There's no clear favorite in 3-2-1A wrestling field

By Rod Haxton, editor

Six wrestlers aren’t a lot to be taking to the state tournament. But, if they’re the right six, they may be more than enough.

That’s what the Scott Community High School squad is hoping for as they figure to be in the hunt for a title at this year’s Class 3-2-1A State Wrestling Championship in Hays.

With two regional champions, a runner-up and three third place finishers, the Beavers should be in contention for a title after finishing just 2-1/2 points out of third place a year ago.

“We feel we’re taking some pretty big guns to state,” says senior Clay Mulligan, one of two defending state champions on the SCHS roster. “There isn’t anyone going to state that can’t make it to the podium.”

Head coach Jon Lippelmann shares that same confidence.

“The boys we’re taking to state had a real good regional tournament. We beat some very good kids,” says Lippelmann.

He also knows there’s no room for error.

“Every point and every match at state will be darn important. Most of the teams contending for a state title seem to have three really good kids who can stand their way on the podium and they have two or three others with the potential of getting there,” says Lippelmann. “The teams who have the most success slipping a fourth or fifth guy near the top of the podium could be the ones that bring home the team hardware.”

And that’s where it could get real interesting this week.

In terms of total qualifiers, the edge goes to regional champions Hoisington and Douglass with nine wrestlers each. Douglass has two gold medalists on their roster and Hoisington has just one regional champion and four runners-up. Douglass also has three fourth place finishers and Hoisington has a pair, which drops them back into the rest of the pack with 6-7 state qualifiers.

Atchison County was also a regional champion with seven state qualifiers. However, with only one of those qualifiers earning a spot in the regional finals, Atchison County is a longshot to be among the top 3-4 teams at state.

Oberlin is the other regional champion with six state qualifiers. Five of those advanced to the finals of what is considered the toughest regional, but only one came away with a gold medal.

Earning runner-up honors in their respective regionals were Caney Valley and Smith Center - each with seven state qualifiers. Both advanced three wrestlers to the regional finals, but will need plenty of help from their four wrestlers who finished either third or fourth if they are to stay in the title picture.

The same is true of regional runner-up Silver Lake which has six state qualifiers, including three gold medalists. With two of the other qualifiers earning a spot as fourth place finishers at regional, it’s doubtful that Silver Lake can finish much higher than seventh or eight.

That leaves Scott City and Hoxie - each with six state qualifiers - and Goodland with five.

While the Cowboys have two potential state champions on their roster, they will need plenty of help from their other three wrestlers in order to make it into the top three teams. Hoxie finds itself in a similar situation with two potential state champions and two other grapplers who finished third.

If the Beavers are to still be in the hunt for a team title on Friday afternoon they will need to advance at least two wrestlers into the state finals - and possibly a third. And the other three regional bronze medalists will need to advance deep into the consolation round. If at least two of those make it onto the podium, the Beavers could be in the thick of a title chase.

In fact, there appears to be no one capable of running away with this year’s championship. It’s possible that a team title won’t be decided until the final championship matches on Friday afternoon.

“I don’t know exactly who will be bringing home hardware at the end of the day, but I’d like to think we have a shot at that,” Lippelmann says.

“I think this tournament will be more fun than last year because we have a better shot as a team,” Mulligan says. “We only have one freshman, so we are pretty experienced. We’re all pretty confident we can medal.”

One of the keys for the team will be picking up bonus points for falls, technical falls and major decisions at every opportunity.

“The early rounds are where you have the best chance at getting extra points, so we have to take advantage of it when we can,” Lippelmann says.

Defending Titles

As a defending state champion at 215-pounds last season, Hayes says there’s added pressure entering this year’s tournament.

“I’m undefeated and I’m the defending state champion,” Hayes says. “It feels really good, but there’s also pressure.”

Hayes has the advantage - or disadvantage - of having seen his top two rivals. The senior handed Jacob English (28-1, Beloit) his only loss of the season at the Norton Invitational by a 3-0 decision. In the finals of the Garden City tournament he defeated Clay Wilcox (39-3, Chaparral) by a 1-0 decision. If the bracket holds true to form, Hayes will see English in the semi-finals.

“It helps that I’ve beaten them before and I know what to expect from them,” says Hayes. “Likewise, they also know what to expect from me.”

Despite being a returning state champion, Mulligan has been ranked second in some polls and third in another throughout the season. Brogan Humphrey (40-1, Fredonia), the defending state champion at 125-pounds, has been the consensus No. 1 ranked wrestler while Kasey Biddle (28-3, Central-Burden) has been ranked No. 2 and No. 3.

“I can understand (Brogan) Humphrey being ranked ahead of me since he’s the returning champion at 125,” says Mulligan. “Biddle and I are probably about the same caliber of wrestler. We’ll get a chance to see each other on the mat and determine who’s better.”

That key match will come in the quarter-finals on Thursday afternoon.

Having one state title under his belt allows Mulligan to enjoy this year’s tournament a little more.

“Last year was real though. I guess I felt a little more pressure because I was really striving for the championship,” says the senior. “I’ve accomplished that milestone and now that I’ve done it once I believe I can do it again if I wrestle my best.”