fall over Washburn Rural’s Andrew Peterson in the finals. 

“It means everything to me,” Smith said. “Coming into the tournament with a brand new coach and a brand new culture, we knew we could get it done. The culture is different and that is why we won.” 

This was the second straight title for Smith, who won the 106-pound crown a year ago. 
 

“For me, it just means that the hard work is paying off,” Smith said. “To win two is great, but my main goal is to become a 3-time state champion. Next season has already started for me and I am going to be back grinding and getting better every single day. 

Senior Zach Siatka closed his career in storybook fashion at 106 pounds. Siatka recorded three first-period falls and a 20-4 technical fall in the championship to finish 28-2. 

“This is my very last tournament that I was ever going to wrestle, so honestly this just meant everything to me,” Siatka said. “Especially being able to do it with this team.” 

Siatka, who moved to Maize before his junior year, said Gonzales transformed the program. 
 

“My coach completely rewrote the program from last year,” he said. “Everything was just more structured. He brought the love of wrestling back for me.” 

At 138 pounds, junior Vincent Rosas captured his long-awaited first state title. After previous heartbreaks at state, Rosas broke through with two technical falls to reach the finals and a 7-2 decision over Washburn Rural’s Cooper Stivers in the championship. 

“I have been chasing this goal for three years and to finally get it feels amazing,” Rosas said. “Honestly, winning this state title as a team feels even better. We have been drawing it up like this all year.” 

The championship bout came against one of his closest friends. 
 

“I was very nervous going into that match,” Rosas said. “Cooper is tough to wrestle. He is one of my best friends and it is hard to wrestle somebody that you are friends with in the finals. He is a great wrestler and I’ve wrestled against him since we were young. I love to compete with him.” 

Maize’s dominance wasn’t limited to its champions. 

Tucker Verbeck (126), Antonio Guebara (132) and Talon Verbeck (144) each reached the finals and finished runner-up. Baron Rosas (157) placed third, Reese DeMoss (120) took fourth and Reid Joyce (175) battled back to finish fifth. Heavyweight Atticus Marcenaro added key consolation points. 

“The finals are tough,” Gonzales said. “Sometimes kids wrestle a little tight. At the same time, our kids lost to really quality opponents. The kids that did win state just went out and did their thing.” 
 

While Manhattan and Washburn Rural both put together strong tournaments — Rural’s 180 points setting a program record and Manhattan’s point total was sixth all-time — Maize’s firepower and depth proved overwhelming. 

The title is Maize’s first since winning 5A in 2023 and its first at the 6A level, signaling the Eagles’ arrival in the state’s largest classification. 

“We lose four state qualifiers, but we have some kids waiting in the wings and some great freshmen coming in,” Gonzales said. “Nothing is guaranteed at Maize. Those kids fight every day to be a starter.” 

On Saturday, they fought their way into the record book — and into a new era for Maize wrestling.