Great Bend Post Sports
The Panther wrestlers climbed to No. 4 in the final Class 5A rankings of 2023. Saturday in Dodge City, Great Bend had yet another test against top-ranked Manhattan (6A) and top-ranked Goddard, winner of eight of the last nine 5A titles. Manhattan scored 193 points for the win, followed by Goddard with 156 points, and the Panthers with 139 points in third. Three-time defending 3-1A champ and current No. 1 Hoxie placed fourth with 131.5 points, and No. 5 Valley Center (5A) placed fifth with 127 points.
No. 2 Kaiden Hoffman advanced to the finals at 132 pounds. He pinned both pool opponents and lost an 8-1 decision to Olathe North's sixth-ranked Blake Samuelson in the finals.
Cooper Liles also made the finals at 150 pounds. Liles pinned both of his pool opponents in 86 seconds or fewer and was pinned by top-ranked Jacob Goodwin of Goddard in the finals. Fifth-ranked Aiden Schwindt of Olathe North finished third in the bracket.
Aidan Davidson just missed the finals at 175 pounds for a third-place finish. He went 3-0 in pool matches with a pair of pins and a 10-1 major. He won a forfeit against Dodge City in the consolation finals. Second-ranked Jacob Vasquez of Junction City defeated fourth-ranked Griffin Bohanan (190 lbs) of Junction City in the finals.
Junction City's switch also impacted standings at 190 pounds where Panther sophomore Trenton Kern finished fourth. The second-ranked Kern pinned two opponents and tech-falled another in pool matches. Hoxie's top-ranked junior Sam Watkins defeated Junction City's Cooper Bogenhagen and Manhattan's Landon Dobson for the win. Bogenhagen is ranked No. 5 at 175 pounds, and Dobson is ranked No. 5 at 190 pounds.
Sophomore Triston Tomlinson placed fourth at 120 pounds. He pinned all three pool opponents with two pins in 70 seconds or fewer. He was pinned by second-ranked Caleab Huthchinson of Manhattan in the fourth-place match. The bracket also featured second-ranked Aiden Shields of Valley Center, who was pinned by Hoxie's top-ranked sophomore Ian Giancola.
Fourth-ranked Matthew Johnson had another fourth-place finish at 215 pounds. The senior pinned his first two opponents before losing an 11-7 decision to fourth-ranked Michael Costello of Olathe East. Valley Center's second-ranked Dai'mont Mucker won the loaded bracket that also included fifth-ranked Raymond Gary-Hernandez of Manhattan.
Hayden Kelly placed fourth at 138 pounds. He went 3-0 in pool matches with three pins. He lost a 4-3 decision to Valley Center in the consolation finals. Third-ranked Jameal Agnew of Manhattan defeated fifth-ranked Jaxson Salinas of Ulysses (4A) in the finals.
Second-ranked Jace Schartz finished sixth at 157 pounds. The sophomore pinned his first two opponents in 49 seconds or fewer before dropping a 4-0 decision to Olathe East's third-ranked senior Ender Rider. Schartz was pinned by second-ranked Vance Provost of Olathe North in the fifth-place match. A Texas wrestler defeated second-ranked Duncan Bell of Hoxie in the finals.
Michael Montoya also finished sixth at 165 pounds. He went 1-1 in pool matches with a pin and a loss to third-ranked Dave Sample of Goddard. Montoya lost a 6-4 decision to Liberal in the fifth-place match. Top-ranked Taye Wilson of Pratt defeated Sample in the finals, and third-ranked Easton Nickelson of Hoxie defeated fourth-ranked Derek Truman of Valley Center in the consolation finals.
Brody Schnoebelen was another sixth-place finisher at 285 pounds. He went 1-1 in pool matches with a pin and loss to third-ranked Clayton Frehn of Manhattan. Frehn defeafted defending 3-2-1A champion Gavin Schipper of Hoxie in the finals. Second-ranked Camden Jensen of Hutchinson placed third.
Hayden Liles went 2-1 in pool matches at 126 pounds on the way to an eighth-place finish. Liles lost a 5-0 decision to Ulysses' Julian Rosales, and was pinned in the seventh-place match against Dodge City. Second-ranked Jeff Schwartz of Valley Center won the bracket against second-ranked Cameron Coonrod of Manhattan.
Blake Stein placed ninth at 144 pounds. That bracket featured top-ranked Logan Logerman of Manhattan and fifth-ranked Braysen Salinas of Ulysses. Ambrose Kramer placed 11th at 113 pounds that featured two of the top-three wrestlers in Class 6A and the No. 3 wrestler in Class 5A.