Wrestlers grapple at Goodland meet
Tonganoxie picked up some high-quality victories Saturday at the Goodland Tournament.
The invitational, which was in a dual tournament format, pitted Tonganoxie against five teams. The Chieftains went 1-3-1 on the day. THS defeated Holton, 40-36, tied Smith Center at 33 and lost to Goodland (62-18), Ulysses (48-34) and Junction City (65-15).
“I thought this weekend we wrestled well,” THS coach Jeremy Goebel said.
Goebel tabbed the tournament as the team’s toughest of the season. He said it will prepare the team for regionals in February at Fort Scott.
“It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” Goebel said.
Senior Ross Starcher again was Tonganoxie’s top grappler. Starcher finished the day a perfect 5-0 and pushed his record to 16-2 overall.
Fellow senior Garrett Palmer was right behind at 4-1, while Tonganoxie’s third senior, Hunter Samuels, was close behind at 3-2.
Other grapplers with winning records at the meet were Ryan Stockman (3-2), Johnathan Ferris (3-2) and Jeff Frank (3-2).
Freshmen Shane Banks and Wyatt Coffin both went 0-5, while Cameron Adcox finished 1-4.
Goebel said his rookie class continues to improve.
“The freshmen just have to keep their heads high,” Goebel said. “They’re stepping into big shoes.”
Tonganoxie will enter the winter break with a 2-4-1 dual record. The Chieftains next will be in action Jan. 6 with dual matches at Basehor. THS then will travel Jan. 8 to Salina for the Salina South Invitational.
Chieftains split duals at SFT
The long trip to Santa Fe Trail didn’t seem any shorter on the way home.
The hosting Chargers blanked Tonganoxie, 82-0, although Goebel held his freshman out to save up points for future competitions. Each competition is worth a certain number of points. At the end of the season, wrestlers can’t accumulate more than 35 points, so coaches have to budget matches for their wrestlers.
The Trail dual showcased Starcher against Justin Wiscombe, a 4A state champion last year. Wiscombe handed Starcher his second loss of the season in the match.
Tonganoxie did pick up its first dual victory of the season against Piper. The Chieftains won that dual 32-16.
Current THS records
103 Beau Waters 0-5
119 Ryan Stockman 4-6
125 Jacob Ferris 4-7
130 Hunter Samuels 11-8
135 Shawn Everhart 1-5
140 Shane Banks 2-9
145 Garrett Palmer 13-5
145 Sean Gippner 0-1
152 Wyatt Coffin 1-10
152 Jonathan Ferris 3-6
171 Ross Starcher 16-2
171 Ben Stevens 0-5
189 Josh Maxon 7-10
215 Cameron Adcox 2-11
275 Jeff Frank 5-10
Team leaders
Takedowns
Garrett Palmer 38
Pins
Ross Starcher 10
Reversals
Hunter Samuels 10
2-point near falls
Hunter Samuels 6
3-point near falls
Hunter Samuels 7
Escapes
Garrett Palmer 18
Fastest pin
Jeff Frank 20 seconds