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THS wrestlers earn three top-eight finishes in Basehor

By Justin Nutter - | Jan 21, 2014

Top individual records through Jan. 18

Justin Nutter

Asher Huseman went 5-1 and took third in his weight class at the Bobcat Classic. He was one of three Chieftains to record top-eight finishes.

Clayton Himpel, 20-1

Asher Huseman, 19-2

Zeke Kissinger, 13-3

Garrett Martin, 13-6

Luke Carey, 13-9

Joe Wolf, 11-4

For some, last week’s Bobcat Classic was a chance to see some of the top talent the Midwest up close. For others, it was a chance to see how they stacked up against that same competition. Up and down the Tonganoxie High roster, both missions were accomplished.

Three Chieftains finished in the top eight of their respective weight classes at the two-day tournament, which drew in schools from across Kansas and its neighboring states.

Senior Clayton Himpel (132 pounds) went 3-0 Friday to reach Saturday’s championship round for the second time in his career. He suffered his first loss of the season in the finals, falling to Zak Hensley of St. James Academy.

“(Himpel) had that focus from the first match,” coach Jeremy Goebel said. “That kid in the finals was tough, but that loss is only going to motivate him.”

Himpel, the state’s second-ranked 132-pounder in Class 4A, is now 20-1 on the season. He needs just seven wins to tie the school’s all-time record (141).

Junior Asher Huseman (152) defeated previously 30-0 Dalton Tipton of Smithville (Mo.) to reach the semifinals on Friday, but fell to Rossville’s Tagen Lambotte — the eventual champion — in his final match of the day. He bounced back on Saturday, defeating Basehor-Linwood’s John Hopper and winning a rematch with Tipton to finish third.

“It’s hard to beat a kid twice sometimes,” Goebel said. “Going into that second match against him, that was huge for (Huseman) to dominate him again. That showed a lot of mental toughness to be able to fight through and get third.”

Senior Luke Carey (195) also recovered from a Friday loss, going 2-1 on Saturday to finish seventh. Fellow senior Joe Wolf (160) was the only other Chieftain to advance to Saturday’s competition, but was eliminated when he fell to Baldwin’s Jon Pratt in his first match of the day.

George Lang (106), Tyler Salmon (113), Jay Willcutt (120), Jordan Boudreaux (126), Garrett Martin (138), Heath Martin (145), and Tyler Warthen (170) also competed in the tournament, but were eliminated on Friday. The weekend didn’t go for naught, though, as Goebel said it provided his less experienced wrestlers a firsthand look at the benefits of a consistent effort in the practice room.

“If you continually grind it out and stick with it, good things are going to happen,” he said. “For them being able to see that tournament at that caliber of wrestlers, it helps toward a long-term goal. It’s a great thing for a young team to be exposed to.”

As a team, the Chieftains finished 15th with 69 points. St. James won the team title with 209 points, defeating second-place Goddard by 10.5.

THS will be back on the mat Saturday when it travels to Holton for the Gerald Sadowski Invitational. It took fourth at last year’s tournament with Himpel and Huseman winning individual titles.