Top-ranked Hoxie (3-2-1A) continues to do its thing. But right behind the Indians, the No. 9 Great Bend wrestlers finished second Saturday at the Phillipsburg Panther Classic. Hoxie dominated the field with 214 points, followed by Great Bend's 163.5 points, and 130.5 points from third-place Abilene.
Fifth-ranked Triston Tomlinson made it to the finals at 106 pounds. He pinned his first two opponents, and won a sudden-victory match against fourth-ranked Alexander Hamel of Hill City (3-2-1A) in the semifinals. Top-ranked Brogan Monty, an unbeaten freshman from Beloit, pinned Tomlinson in the finals.
Sixth-ranked Skyler McMullen also made it to the finals at 138 pounds. After a bye, McMullen pinned his first opponent, then won a 16-5 major decision against Norton to reach the finals. Hoxie's top-ranked Dalton Bell pinned his way to the finals in the other half, then defeated McMullen 13-1 in the championship match.
Third-ranked Cooper Liles also saw tough competition in the finals at 150 pounds. Liles pinned his first two opponents to reach the finals opposite third-ranked Braylon Smith of Minneapolis. Smith was able to hang on for a 6-3 decision.
Matthew Johnson ran into yet another unbeaten Hoxie wrestler in the finals at 175 pounds. Johnson pinned his first two opponents in short order, including sixth-ranked Micah Cauthers of Chase County (3-2-1A). Johnson was pinned by Hoxie senior Drew Bretz in the finals.
Fifth-ranked Jace Schartz placed third in a small but mighty bracket at 144 pounds. Schartz tech falled his first opponent before getting pinned by third-ranked Duncan Bell of Hoxie. On the back side, Schartz pinned his St. Francis opponent, then won the consolation finals by forfeit. Abilene's second-ranked Tucker Cell defeated Bell in the finals.
Keyven Schroeder finished third at 215 pounds. He pinned his first two opponents before losing a 5-3 decision against top-ranked Jefferson Otter of Norton in the semifinals. On the back side, Schroeder pinned his Osborne opponent before winning the third-place match by forfeit.
Kaiden Hoffman placed fourth at 126 pounds. He opened with a bye and pinned his first opponent to reach the semifinals against second-ranked Wayne Shepard of Hoxie. After giving Shepard his best match of the day in a 12-7 loss, Hoffman won a 5-2 decision against Ellis before being pinned by a good St. Francis wrestler in the consolation finals.
Freshman Trenton Kern also wrestled for fourth at 190 pounds. He needed less than two minutes combined to pin his first two opponents. Kern nearly took down top-ranked senior Garrett Urban of Norton in the semifinals, losing in sudden victory. On the back side, Kern pinned his Abilene opponent but was pinned by Hill City in the consolation finals.
Michael Montoya posted a 3-2 record in a tough 165-pound bracket. He pinned his first opponent from Osborne before being pinned by top-ranked and unbeaten Derek Johnson of Hoxie. On the back side, Montoya picked up another win by fall and a decision before getting pinned by fifth-ranked Augustus Johns of Minneapolis in the consolation semifinals.
Brody Schnnoebelen also came up a win shy of the consolation finals at 285 pounds. After a bye, he was pinned by third-ranked Jacob Carver of Rossville (3-2-1A). Schnoebelen needed a total of 93 seconds to pin his first two opponents on the back side. He was pinned by Hoxie in the consolation semifinals.
Hayden Kelly posted a 2-2 record in a loaded 132-pound bracket. He opened with a 12-3 decision against Beloit but lost a 10-0 major decision to Phillipsburg in round two. Kelly won a 16-2 major against Rossville on the backside, but bowed out with a 5-4 loss to Abilene.
Ambrose Kramer opened with a bye at 113 pounds, only to be rewarded with a loss to second-ranked Chase Johnson on Minneapolis (3-2-1A). Kramer finished at 0-2 on the day. Trevin Maciel posted an 0-2 record at 157 pounds with losses to Norton and Rossville.
Lady Panthers beat Garden City for win
The big schools led the way on the girls' side. Great Bend scored 118 points to win the Classic, followed by third-ranked Garden City with 96 points, and Norton with 91 points for third.
Great Bend had two girls wrestling in two brackets at 125 pounds. Third-ranked Daizy Gomez pinned both of her opponents to win the A bracket. Braelyn Turner pinned her first opponent in the B bracket, then won a 12-10 against Trego Community to win the bracket. Natalee Daniels pinned both of her opponents at 190 pounds for the win.
Kirra Stevens placed third in the 155-pound top bracket. She was pinned by third-ranked Hailey Horton of Rossville, but rebounded to pin her Norton opponent in the consolation finals. Yarlene Granados finished in the middle of her 3-girl bracket at 235 pounds with a win by fall and a loss by pin.
Sierra Ferguson won the B bracket at 130 pounds, winning one match in just 14 seconds, and the other in 72 seconds. Danica Cline also picked up a pair of quick pins for the title in the 145-pound B bracket.
Freshman Kaylea McMullen was part of a loaded 120-pound top bracket. She was pinned by top-ranked Kendra Hurla in round one, then suffered another pin against fourth-ranked Ashlyn Hahn of Stockton in the third-place match.
Katie Kuhlman placed fourth at 135 pounds. She pinned her first opponent before being pinned by state-medal contender and eventual champion Jaden Ney of Russell. Kuhlman was pinned by Rossville in the consolation finals.
Karley Stukey went 1-2 at 105 pounds for fourth place. She pinned her Russell opponent but lost by fall to Garden City and Norton. Hannah Crathorne finished at 0-2 in the 115-pound bracket.