Wildcats 2nd at Parsons, drop final dual to Lebanon, MO

Competition: Parsons Viking Duals

January 23, 2015

For the second straight year, the Louisburg Wildcats brought home a 2nd place plaque from the Parsons Vikings Duals. This year, LHS again fell to Lebanon, MO, in the championship dual. The final score was a dominant 63-15 in favor of Lebanon. LHS went 4-1 in duals.

The Wildcats pose for a team picture after going 4-1 and taking 2nd place at the 4th Annual Parsons Viking Duals.

Opening the day, LHS dropped Labette County by a score of 65-15. Labette County, who had been battling injuries and illnesses all week, only had six wrestlers on their roster this weekend. LHS won the next dual 70-12 against a Parsons squad that was also short of numbers. Now up against a full squad, the Wildcats faced the Lebanon JV team. The score was tight until the 182-pound match, and LHS won the next four matches by pin to finish with a 52-29 score. The final round of duals in the pool saw #2 seed Louisburg against #3 seed Independence. Indy took the lead early with four straight victories, but LHS ran the gauntlet with six unanswered victories to take charge of the dual. The final score was 41-30. Taking a 4-0 record into the finals, the Wildcats faced a familiar foe. It was a rematch of last year’s finals between Louisburg and Lebanon. Lebanon took the lead early and never looked back, winning 9 matches by pin.

One Wildcat came away undefeated on the day. Freshman Ryan Adams was 5-0 at 138 lbs. with 2 pins and 2 tech falls. Adams had the most tech falls out of all wrestlers in the tournament. Sophomore Nathan Keegan was 4-1 at 113 lbs., with his only loss being a 2-1 decision against Independence. Senior Zach Knox was 4-1 at 132 lbs., senior Brenton Wrigley was 4-1 at 195 lbs., and sophomore Mason Koechner was 4-1 at 220 lbs. Knox’s lone loss was to a Missouri state medalist from Lebanon. Wrigley made huge strides by beating the #5 ranked wrestler from Independence by a score of 5-3. Wrigley took the lead early with a quick ankle pick to his opponent’s back, nearly pinning him in the 1st period. Koechner led the team with 4 pins, and his only loss was to the #3 ranked wrestler from Parsons. Five Wildcats were 3-2: freshman Tucker Batten (1 pin, 1 major), sophomore Ben Hupp (1 pin, 1 major), junior Jordan Crowder (3 pins), sophomore Lyndon Smith (1 pin), and junior Anders Vance (2 pins). This was Vance’s first tournament back after suffering a concussion in early January.

Freshman Kyle Allen continues to fill in at 120 lbs. after Keegan dropped down a weight, finishing the day 2-3. Junior Chris Turner is filling in at 145 for Connor Green, who is out with a rib injury. Junior Dillin Roberts is filling in at 152 for Zach Jones, who is also out with a rib injury. Turner and Roberts were both 2-3. Freshman Thad Hendrix suited up at 106 to take a forfeit against Parsons, but that was his only match of the day. Juniors Jacob Mitchell (145 lbs.) and Bradley Trageser (285 lbs.) wrestled exhibition matches. Mitchell won his exhibition 9-3 and Trageser was 1-1, winning by pin in the first and losing by pin in the second.

Next week, we will return to Baldwin for the 14th Annual Baldwin Invitational Tournament. This tournament features only 4A teams, including some of the top teams in the state.

Individual Results:
106 lbs. – Thad Hendrix (fr.) 1-0
113 lbs. – Nathan Keegan (so.) 4-1, 1 pin
120 lbs. – Kyle Allen (fr.) 2-3
126 lbs. – Tucker Batten (fr.) 3-2, 1 pin, 1 major
132 lbs. – Zach Knox (sr.) 4-1, 1 pin
138 lbs. – Ryan Adams (fr.) 5-0, 2 pins, 2 tech falls
145 lbs. – Chris Turner (jr.) 2-3, 1 pin
145 lbs. – Jacob Mitchell (jr.) 1-0 (unattached)
152 lbs. – Dillin Roberts (jr.) 2-3, 2 pins
160 lbs. – Ben Hupp (so.) 3-2, 1 pin, 1 major
170 lbs. – Jordan Crowder (jr.) 3-2, 3 pins
182 lbs. – Lyndon Smith (so.) 3-2, 1 pin
195 lbs. – Brenton Wrigley (sr.) 4-1, 1 pin
220 lbs. – Mason Koechner (so.) 4-1, 4 pins
285 lbs. – Anders Vance (jr.) 3-2, 2 pins
285 lbs. – Bradley Trageser (jr.) 1-1, 1 pin (unattached)

Dual Results:
LHS 65, Labette County 15
LHS 70, Parsons 12
LHS 52, Lebanon JV 29
LHS 41, Independence 30
Lebanon 63, LHS 15

Dual Record: 4-1 (8-3 overall)

Team Placing: 2nd place out of 10 teams

Next Competition: Baldwin Invitational (January 31, 2015)

Wildcats surge on the backside, finish runners-up at Topeka

Topeka Invitational

January 17, 2015

With three open weights, the LHS wrestlers knew that it would be difficult to have a strong team showing, especially against teams like Topeka High and Highland Park who had full line-ups. However, thanks to a strong surge on the back side of the bracket, the Wildcats made a run for the team title, falling just shy of achieving the championship. Topeka High won its home tourney with 175.5 points, LHS was in 2nd with 166.5 points, and Highland Park was in 3rd with 125.5 points. With the exception of one wrestler, all Wildcats earned a place in the top-4 in his weight class.

The Wildcats pose after taking 2nd at the Topeka Invitational. Eleven out of twelve Wildcats placed in the top 4.

Three Wildcats brought home the gold: senior Zach Knox at 132, freshman Ryan Adams at 138, and senior Brenton Wrigley at 195. Knox opened the tournament with a first-period pin, then edged out the #3 seed by a decision in the semifinals. In the finals, Knox trailed by a point, scored a scramble takedown and put his opponent on his back to earn the pin and his first varsity championship of the season. Adams made quick work of all three of his opponents, going 3-0 with three pins to earn his first high school championship. Wrigley won his second championship of the season by pinning all three of his opponents, too.

Four Wildcats brought home 3rd place finishes: sophomore Nathan Keegan at 113, freshman Tucker Batten at 126, sophomore Connor Green at 145, and sophomore Mason Koechner at 220. Keegan’s only loss was to the #2 ranked wrestler in the state from Schlagle. Batten rebounded from a first-round loss to the eventual champion by pinning two opponents and tech-falling his third. Green fought through a hard-earned overtime victory to win his first varsity medal. Koechner lost a close semifinals match but had no trouble bouncing back to take third. Koechner had three pins on the weekend.

On the backside of the brackets, the Wildcats really showed a lot of heart. Freshman Kyle Allen (120 lbs.), sophomore Ben Hupp (160 lbs.), and sophomore Lyndon Smith (182 lbs.) each went 2-2, with all their wins by pin, to finished 4th in their respective weight classes. Junior Jordan Crowder was 1-2 with 1 pin to finish 4th at 170 lbs. Allen is filling in at 120 while Keegan drops down to fill in at 113, and Smith is filling in for Jimmy Dolan at 182 after Dolan was seriously injured in a car accident earlier this week. Freshman Thad Hendrix began the tournament at 106 lbs., but a rib injury suffered earlier in the week caused him to injury default from the tournament.

With our performance at Topeka High, the Wildcats have shown that they can rebound from a team tragedy and battle through against the odds. Next weekend, we travel to Parsons for the 4th Annual Parsons Duals, where we finished 2nd as a team in 2014.

Individual Results:
106 lbs. – Thad Hendrix (fr.) 0-1, injury default
113 lbs. – Nathan Keegan (so.) 3-1, 3rd place
120 lbs. – Kyle Allen (fr.) 2-2, 2 pins, 4th place
126 lbs. – Tucker Batten (fr.) 3-1, 2 pins, 1 tech fall, 3rd place
132 lbs. – Zach Knox (sr.) 3-0, 2 pins, CHAMPION
138 lbs. – Ryan Adams (fr.) 3-0, 3 pins, CHAMPION
145 lbs. – Connor Green (so.) 3-1, 1 pin, 3rd place
152 lbs. – open
160 lbs. – Ben Hupp (so.) 2-2, 2 pins, 4th place
170 lbs. – Jordan Crowder (jr.) 1-2, 1 pin, 4th place
182 lbs. – Lyndon Smith (so.) 2-2, 2 pins, 4th place
195 lbs. – Brenton Wrigley (sr.) 3-0, 3 pins, CHAMPION
220 lbs. – Mason Koechner (so.) 3-1, 3 pins, 3rd place
285 lbs. – open

Team Placing:
2nd place out of 11 teams (166.5 points)

Next Competition: Parsons Viking Duals (January 23, 2015)

LHS drops duals to Paola and BVSW, finishes 3rd at Fort Scott

Fort Scott Duals

December 6, 2014

For the second straight year, the Wildcats have brought home a 3rd place finish at the Fort Scott Duals. The varsity squad went 3-2 in duals, soundly beating Fort Scott, Shawnee Mission West, and Anderson County, but dropping competitive duals to Paola and Blue Valley Southwest. Blue Valley Southwest defeated Paola for the team title.

Bringing in a solid core of experienced wrestlers, the Wildcats were able to balance out with some new additions to the varsity line-up. Overall, we were 39-26 in individual matches, with 25 matches being won by pin. This squad, while fielding a group with relatively mixed experience levels, remains competitive. To open the day, we defeated host school Fort Scott 54-25. The rest of the day was back-and-forth, with the next dual being a 25-37 loss to Blue Valley Southwest. LHS rebounded to knock off Shawnee Mission West 51-18, but then we lost the next dual to Paola 33-39. The final dual of the day was a 54-21 victory over Anderson County.

Freshman Ryan Adams (138 lbs.) and junior Anders Vance (285 lbs.) led the team on Saturday. Both finished the day 5-0. Adams had four pins and Vance had two. Four Wildcats were 4-1 on the day: sophomore David Bindi (113 lbs.), sophomore Nathan Keegan (120 lbs.), junior Jimmy Dolan (182 lbs.), and senior Brenton Wrigley (195 lbs.). Bindi lost a close match against BVSW, getting reversed in the final seconds. Keegan’s only loss came to a returning 4A state placer from Paola. Dolan’s and Wrigley’s sole losses came against some athletic opponents from SMW. Senior Zach Knox faced some tough competition, going 3-2 at 132 lbs. One of his losses was to a returning state qualifier from Paola. Sophomore Ben Hupp was 3-2 at 160 lbs., earning three pins along the way. Sophomore Mason Koecher (220 lbs.) was also 3-2 on the day, recording three pins. Other Wildcats competing were freshman Tucker Batten, who was 2-3 at 126 lbs.; freshman Will Ridley, who was 0-5 at 145 lbs.; junior Zach Jones, who was 1-4 at 152 lbs.; and junior Jordan Crowder, who was 1-4 at 170 lbs.

This Friday and Saturday, the LHS wrestling team will be competing at the 36th Annual Eudora Tournament of Champions, which will include state-ranked teams such as Atchison County (321A), Baldwin (4A), Prairie View (4A), Rossville (321A), and St. James Academy (5A). In total, twenty-five teams will be competing at Eudora this weekend.

Individual Results:
106 lbs. – open
113 lbs. – David Bindi (so.) 4-1, 2 pins
120 lbs. – Nathan Keegan (so.) 4-1, 3 pins
126 lbs. – Tucker Batten (fr.) 2-3
132 lbs. – Zach Knox (sr.) 3-2, 2 pins, 1 major
138 lbs. – Ryan Adams (fr.) 5-0, 4 pins
145 lbs. – Will Ridley (fr.) 0-5
152 lbs. – Zach Jones (jr.) 1-4
160 lbs. – Ben Hupp (so.) 3-2, 3 pins
170 lbs. – Jordan Crowder (jr.) 1-4, 1 pin
182 lbs. – Jimmy Dolan (jr.) 4-1, 2 pins
195 lbs. – Brenton Wrigley (sr.) 4-1, 3 pins
220 lbs. – Mason Koechner (so.) 3-2, 3 pins
285 lbs. – Anders Vance (jr.) 5-0, 2 pins

Dual Results:
LHS 54, Fort Scott 25
Blue Valley Southwest 37, LHS 25
LHS 51, Shawnee Mission West 18
Paola 39, LHS 33
LHS 54, Anderson County 21

Dual Record: 3-2 (4-2 overall)

Team Placing: 3rd out of 6 teams

Next Competitions:
Wednesday, Dec. 10: Blue Valley NW Mixer (JV)
Friday, Dec. 12: Santa Fe Trail Mixer (JV)
Friday-Saturday, Dec. 12-13: Eudora Tournament of Champions (Varsity)

White Team victorious at the Purple-White Scrimmage!

4th Annual Purple-White Scrimmage

2 December, 2014

Keeping the tradition going, the Wildcats unofficially kick-started the season with the 4th Annual Purple-White Scrimmage. Thirty-nine wrestlers took to the mat Tuesday evening to give our home crowd a show in a formal intersquad dual to determine who will represent LHS at the varsity level. Wrestlers also engaged in matches to determine the ranking in each weight class and exhibition matches to give them invaluable mat experience.

Ultimately, the White Team prevailed 66-45. The White Team is currently 3-1 against the Purple Team since the scrimmage’s inception in the 2011-12 season.

Although there were several pins on the evening, there were also many exciting match-ups. Winning a 7-0 decision at 145 lbs., freshman Will Ridley defeated sophomore Connor Green for the varsity spot. Sophomore Nathan Keegan edged freshman Kyle Allen at 120 lbs., and senior Zach Knox won a tough 6-4 decision against sophomore Dylan Meyer at 132 lbs. Senior Brenton Wrigley defeated junior Jimmy Dolan for varsity at 182 lbs. In other varsity wrestle-offs, sophomore Ben Hupp pinned Dillin Roberts in an exciting come-from-behind match at 160 lbs. Sophomore Mason Koechner pinned junior Bradley Trageser at 220 lbs., and junior Jordan Crowder pinned junior Marshall Rooney at 170 lbs. Uncontested for varsity positions were freshman Thad Hendrix at 106 lbs., sophomore David Bindi at 113 lbs., freshman Tucker Batten at 126 lbs., freshman Ryan Adams at 138 lbs., junior Zach Jones at 152 lbs., and Anders Vance at 285 lbs. Senior Joey Goode was to face off against sophomore Nathan Allen at 195 lbs., but a concussion suffered at practice prevented Goode from being able to wrestle.

The Wildcats feature several returning lettermen from last season. Bindi was 21-14 at 106, Knox was 27-15 at 126, and Goode was 13-9 at 195. Bindi, Meyer, Knox, and Wrigley were all one match away from qualifying for state in 2014. Other letterwinners in 2014 include Dolan, Jones, Roberts, Trageser, Vance, and Koechner. Senior Nephi Rodriguez, Hupp, Keegan, and sophomore Owen Staver also won varsity matches last season.

For the fourth year, we’ve been proud to welcome back several figures from Louisburg High School Wrestling history. This season we had the honor to have Shawn Crossley (’98), Dereck Kerr (’00), Justin Kircher (’00), and Jesse Myers (’00) serve as honorary coaches. Crossley was a 3-time state qualifier, sported an 83-31 career record, and was the 1998 Senior Wrestler of the Year. Kerr was a 4-time state qualifier, a 2-time Frontier League champion, and had an 80-28 career record. Kircher was a 2-time state qualifier for the Wildcats. Myers was a 3-time state qualifier, a regional champion, a 2-time Frontier League champion, and had a 63-21 career record. All four were members of the 1997 team that was undefeated Frontier League Duals champions and the 1998 team that won the Frontier League Tournament. That team was also 12-1 in duals and won team titles at Spring Hill, Louisburg, and Prairie View. Crossley and Kerr coached the White Team to its third straight victory in the Purple-White series.

The Wildcats officially begin the season with a home dual against Osawatomie on Thursday, December 4. The varsity then takes to the mats Saturday, December 6 at the Fort Scott duals where we’ll face off against Anderson County, Blue Valley Southwest, Fort Scott, Paola, and Shawnee Mission West. That same day, JV will compete at the Blue Valley North JV Tournament.

Varsity Challenge Matches:
120 lbs. – Nathan Keegan (Purple) def. Kyle Allen (White) dec. 6-4
132 lbs. – Zach Knox (Purple) def. Dylan Meyer (White) dec. 8-6
145 lbs. – Will Ridley (Purple) def. Connor Green (White) dec. 7-0
160 lbs. – Ben Hupp (White) def. Dillin Roberts (Purple) wbf
170 lbs. – Jordan Crowder (Purple) def. Marshall Rooney (White) wbf
182 lbs. – Brenton Wrigley (White) def. Jimmy Dolan (Purple) dec. 6-2
220 lbs. – Mason Koechner (White) def. Bradley Trageser (Purple) wbf

Ranking Matches:
132 lbs. – Jaylen Boileau (White) def. Sierra Sullivan (Purple) wbf
145 lbs. – Chris Turner (Purple) def. Jacob Mitchell (White) wbf
160 lbs. – Kylan Harper (White) def. Jud Deering (Purple) wbf
160 lbs. – Leland Koehn (White) def. Kain O’Keefe (Purple) wbf
182 lbs. – Lyndon Smith (White) def. Billy Rose (Purple) wbf
220 lbs. – Nephi Rodriguez (Purple) def. Matthew Rison (White) wbf

Exhibition Matches:
106 / 120 lbs. – Thad Hendrix (Purple) def. Alec Maler (White) wbf
113 / 120 lbs. – David Bindi (White) def. Nathan Keegan (Purple) dec. 6-4 OT
132 / 145 lbs. – Garrett Caldwell (Purple) def. Jaylen Boileau (White) wbf
138 / 152 lbs. – Ryan Adams (White) def. Zach Jones (Purple) wbf
160 lbs. – Owen Staver (Purple) def. Zac Meyer (White) wbf
182 lbs. – Austin Raetzel (White) def. Billy Rose (Purple) wbf
195 / 220 lbs. – Josh Vickrey (White) def. Nathan Allen (Purple) wbf
220 / 285 lbs. – Anders Vance (White) def. Bradley Trageser (Purple) wbf

Next Competitions:
Thursday, Dec. 4: Osawatomie Dual @ HOME, 6:30pm (Varsity and JV)
Saturday, Dec. 6: Ft. Scott Duals, 9:00am (Varsity)
Saturday, Dec. 6: Blue Valley North JV, 8:00am (JV)