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)