By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Senior Night is always special. Thursday night, the No. 6 Panther wrestling team made it extra special at the Great Bend High School gymnasium. Great Bend won all its contested matches to take the dual against Liberal 66-6. Seniors Cooper Liles and Matthew Johnson each picked up their 100th career wins.
Liles, ranked No. 3 at 150 pounds, pinned his opponent with 25 seconds left in the first period. Johnson, ranked No. 5 at 215 pounds, went the distance against Liberal's Matthew Trejo. Johnson led 2-0 after one period, 4-0 after two, and closed out the match with a 7-0 decision.
Second-ranked Jace Schartz made quick work of his opponent at 157 pounds, picking up enough points for a tech fall just 90 seconds into the match. Fifth-ranked Triston Tomlinson pinned his 120-pound opponent early in the second round.
Liberal picked up the first six points of the night with an open match at 106 pounds. Ambrose Kramer won the first Panther points with a pin in the final second of the first period in his match at 113 pounds.
Hayden Liles picked up a first-period pin at 126 pounds, then sixth-ranked senior Kaiden Hoffman pinned his 132-pound opponent with 13 ticks left in the first period. Hayden Kelly followed with a tech-fall win midway through the second period at 138 pounds.
Michael Montoya wrestled the most exciting match of the night. In a back-and-forth match at 165 pounds, he earned a late escape to secure a 9-7 decision against Liberal's Oscar Pablo. Newly ranked Aidan Davidson, No. 6 at 175 pounds, led 13-0 after two periods and picked up the 15-0 tech fall.
Fourth-ranked Trenton Kern went the distance at 190 pounds for a 6-3 decision. Brody Schnoebelen capped the perfect evening at 285 pounds, needing just 28 seconds to get the pin. Blake Stein picked up open points for Great Bend at 144 pounds.
The Panther boys travel to Phillipsburg on Saturday.