Vance leads Wildcats to strong finish at Eudora!

Eudora Tournament of Champions

December 12-13, 2014

Since the Eudora Tournament of Champions changed to its current 2-day format with many of the top teams in the state, the Wildcats have struggled to make an impact. This weekend, however, the LHS wrestling team took to the mats and delivered a strong performance. Out of 25 teams, Mill Valley ran away with the title, racking up 332.5 team points. In second was Baldwin with 275.5 and in third was Maize South with 248. The Wildcats came in at 6th place with 177 points, just seven points behind DeSoto.

Junior Anders Vance led the team with a championship at 285 lbs. Vance begin the tournament in a pool of six, dropping his first two matches. However, the tournament format enabled him to rattle off six straight wins for the championship, five of those wins by pin and one of them an overtime victory against the #2 ranked wrestler in Kansas Class 4A. Right behind Vance was sophomore Mason Koechner, who finished in 3rd place at 220 lbs. Koechner notched seven pins, one of which was against the #3 ranked wrestler in the state. Freshman Ryan Adams finished in 4th place at 138 lbs., with his only losses coming from a state-ranked wrestler and a senior who is a three-time state qualifier. Sophomore Nathan Keegan finished 6th place in a tough bracket at 120 lbs., and senior Brenton Wrigley finished 6th place at 195 lbs. Freshman Thad Hendrix, in his first tournament of the season, knocked off the #4 seed in overtime and ended up with 7th place at 106 lbs.

Senior Zach Knox was 1-2 at 132 lbs., his two losses coming against state qualifiers from last season. Sophomore Connor Green was 1-2 at 145 lbs., and sophomore Ben Hupp was 1-4 at 160 lbs. A pair of juniors were 1-2 in their pools: Jordan Crowder at 170 lbs. and Jimmy Dolan at 182 lbs. Freshman Tucker Batten was 0-3 at 126 lbs., and junior Zach Jones was 0-5 at 152 lbs. LHS was open at 113 lbs., as starter David Bindi was forced to sit out with a concussion.

Louisburg had several notable feats this weekend. The team finish was the highest we’ve ever placed since Eudora became the 2-day Tournament of Champions. Koechner had the most pins in the least amount of time (7 pins at 14:34) of all wrestlers in the tournament. Finally, LHS had the 5th most team pins with 19 pins.

Next week, the Wildcats will take to the mats at Tonganoxie. Last season, we finished in 2nd place at the Randy Starcher Memorial Invitational at Tonganoxie, and this year we’re looking to take that finish a step higher.

Individual Results:
106 lbs. – Thad Hendrix (fr.) 2-3, 7th place
113 lbs. – open
120 lbs. – Nathan Keegan (so.) 2-6, 6th place
126 lbs. – Tucker Batten (fr.) 0-3
132 lbs. – Zach Knox (sr.) 1-2
138 lbs. – Ryan Adams (fr.) 3-3, 1 fall, 4th place
145 lbs. – Connor Green (so.) 1-2
152 lbs. – Zach Jones (jr.) 0-5
160 lbs. – Ben Hupp (so.) 1-4, 1 fall
170 lbs. – Jordan Crowder (jr.) 1-2, 1 fall
182 lbs. – Jimmy Dolan (jr.) 1-2
195 lbs. – Brenton Wrigley (sr.) 4-3, 3 falls, 6th place
220 lbs. – Mason Koechner (so.) 7-1, 7 falls, 3rd place
285 lbs. – Anders Vance (jr.) 6-2, 5 falls, CHAMPION

Junior Anders Vance, 285, earns the Wildcats’ first individual championship at Eudora

Team Placing: 6th out of 25 teams (177 points)

Next Competition:
Tonganoxie Invitational (December 20, 2014)

Eudora Tournament of Champions

Young team struggles at Eudora

December 7-8, 2012

A small and young squad hit the mats at Eudora for the 2-day, 22-team Eudora Tournament of Champions. St. Thomas Aquinas took the team championship, followed closely by Tonganoxie, Prairie View, and Chanute. The top four teams were separated by a spread of 7.5 points. Louisburg came in at 20th place.

Only one Wildcat made it out of the pool rounds: senior Curtis Lemke (145 lbs.). In his first tournament of the season, Lemke started with two solid pins before running into a state ranked opponent from Shawnee Mission South. He then entered the bracket and faced off against the #1 seed from Rossville. Lemke gave him a good match, but he was eventually caught and pinned in the third period. The rest of the tournament didn’t go very well, as Lemke found himself battling sickness as well as his opponents. He wound up in 8th place in this very tough tournament.

A host of younger wrestlers filled in the open spots in the line-up and gave it their best shot. Junior Ben Powers was 1-3 at 138 lbs., while sophomores Austin Huber was 1-4 at 113 lbs., Zach Knox was 1-2 at 120 lbs., and Brenton Wrigley was 1-2 at 170 lbs. Two freshmen also filled in: Jacob Bolton, who was 0-4 at 152 lbs., and Anders Vance, who was 1-2 at 220 lbs.

Despite fielding only half a squad at this incredibly tough meet, the Wildcats are still running strong and are ready to hit the mats next week at Tonganoxie before taking some time off for Christmas Break.

Individual Results:
106 lbs. – open
113 lbs. – Austin Huber (so.) 1-4
120 lbs. – Zach Knox (so.) 1-2, 1 fall
126 lbs. – open
132 lbs. – open
138 lbs. – Ben Powers (jr.) 1-3
145 lbs. – Curtis Lemke (sr.) 2-4, 2 falls, 8th place
152 lbs. – Jacob Bolton (fr.) 0-4
160 lbs. – open
170 lbs. – Brenton Wrigley (so.) 1-2, 1 fall
182 lbs. – open
195 lbs. – open
220 lbs. – Anders Vance (fr.) 1-2, 1 fall
285 lbs. – open

Team Placing: 20th out of 22 teams

Next Competition: Tonganoxie Invitational (December 15, 2012)

Eudora Tournament of Champions

December 9-10, 2011

Wildcats led by A. Hood’s championship, top-8 finishes from Caskey and Cook

Going into the 9^th annual Eudora Tournament of Champions, the Louisburg wrestlers knew that it would be a dog-fight in every weight class. Every year, this tournament boasts some of the area’s toughest wrestlers from all four state classifications. This year, 8 Wildcats took to the mats in the 23-team, 2-day tournament. LHS finished the weekend with an individual champion, 2 top-8 finishers, and 16^th place as a team (2 points away from being 14^th). Three Wildcats would have finished in the top-8, but injuries sustained Friday night kept them from competing.

Senior Austin Hood (126 lbs.) found himself competing in the toughest weight class of the tournament. He entered the tournament as the #2 seed, but he thought of nothing other than being #1 at the end of the weekend. He finished the pool rounds with 2 falls and 2 tech falls. In the bracket rounds, he began with a quick pin in his first match and a major decision in his second match, which was against a two-time state medalist who had beaten Hood last season at this same tournament. In the finals, Hood defeated his Baldwin opponent by a score of 3-0. His opponent had been a state champion at 103 lbs. in 2010. Senior Austin Caskey (145 lbs.) finished second in his pool, but battled his way to a 5^th place overall finish in his weight class. Caskey racked up 2 falls and a major decision en route to his finish. In his final match of the evening—arguably his most exciting match so far this season—Caskey trailed 3-1 in the final seconds. He was on bottom and made a last-ditch effort to score on bottom, resulting in a locked-hands penalty and a reversal against his opponent and a final score of 4-3 in favor of Caskey. Junior Konnor Cook (285 lbs.) also ran into some stiff competition. In this loaded weight class, the top five wrestlers included a state champion, 3 state medalists, and a wrestler who had been one match away from placing at state last year. Cook finished 8^th in his bracket, but he had some exciting matches along the way. In his final match Friday evening, he earned a solid victory over his Chanute opponent with a 3^rd period fall, and in the consolation match of the bracket rounds he lost in the final seconds after his Rossville opponent scored a quick takedown.

Junior Cullen Hood (120 lbs.) finished Friday evening with a 4-0 record, soundly defeating two state qualifiers, but a possibly torn calf muscle side-lined him on the second day and removed him from the bracket. Senior Colton Rommel (195 lbs.) had won his first match by fall, but in his second match suffered a hyperextension of the elbow and also had to default out of the tournament. Junior Kyle McLellan (220 lbs.) was 3-1 with 3 falls, but in his last match Friday evening he separated his ribs. All three would have been key point-scorers in the tournament, but unfortunate circumstances kept them from contributing to the Wildcats’ performance. LHS was also represented by juniors Austen Scott (132 lbs.) and John Hamamy (182 lbs.). Scott finished his pool with an 0-3 record, and Hamamy was 0-2 before having to withdraw from competition due to sickness.

The next competition for the Wildcat wrestlers will be next Saturday at the Tonganoxie Randy Starcher Memorial Tournament. This tournament features six 4A opponents, as well as several 3-2-1A schools and a school from Missouri. Last season, the Wildcats finished 7^th, with 5 wrestlers winning medals. This will be the squad’s final competition before the Christmas break. Before they get to enjoy their must-deserved rest, the boys will need to step up one more time to show the wrestling community what Louisburg wrestling is all about!

Individual Results:
120 lbs. – Cullen Hood (jr.) 4-0, 4 falls
126 lbs. – Austin Hood (sr.) 7-0, 3 falls, 2 tech falls, 1^st place
132 lbs. – Austen Scott (jr.) 0-3
145 lbs. – Austin Caskey (sr.) 5-3, 2 falls, 5^th place
182 lbs. – John Hamamy (jr.) 0-2
195 lbs. – Colton Rommel (sr.) 1-1, 1 fall
220 lbs. – Kyle McLellan (jr.) 2-1, 2 falls
285 lbs. – Konnor Cook (jr.) 2-6, 1 fall, 8^th place

Team Placing: 16^th out of 23 teams

Next Competition: Tonganoxie Invitational (December 17, 2011)