St. Francis Logo

Two Indian Wrestlers Qualify For State Tourney

Team Places 11th at Regionals

The 3,2,1A Regional Wrestling Tournament was held in WaKeeney on February 21 and 22. The St. Francis Indians wrestled well in the tournament and placed 11th out of 23 teams participating. Two Indians placed in the top four positions and thus qualified for the Kansas State Wrestling Tournament in Hays on February 28 and March 1. Clay Cassaw (at 132 pounds) and Shakota Blanka (at 285 pounds) qualified for the State Tournament with their performances during the Regional Tournament.

Norton won the Regional Tournament team championship scoring 230.5 points. Phillipsburg earned a second place finish with 178 points. The remainder of the team placings and scores were:  3rd - Oberlin-Decatur Co. 120.5, 4th - Oakley 81.0, 5th - Smith Center 80.0, 6th -  Ellis 79.0, 7th - Atwood-Rawlins Co. 72.0, 8th - Plainville 68.5, 9th - Leoti-Wichita County 57.0, 10th - Hoxie 53.0, 11th - St. Francis 46.5, 12th - Cimarron 39.5, 13th - Hill City 38.5, 14th - Hays-TMP 32.0, 15th - Sublette 31.0, 16th - Montezuma-S. Gray 29.0, 17th - Lakin 27.0, 18th - Holcomb 25.0, 19th - Tribune-Greeley Co. 24.0, 19th - WaKeeney-Trego Co 24.0, 21th - Stockton 19.0, 22th - Kensington-Thunder Ridge 6.0, 23th (tie) - Elkhart 0.0, and 23th (tie) - Palco 0.0.

132 - Clay Cassaw (23-7) placed 1st and scored 24.50 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Clay Cassaw won by fall over Cory Mead (Oakley) 0-2 (Fall 1:50)
Quarterfinal - Clay Cassaw won by tech fall over Gabe Anderson (Oberlin-Decatur Co.) 23-23 (TF 15-0)
Semifinal - Clay Cassaw won by decision over Elijah Stone (Tribune-Greeley Co.) 18-12 (Dec 6-0)
1st Place Match - Clay Cassaw won by major decision over Toby Nickell (Norton Community) 8-9 (MD 10-1)

138 - Garrett Brunk (15-22) scored 4.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Cody Toothaker (Cimarron) 16-7 won by fall over Garrett Brunk (Fall 5:13)
Cons. Round 1 - Garrett Brunk received a bye
Cons. Round 2 - Garrett Brunk won by fall over Brody Frieling (Smith Center) 20-15 (Fall 1:46)
Cons. Round 3 - Derick Coomes (Kensington-Thunder Ridge) 8-15 won by fall over Garrett Brunk (Fall 4:59)

145 - Justin Pacheco (12-22)
Champ. Round 1 - Jared Tallent (Norton Community) 36-8 won by tech fall over Justin Pacheco (TF 16-1)
Cons. Round 1 - Justin Pacheco received a bye
Cons. Round 2 - Colter Stoll (Oakley) 24-18 won by fall over Justin Pacheco (Fall 3:50)

152 - Lane Hoffman (7-15)
Champ. Round 1 - Zeke Castillo (Leoti-Wichita County) 26-13 won by decision over Lane Hoffman (Dec 9-3)
Cons. Round 1 - Lane Hoffman received a bye
Cons. Round 2 - Jonathan Markland (Atwood-Rawlins Co.) 23-9 won by fall over Lane Hoffman (Fall 0:45)

170 - Lane Hobrock (12-21) scored 3.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Lane Hobrock received a bye
Quarterfinal - Dylan Wiesner (Plainville) 33-2 won by fall over Lane Hobrock (Fall 1:39)
Cons. Round 2 - Lane Hobrock won by fall over Triston Morgan (Hoxie) 0-24 (Fall 1:07)
Cons. Round 3 - Omar Garcia (Cimarron) 16-7 won by fall over Lane Hobrock (Fall 1:57)

195 - Ryan Grover (4-23)
Champ. Round 1 - Ryan Grover received a bye
Quarterfinal - Colton Northrup (Leoti-Wichita County) 28-9 won by fall over Ryan Grover (Fall 1:52)
Cons. Round 2 - Ryan Grover received a bye
Cons. Round 3 - Dylan Haas (Ellis) 10-19 won by fall over Ryan Grover (Fall 2:10)

220 - Kyler Zweygardt (22-15) scored 6.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Kyler Zweygardt received a bye
Quarterfinal - Skyler Tebo (Ellis) 29-11 won by fall over Kyler Zweygardt (Fall 2:44)
Cons. Round 2 - Kyler Zweygardt won by fall over Charlie Coleman (Montezuma-S. Gray) 6-18 (Fall 1:31)
Cons. Round 3 - Kyler Zweygardt won by fall over Cameron Colgan (Atwood-Rawlins Co.) 5-14 (Fall 0:43)
Cons. Semi - Dylan Gassmann (Oakley) 18-6 won by fall over Kyler Zweygardt (Fall 3:45)

285 - Shakotah Blanka (20-9) placed 4th and scored 9.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Shakotah Blanka received a bye
Quarterfinal - Shakotah Blanka won by decision over Taten Pulec (Stockton) 5-8 (Dec 3-0)
Semifinal - Zach Crick (Montezuma-S. Gray) 32-4 won by fall over Shakotah Blanka (Fall 5:24)
Cons. Semi - Shakotah Blanka won in overtime over Mark Schippers (Hoxie) 19-14 (OT 4-2)
3rd Place Match - Donovan Lumpkin (Phillipsburg) 24-8 won by fall over Shakotah Blanka (Fall 1:51)

Clay and Shakotah will be competing in the Kansas State Wrestling Tournament held at Gross Memorial Coliseum on the campus of Fort Hay State University in Hays, Kansas on Friday, February 28th, and Saturday, March 1. Clay (23-7) will open against freshman Wes March of Riley County (23-19). Shakotah (20-9) will wrestle junior Jacob Leuthold of Sabetha (25-10) in his first match.

Click here to view Clay's bracket for in State Tournament.

Click here to view Shakotah's bracket in the State Tournament.

Coach Dylan Loyd shared the following comments, "This regional tournament is always very tough and this year proved to be no different. Like prior years, there were a handful of returning state placers, and qualifiers who are staying home this weekend. There were a lot of upsets that happened throughout the tournament, and you saw quite a few number 1 seeds get upset and there was even a number 1 seed who didn’t qualify. This just goes to show that you have to be ready to wrestle every time you step out on the mat and you cannot afford to look past anyone. As a team, I feel like we peaked at the right time, we had some kids beat kids that had defeated them earlier, and we had some kids wrestle kids closer than what they had earlier in the season. When you look at that you see that they had closed the gap a bit and I always view that as improvement. Of course you always wish to of qualified more individuals, but sometimes it just comes down to luck of the draw and we were on the short end of that. However, I am excited to watch our two qualifiers compete this weekend at the state tournament. I feel like both of them are set up to make noise this weekend, if they both wrestle to the best of their ability, and they take it one match at a time I am confident they both can return home with state medals.

Clay Cassaw had a very dominant weekend. I feel like he wrestled the best he had all year this last weekend. He dictated the pace in every match, he never backed down, and he was always looking to score more points. He is peaking at the right time of year, and he has a legitimate shot at bringing home a state medal.

Garrett Brunk had a better weekend, he showed us what he is capable of doing. He dropped a tough first match to an opponent that he was actually beating at the time he got pinned but, he bounced back and had a good day on Saturday. This weight class has been very tough at every tournament that we have been to this season, and this weekend was no different. He has a lot of talent and there is no reason for him to not be a contender next season, I am looking forward to seeing the rest of his high school career unfold.

Justin Pacheco had a very tough draw having to wrestle Tallent out of Norton in the first round of the tournament, don’t be surprised to see Tallent finish in the top 3 this upcoming weekend. The bracket didn’t fall in Justin’s favor this weekend, but he showed improvement. He had Stoll from Oakley on the ropes and made one crucial mistake but, I think Justin now knows what he is capable of doing. He’s a very tough kid and he’s another I feel lucky to have him around for a couple more years.

Lane Hoffman had a tough weekend; he also was in a pretty deep weight class where you could easily see 4 different qualifiers if the regional tournament was wrestled again this upcoming weekend. He got caught in a tight headlock his last match with a lot of time still left in the period and its situations like that, that are tough to wrestle out of. You hate to see him not make it out, but it’s just one of those things that happens and you always question why.

Lane Hobrock showed a lot of improvement throughout this season. As the year went on you could see him start to develop some confidence in himself, and I think he had a decent shot at qualifying if the bracket had just fallen a little differently, but hindsight is always 20/20 and there’s nothing you can do about it. He had a tough draw having to wrestle the #1 ranked kid in the state first round, but he battled him and he didn’t back down. He’s another one that I feel fortunate to have for another couple years.

Ryan Grover battled his tail off all year and he gained a lot of quality experience throughout the course of the season. He got better throughout the season, and he never backed down from anyone. It’s tough to compete at 195 lbs as a freshman, but he never made excuses and did the work to get better and I feel like he has a very bright future on the mat ahead of him.

Kyler Zweygardt was just one move away from qualifying, which is an amazing feat due to the fact that he had never wrestled before until this season. He worked hard all year, and he closed the gap on kids as the year progressed. He’s already committed himself to getting better this offseason, and I have no doubts that he will put in the work.

Shakotah Blanka had a good weekend he was very close to making it into the finals Friday night, but he made just one crucial mistake that cost him the match. I was proud of how he battled back on Saturday, which is hard to do when you suffer a tough loss like he had the night before. In his match to get in, he had to defeat Schippers from Hoxie for the 3rd time this season, and it went down to the wire, but he found a way to win. I feel like if he believes in himself and wrestles like he is capable of there is no reason for him to not bring home a medal."

A complete listing of the four state qualifiers in each weight division are listed below.

106 Results
1st Place - Skylar Johnson of Norton Community
2nd Place - Bryce Bacon of Hoxie
3rd Place - Brayden Winters of Stockton
4th Place - Junior Torres of Sublette
1st Place Match
Skylar Johnson (Norton Community) 23-2, So. over Bryce Bacon (Hoxie) 20-9, So. (MD 9-1).
3rd Place Match
Brayden Winters (Stockton) 12-14, Fr. over Junior Torres (Sublette) 20-5, Jr. (Fall 0:23).

113 Results
1st Place - Branson Addington of Norton Community
2nd Place - Isaac Stone of Tribune-Greeley Co.
3rd Place - Tucker Rhoades of Hays-TMP
4th Place - Dalton Oliver of Smith Center
1st Place Match
Branson Addington (Norton Community) 28-6, Sr. over Isaac Stone (Tribune-Greeley Co.) 23-3, So. (TF 18-2).
3rd Place Match
Tucker Rhoades (Hays-TMP) 30-7, Fr. over Dalton Oliver (Smith Center) 20-13, Fr. (Fall 4:25).

120 Results
1st Place - Tristan Porsch of Hoxie
2nd Place - Dalton Hensley of Ellis
3rd Place - David Hileman of Smith Center
4th Place - Ricky Hockett of Hays-TMP
1st Place Match
Tristan Porsch (Hoxie) 35-0, Fr. over Dalton Hensley (Ellis) 27-6, Fr. (Dec 10-5).
3rd Place Match
David Hileman (Smith Center) 30-9, Fr. over Ricky Hockett (Hays-TMP) 24-11, So. (TF 17-1).

126 Results
1st Place - Macrae Migchelbrink of Atwood-Rawlins Co.
2nd Place - Riley Juenemann of Phillipsburg
3rd Place - Cale Rogers of Smith Center
4th Place - Gabe Hamel of Hill City
1st Place Match
Macrae Migchelbrink (Atwood-Rawlins Co.) 32-4, Jr. over Riley Juenemann (Phillipsburg) 30-9, Sr. (Dec 8-5).
3rd Place Match
Cale Rogers (Smith Center) 32-11, So. over Gabe Hamel (Hill City) 27-12, Fr. (Fall 4:15).

132 Results
1st Place - Clay Cassaw of St. Francis
2nd Place - Toby Nickell of Norton Community
3rd Place - Mason Bannister of Phillipsburg
4th Place - Gabe Anderson of Oberlin-Decatur Co.
1st Place Match
Clay Cassaw (St. Francis) 23-7, So. over Toby Nickell (Norton Community) 8-9, Sr. (MD 10-1).
3rd Place Match
Mason Bannister (Phillipsburg) 22-16, Sr. over Gabe Anderson (Oberlin-Decatur Co.) 23-23, Jr. (Fall 0:59).

138 Results
1st Place - Alec Hager of Norton Community
2nd Place - Rhett Mizer of Atwood-Rawlins Co.
3rd Place - Taylor Murphy of Oakley
4th Place - Adam Gehring of Plainville
1st Place Match
Alec Hager (Norton Community) 38-5, Sr. over Rhett Mizer (Atwood-Rawlins Co.) 33-7, Jr. (Dec 5-4).
3rd Place Match
Taylor Murphy (Oakley) 28-8, Jr. over Adam Gehring (Plainville) 19-14, Sr. (Fall 1:35).

145 Results
1st Place - Michael Dusin of Phillipsburg
2nd Place - Dayton Dreher of Oberlin-Decatur Co.
3rd Place - Jared Tallent of Norton Community
4th Place - Brandon Schoenthaler of WaKeeney-Trego Co
1st Place Match
Michael Dusin (Phillipsburg) 39-2, Sr. over Dayton Dreher (Oberlin-Decatur Co.) 35-3, Sr. (Dec 3-2).
3rd Place Match
Jared Tallent (Norton Community) 36-8, Jr. over Brandon Schoenthaler (WaKeeney-Trego Co) 30-8, Sr. (Fall 4:59).

152 Results
1st Place - Mike Kasson of Norton Community
2nd Place - Clint Rogers of Smith Center
3rd Place - Chris Anderson of Oberlin-Decatur Co.
4th Place - Trevor Desaire of Plainville
1st Place Match
Mike Kasson (Norton Community) 26-10, So. over Clint Rogers (Smith Center) 35-1, Sr. (Dec 4-1).
3rd Place Match
Chris Anderson (Oberlin-Decatur Co.) 35-8, Sr. over Trevor Desaire (Plainville) 15-14, Sr. (Dec 7-2).

160 Results
1st Place - Kendall Miller of Norton Community
2nd Place - Hunter Kohler of Phillipsburg
3rd Place - Jared Pfeifer of Ellis
4th Place - Tabor Erickson of Oberlin-Decatur Co.
1st Place Match
Kendall Miller (Norton Community) 31-7, Jr. over Hunter Kohler (Phillipsburg) 26-16, Sr. (Fall 1:36).
3rd Place Match
Jared Pfeifer (Ellis) 7-1, Jr. over Tabor Erickson (Oberlin-Decatur Co.) 27-12, Fr. (Dec 6-5).

170 Results
1st Place - Dylan Wiesner of Plainville
2nd Place - Cole Renner of Norton Community
3rd Place - Grant Gilliam of Oberlin-Decatur Co.
4th Place - Dajuen Chapman of Hill City
1st Place Match
Dylan Wiesner (Plainville) 33-2, Sr. over Cole Renner (Norton Community) 33-10, Sr. (TF 17-2).
3rd Place Match
Grant Gilliam (Oberlin-Decatur Co.) 31-10, Sr. over Dajuen Chapman (Hill City) 11-9, Fr. (Dec 4-0).

182 Results
1st Place - Brice Mason of Leoti-Wichita County
2nd Place - Rex Diederich of Oberlin-Decatur Co.
3rd Place - Andrew Makings of Phillipsburg
4th Place - Jared Burrows of Lakin
1st Place Match
Brice Mason (Leoti-Wichita County) 33-3, Sr. over Rex Diederich (Oberlin-Decatur Co.) 26-4, Jr. (Fall 1:27).
3rd Place Match
Andrew Makings (Phillipsburg) 12-10, Sr. over Jared Burrows (Lakin) 26-15, Sr. (Dec 3-2).

195 Results
1st Place - AJ Cooper of Cimarron
2nd Place - Seth Boswell of Phillipsburg
3rd Place - Kolton Harting of Norton Community
4th Place - Colton Northrup of Leoti-Wichita County
1st Place Match
AJ Cooper (Cimarron) 27-5, Jr. over Seth Boswell (Phillipsburg) 23-13, Sr. (Dec 2-0).
3rd Place Match
Kolton Harting (Norton Community) 11-5, Sr. over Colton Northrup (Leoti-Wichita County) 28-9, Sr. (Fall 5:37).

220 Results
1st Place - Luke Jacobs of Phillipsburg
2nd Place - Jacob Green of Norton Community
3rd Place - Dylan Gassmann of Oakley
4th Place - Skyler Tebo of Ellis
1st Place Match
Luke Jacobs (Phillipsburg) 35-5, Jr. over Jacob Green (Norton Community) 30-7, Fr. (Dec 6-3).
3rd Place Match
Dylan Gassmann (Oakley) 18-6, Jr. over Skyler Tebo (Ellis) 29-11, Sr. (Dec 8-2).

285 Results
1st Place - Zach Crick of Montezuma-S. Gray
2nd Place - Mason Rains of Oakley
3rd Place - Donovan Lumpkin of Phillipsburg
4th Place - Shakotah Blanka of St. Francis
1st Place Match
Zach Crick (Montezuma-S. Gray) 32-4, Sr. over Mason Rains (Oakley) 24-14, Sr. (Fall 1:25).
3rd Place Match
Donovan Lumpkin (Phillipsburg) 24-8, So. over Shakotah Blanka (St. Francis) 20-9, Jr. (Fall 1:51).