By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Last week, the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) Executive Board approved several changes that will impact the upcoming football, basketball, wrestling, and track and field seasons for Kansas high schools. Girls' wrestling has made huge strides since KSHSAA began recognizing it was a sport in 2020. Great Bend High School Activities Director Matt Westerhaus is excited about the opportunities a change in classifications will mean for the Lady Panthers.
"Wrestling is obviously huge for us," he said. "I know Coach (Lars) Lueders is pretty excited. One, it's great to see the sport is growing so there is an opportunity for the two classifications to split. "It really puts you in the same boat as a lot of other sports now competing at a 5A and 6A-only classification."
The change means girls' wrestling will now mirror boys' wrestling in Kansas with separate classifications for 6A, 5A, 4A, and 3-2-1A schools. All six classifications of schools competed together in the first year of girls' wrestling. Class 6A's Topeka Washburn Rural won the first team championship in 2020. The classifications were then split into 6-5A schools and 4-1A schools the following season. Washburn Rural has won three of the last four titles with Dodge City, another 6A school, winning in 2022. Great Bend placed eighth as a team last year in a field where the top four teams were all 6A schools. Seven of the top 10 teams have been 6A programs in each of the last three state tournaments.
The change will also impact Hoisington. After the split in classifications for the 2020-21 season, Class 4A schools Baldwin, Pratt, and Chanute won team championships before Rossville became the first 3A school to win last year, beating Class 2A Oakley by just half a point. In 2022, Hoisington finished state runner-up behind Pratt, and in 2021, the top five teams at state were 4A schools.
Other changes will not have as large an effect on Great Bend. Beginning this fall, just three sites will be utilized for state championship football games, with Class 5A playing at Emporia State University and Class 3A playing at Hutchinson Community College.
In March 2026, state basketball tournaments will move to just four sites. For the upcoming basketball season, Classes 3A, 2A, and both 1A classifications will be divided into four regions, then seeded into two sub-states within the region. The winner of each sub-state will advance to the state basketball tournament.
GBHS recently hosted a Class 5A regional track and field meet where the top four finishers in each event advanced to the state meet. Beginning in 2025, the top three finishers from each regional will automatically qualify for state with the next four best performances from all regionals rounding out the state field.