Randy Starcher Memorial Invitational
December 20, 2014
To close out the first part of the 2014-15 season, the Wildcats took to the mats at the Randy Starcher Memorial Invitational hosted by Tonganoxie. Overall, the team came out with a 3rd place finish with 179.5 points behind runner-up Tonganoxie (216.5 points) and champion Shawnee Heights (262.5 points). Despite being open at two weight classes and having two junior varsity wrestlers filling in this weekend, the Wildcats’ performance was strong enough to bring home the first team plaque of the season.
Senior Brenton Wrigley made a splash at 195 lbs., taking the tournament title with an exciting pin in the finals. Wrigley earned his first varsity championship of the season by going 5-0 with three pins and two decisions. Sophomore Mason Koechner opened the tournament with a solid 1-0 decision against a regional opponent and ultimately placed 2nd at 220 lbs. Junior Anders Vance came out strong with three pins before falling to a Bishop Ward opponent in the finals at 285 lbs. A pair of juniors gave the Wildcats strong performances. Zach Jones took 3rd at 152 lbs., and Jimmy Dolan took 3rd at 182 lbs. Jones was 4-1 with three pins and had his strongest tournament of the season. Dolan was 3-2, but one of his losses was a two-point decision to the eventual champion from Doniphan West. Sophomore Nathan Keegan started off strong at 120 lbs., but had to default out of the tournament due to illness, taking 4th place. Freshman Tucker Batten won his first high school tournament medal, taking 4th place at 126 lbs. and racking up two pins.
Three Wildcats took 5th place in their respective weight classes. Freshman Thad Hendrix was 3-2 with three pins at 106 lbs., and sophomore Dylan Meyer filled in for Zach Knox at 132 lbs. and also had three pins. Freshman Ryan Adams suffered a tough last-second loss that put him out of the championship bracket. Adams was 3-2 with two pins and a tech fall. Sophomore Connor Green was 1-3 at 145 lbs., earning a dominant major decision in his last match, and junior Dillin Roberts was 2-2 at 160 lbs. as he filled in for Ben Hupp.
In total, the Wildcats had a pretty good performance to close out 2014. Had we been at full strength, there’s no telling how we would have done, but the important thing is that our younger wrestlers and our JV wrestlers are able to step into the varsity line-up and contribute to our team success. One notable performance is Roberts, who earned an 11-second pin as the fastest of the tournament. Also, LHS was ranked 2nd as a team with 25 pins in the tournament.
After a nice Christmas Break, the Wildcats will be back for the January portion of our season. We’ll be hosting the thirteen-team Wildcat Classic Invitational on January 10.
Individual Results:
106 lbs. – Thad Hendrix (fr.) 3-2, 3 pins, 5th place
113 lbs. – open
120 lbs. – Nathan Keegan (so.) 2-2, 2 pins, 4th place
126 lbs. – Tucker Batten (fr.) 2-3, 1 pin, 1 major, 4th place
132 lbs. – Dylan Meyer (so.) 3-2, 3 pins, 5th place
138 lbs. – Ryan Adams (fr.) 3-2, 2 pins, 1 tech fall, 5th place
145 lbs. – Connor Green (so.) 1-3, 1 major
152 lbs. – Zach Jones (jr.) 4-1, 3 pins, 3rd place
160 lbs. – Dillin Roberts (jr.) 2-2, 1 pin
170 lbs. – open
182 lbs. – Jimmy Dolan (jr.) 3-2, 1 pin, 3rd place
195 lbs. – Brenton Wrigley (sr.) 5-0, 3 pins, CHAMPION
220 lbs. – Mason Koechner (so.) 4-1, 3 pins, 2nd place
285 lbs. – Anders Vance (jr.) 3-1, 3 pins, 2nd place
Senior Brenton Wrigley, 195, stands at the top of the medal stand at Tonganoxie.
Team Placing: 3rd out of 12 teams (179.5 points)
Next Competition: Wildcat Classic Invitational (January 10, 2015)
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