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Norton senior john Risewick (left) beat Oberlin junior Dayton Dreher for the 132 state title on Saturday. (Mike Courson / February 24, 2013) |
The Norton wrestling team won its third state title in four years on Saturday. Senior John Risewick capped his career with his second individual title.
Norton
Only one Blue Jay managed an individual title at last weekend’s Class 3-2-1A state wrestling tournament, but several second-place finishers and other placers netted the Jays another state title with 129.5 points. Hoxie was the closest competitor with 97 points.
Senior John Risewick won a title as a freshman. Saturday, he won again as a 132-pound senior, defeating Oberlin’s Dayton Dreher 8-7. At 106 pounds, Caysean Campbell lost a 5-3 decision in the championship match. At 126 pounds, junior Alec Hager lost 10-2 to unbeaten Brandon Ball of Hoisington in the finals. Junior Branson Addington finished fourth at 120 pounds, and senior Cody Ellis placed fourth at 145 pounds. Senior Lucas Engel also finished fourth at 220 pounds. Junior Ethan Ross picked up a final win of the year to take fifth at 113 pounds. Sophomore Jared Tallent placed sixth at 138 pounds.
Phillipsburg
The Panthers scored 42 points at the state wrestling tournament last weekend. 106-pound senior Kyle Whitmer led the pack with a state title. He cruised two the first two rounds with a pin and major decision, then won a 3-0 decision against Smith Center’s Cale Rogers to advance to the finals where he defeated Norton’s Caysean Campbell 5-3. At 138 pounds, junior Michael Dusin finished fourth. He won his first two matches before falling to the eventual silver medalist from St. Mary’s. On the back side, Dusin edged Norton’s Jared Tallent 6-5, then fell to Burden Central in the finals.
The Panther basketball team takes a No. 1 seed into the Plainville sub-state. Phillipsburg (17-1) will host Russell (1-19) on Tuesday. No. 2 Beloit and No. 9 Hoisington also loom in the bracket. The 9-10 Lady Panthers play at Hoisington (10-10) on Monday.
Trego
Senior Cameron Staples was the lone placer for the Golden Eagle wrestling team at last weekend’s state tournament in Hays. Competing at 170 pounds, Staples opened with a 5-2 decision before getting pinned by the third-place finisher from Caney Valley. Staples rebounded to pin Plainville’s Colton Wise, then won an 8-4 decision against Oberlin. Staples lost the next round to miss the consolation finals, but defeated Cimmaron 10-2 for fifth place.
Trego will host a Div. I sub-state tournament this week. Snow may change the schedule, but the No. 4 seed boys (6-14) are expected to see No. 5 Rawlins County (4-15) on Tuesday. The winner gets No. 1 Hoxie (17-3). The girls have an uphill battle as the No. 5 seed. At 2-16, they play Logan (8-11) on Monday. The winner gets top-seed and second-ranked Hoxie in Thursday’s semifinal game.
Plainville
The Cardinal wrestlers were among the favorites heading into the state wrestling tournament this weekend. They finished with 83 team points to finish third behind Hoxie (97) and Norton (129.5). Junior Dylan Wiesner earned a silver medal at 160 pounds. In the finals, he met undefeated Calvin Ochs of Hoxie, a reigning state champion, who won by fall in the first period. Senior Harrison Gilliland also fell victim to Hoxie in the finals. Gilliland pinned his way to the finals before dropping a 16-4 major decision in the championship. Senior Brady Chard just missed a title at 285 pounds, losing a 2-1 overtime match in the championship. He, too, pinned his way to the finals where he suffered only his second loss of the season. At 145 pounds, junior Trevor Desair lost a 6-3 match to Ellsworth in the fifth-place match.
Plainville will also host a basketball sub-state. The boys (14-5) enter as the No. 3 seed against No. 6 Ellis (13-7). The girls (9-10) enter as a No. 4 seed against No. 5 Ness City (9-11). The girls bracket features three of this year’s powerhouses in Smith Center, Ellis, and Oakley.
Osborne
Both Bulldog teams will hit the post-season on a win-streak after closing out the regular-season at Lincoln on Tuesday. The No. 9 Lady Bulldogs outscored the Leopards 32-21 in the first half of a 60-54 win. The boys dominated Lincoln, leading 38-19 by halftime in a 64-43 win. Rachel St. Clair scored 20 points and Caitlin Miller added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Lady Bulldogs. Sophomore Brandt Wolters had a monster game for the boys with 17 points and 17 rebounds. Parkes Wolters added 13 points, and Jake Tiernan and Kenton Ubelaker each scored 11 points.
The Bulldogs will host a Div. I sub-state this week. The girls (15-5) open with a bye and will face either No. 3 Pike Valley (13-6) or No. 6 Lakeside (6-13) on Thursday. No. 1 Thunder Ridge looms atop the bracket. Only one boys’ team has a winning record in the bracket. Osborne (4-14) will play No. 3 Thunder Ridge (10-10) on Tuesday. The winner gets No. 2 Pike Valley (11-8) in Friday’s semifinal.
Ellis
The Railroader basketball teams picked up a sweep against Stockton to close out the regular-season. The No. 4 Lady Railers cruised to a 64-25 win to secure the league title at 9-1 against MCL teams. Ellis led that game 48-13 by halftime. Freshman Alexcia Duetscher paced the team with 14 points, and Kaleigh Soneson added 11 points. The boys played even in the first half. Ellis pulled away with a 16-12 third quarter and finished off the Tigers in the fourth for a 52-42 win. Tyler Walters led all scorers with 17 points, and Scott Pfeifer scored 12 points.
The girls (18-2) enter a tough Plainville sub-state as the No. 1 seed. They will host No. 8 Oberlin (4-16) on Tuesday. No. 2 Smith Center (18-2) and No. 3 Oakley (15-5) are in the other half of the bracket. The No. 6 seed boys (13-7) will travel to play at No. 3 Plainville (14-5) on Monday.
Stockton
The Tiger squads will enter the post-season on a losing streak following losses to Ellis on Tuesday. The No. 10 Tiger boys could not hang with the Railroaders in the second half. After hitting the half tied at 22, they lost their battle 52-42. The girls were no match for No. 4 Ellis, falling behind 48-13 by the half and falling 64-25. Jaden Williams paced the boys with 12 points and Koby Beougher added 11 points. Morgan Beougher and Caitlin Lingg each scored six points.
The Tiger boys should be the favorite at a relatively weak Osborne sub-state. As the only team with a winning record, 14-6 Stockton enters as the No. 1 seed with a first-round bye. They will play No. 4 Lakeside (10-10) or No. 5 Southern Cloud (5-13) in the semis. The No. 5 Lady Tigers (8-12) face No. 4 Southern Cloud (8-10) at Osborne on Monday. The winner gets top-seed Thunder Ridge (15-4) on Thursday.
Hill City
The Ringneck boys used a big second half to close out the regular-season with a 67-59 win against Oakley on Tuesday. They beat Thunder Ridge 58-29 on Monday. Trailing Oakley 34-28 at the half, Hill City took a 46-42 lead into the fourth quarter where they again outscored the Plainsmen. Only four Ringnecks scored in the game. Shane Jones erupted for 26 points and Solomon Wilson finished right behind him with 25points. Deric McKeever added 11 points and Ethan Gansel six points. The boys (14-7) host No. 5 seed Ness City for sub-state action on Monday.
The Oakley girls just fell out of the Class 2A rankings but still managed to down Hill City 61-40. The Plainsmen led 33-18 by halftime. Hill City also fell to Thunder Ridge 43-30 on Monday. Megan Gansel hit three triples to lead the team with 11 points against Oakley. Brooke Burton added eight points. The girls will again see Oakley in Tuesday’s first-round sub-state game. Hill City enters with an 8-12 record and Oakley is 15-5.
Smith Center
The Redmen wrestling team picked up 40 points at the state wrestling tournament last weekend to finish 12th overall. Smith Center missed the top 10 by just 5 points. Junior Clint Rogers finished fourth at 126 pounds. Freshman Cale Rogers finished fifth at 106 pounds.
Senior Sydney Benoit is back for the Lady Red. Benoit led the team with 16 points and 10 rebounds in a 54-46 win against Beloit on Tuesday. Trenna Cox and Colbie Decker each added 10 points. Smith Center (18-2) enters the Plainville sub-state as the No. 2 seed. They host Rock Hills (5-14) on Tuesday. No. 3 Oakley (15-5) likely awaits the winner, and Ellis is the No. 1 seed in the other half of the bracket. The boys fell to Class 3A-ranked Beloit 63-47. As a No. 7 seed, the Redmen (9-11) travel to No. 2 Oakley (15-5) for their first sub-state game on Monday.
