Regional Wrestling Results
Three Indians Qualify For State
photo by Lifetouch
TiernanThe Regional Wrestling Tournament was held in WaKeeney on Friday and Saturday, February 15 & 16. The Indians competed well placing thirteenth as a team and qualifying three wrestlers for the Kansas State Tournament to be held in Hays next weekend, February 22 and 23.
Indians placing in the top four positions and thus qualifying for the State Tournament were: Garin Cooper - 2nd at 120 pounds, Tiernan Poling - 2nd at 132 pounds, and Shadryon Blanka - 4th at 182 pounds.
Colby won the team title at the Regional Tournament scoring 168 points. Plainville placed second with 122 and Norton third with 121. The remaining teams placed in the following order: 4th - Hoxie 112, 5th - Oberlin-Decatur Community 93, 6th - Cimmarron 91, 7th - Ellis 90, 8th - Hill City 81.5, 9th - Oakley 76, 10th - Leoti-Wichita County 65, 11th - Goodland 61, 12th -WaKeeney-Trego Community 60, 13th - St. Francis 55, 14th - Lakin 45, 15th (tie) - Atwood-Rawlins County 29, 15th (tie) - Holcomb 29, 17th - Quinter 15, 18th - Hays-TMP 12, 19th (tie) - Brewster 8, 19th (tie) Sublette 8, 21st - Tribune-Greeley County 2, and 22nd - Montezuma-South Gray 0.
Individual results for St. Francis wrestlers at the Regional Tournament are listed below.
106 - Perla Yanez (3-18) scored 0 team points.
Click here to view Perla's Regional bracket.
Champ. Round 1 - Perla Yanez 3-18 received a bye
Quarterfinal - Reece Grafel (Oberlin-Decatur Community) 25-5 won by fall over Perla Yanez 3-18 (Fall 0:54)
Cons. Round 2 - Perla Yanez 3-18 received a bye
Cons. Round 3 - Easton Burton (Ellis) 25-13 won by fall over Perla Yanez 3-18 (Fall 2:32)
photo by Lifetouch
GarinClick here to view Garin's Regional bracket.
Quarterfinal - Garin Cooper 28-5 won by fall over Conner Stahl (Plainville) 8-18 (Fall 2:19)
Semifinal - Garin Cooper 28-5 won by decision over Aiden Cook (Colby) 28-14 (Dec 12-5)
1st Place Match - Drew Bell (Hoxie) 32-5 won by decision over Garin Cooper 28-5 (Dec 7-0)
126 - Aaron White (13-24) scored 3 team points.
Click here to view Aaron's Regional bracket.
Champ. Round 1 - Camdyn Unterseher (Norton Community) 27-8 won by fall over Aaron White 13-24 (Fall 1:23)
Cons. Round 1 - Aaron White 13-24 won by fall over Arianna Gomez (Holcomb) 5-11 (Fall 1:39)
Cons. Round 2 - Albie Perez (Sublette) 3-4 won by decision over Aaron White 13-24 (Dec 2-1)
132 - Tiernan Poling (33-5) placed 2nd and scored 20 team points.
Click here to view Tiernan's Regional bracket.
Champ. Round 1 - Tiernan Poling 33-5 received a bye
Quarterfinal - Tiernan Poling 33-5 won by fall over George Crawford (Ellis) 15-20 (Fall 0:34)
Semifinal - Tiernan Poling 33-5 won by fall over Eric Cain (Oakley) 25-13 (Fall 4:58)
1st Place Match - Dylan Weimer (Hoxie) 32-6 won by decision over Tiernan Poling 33-5 (Dec 3-0)
138 - Arthur Albuquerque (8-17) scored 0 team points.
Click here to view Arthur's Regional bracket.
Champ. Round 1 - Kendrick Woody (Atwood-Rawlins County) 22-12 won by fall over Arthur Albuquerque 8-17 (Fall 0:26)
Cons. Round 1 - Coben Hawkins (Leoti-Wichita County) 8-17 won by fall over Arthur Albuquerque 8-17 (Fall 2:38)
145 - Jayce Nider (19-12) scored 0 team points.
Click here to view Jayce's Regional bracket.
Champ. Round 1 - Tristan Ryburn (Oakley) 8-20 won by fall over Jayce Nider 19-12 (Fall 4:35)
Cons. Round 1 - Jayce Nider 19-12 received a bye
Cons. Round 2 - Konnor Griffin (Colby) 24-16 won by forfeit over Jayce Nider 19-12 (For.)
photo by Lifetouch
ShadryonClick here to view Shadryon's Regional bracket.
Champ. Round 1 - Shadyron Blanka 25-9 won by forfeit over Yoni Castillo (Leoti-Wichita County) 4-19 (For.)
Quarterfinal - Shadyron Blanka 25-9 won by major decision over Gavin Sproul (Norton Community) 24-16 (MD 12-3)
Semifinal - Dylan Newton (Cimarron) 28-2 won by fall over Shadyron Blanka 25-9 (Fall 0:35)
Cons. Semi - Shadyron Blanka 25-9 won by decision over Preston Nollette (Oakley) 24-12 (Dec 6-2)
3rd Place Match - Kory Finley (Colby) 35-11 won by fall over Shadyron Blanka 25-9 (Fall 1:22)
195 - Gregor Burr (8-22) scored 3 team points.
Click here to view Gregor's Regional bracket.
Champ. Round 1 - Hagan Booi (Colby) 36-6 won by fall over Gregor Burr 8-22 (Fall 0:49)
Cons. Round 1 - Gregor Burr 8-22 won by forfeit over Toby Woodworth (Ellis) 18-12 (For.)
Cons. Round 2 - Lane Shirley (Oakley) 16-16 won by fall over Gregor Burr 8-22 (Fall 2:10)
220 - Seth Hilt (23-12) scored 1 team points.
Click here to view Seth's Regional bracket.
Champ. Round 1 - Seth Hilt 23-12 received a bye
Quarterfinal - Hayden Wiltfong (Norton Community) 28-2 won by fall over Seth Hilt 23-12 (Fall 0:56)
Cons. Round 2 - Seth Hilt 23-12 won by decision over Nate Johnson (Ellis) 11-20 (Dec 2-0)
Cons. Round 3 - William Penrod (Hill City) 23-12 won by major decision over Seth Hilt 23-12 (MD 13-3)
Garin, Tiernan, and Shadryon will be competing at the 3,2,1A State Wrestling Tournament at Gross Memorial Coliseum on the campus of Fort Hays State University in Hays on Friday and Saturday, February 22 and 23.
Garin will open competition against Quinten Heady of Erie (26-10). Click here to view Garin's State Tournament bracket.
Tiernan will begin competion versus Bryce Eck of Uniontown (18-7). Click here to view Tiernan's State Tournament bracket.
Shadryon will wrestle Tyson Villalpando of Minneapolis (29-0) in the first round. Click here to view Shadryon's State Tournament bracket.
Coach Dylan Loyd shared the following comments, "This past weekend we traveled to WaKeeney to compete in the 3-2-1A regional tournament. Much like in past years, the depth and competition at this regional was top notch. It has become a pretty common theme every year for us to be a part of arguably the toughest regional tournament in 3-2-1A. This year proved to be much of the same, and I was pleased with how these guys battled. We had some matches that slipped through our fingers a little bit, but we battled. At the end of the weekend you look back on your performances and wish to get some of those matches back, but you can’t. I feel really good about the three guys we will have represent us this upcoming weekend at the state tournament. All three of them had to win tough, crucial matches to get to this point. Everyone of them has been battle tested, and it’s important for them to finish this season strong. Getting to state is only part of the equation; there is still work to be done and the goal is to be standing on that podium Saturday evening.
The rest of the team may not have accomplished what they set out to but, they all battled and did what we as coaches have asked of them. They may have come up short, but any time you fall short you have to learn and grow from it. The best competitors don’t let the tough losses get to them. They use them as motivation and though dealing with that heartbreak is hard; it’s vital to remember that feeling as you train throughout the offseason. I have a lot of faith in these guys and it’s important to point out the amount of growth they all have shown throughout this season.
Individually, Perla Yanez did a much better job this weekend of battling. The prior weeks leading up to this weekend she wasn’t as aggressive as we would have liked to have seen. Though she had some tough losses she went out and competed and I’m proud of her for that. Garin Cooper keeps getting better every time he steps out on the mat. He wrestled really well this weekend and has been rock solid this season from a consistency level. He had a very important matchup Friday night in his semi-final match, and he dominated that match from start to finish. He worked hard this offseason and throughout this season to get to where he is at right now. I am looking forward to watching him compete this weekend and hope to see him bring home a medal. Aaron White had a tough weekend and not the season I know he had hoped for. He was in a tough weight class and had to battle against good competition every week. I would of loved to of seen him finish better this weekend, but it wasn’t in the cards. From the time he walked into the wrestling room as a freshman to now he has improved leaps and bounds. I know its hard to focus on falling short of goals, but I believe you have to look at how far you have come to put everything into perspective. It was good to see Tiernan Poling get himself back to the state tournament. Last year he didn’t have the regional tournament that he would have liked but, it was good to see him get past that and punch his ticket this weekend. He used last year as motivation this whole season and he’s had a great up thus far. He has somethings technically that he needs to clean up but, I feel good with where he is at. The most important thing for all these state qualifiers is to keep competing and finish strong. His job isn’t finished quite yet and he’s hungry--he’s in a good place. Arthur Albuquerque was a joy to have this season. Arthur is a foreign exchange student we were blessed to have with us this season, and he really came a long way from the start of the season. I admire kids who step out of their comfort zones and try new things. Wrestling is a very tough sport--the physical and mental toll it can play on you makes it extremely difficult. Arthur never complained and really embraced it. I am going to miss having him around but, will forever be grateful to have had the opportunity to coach him this season. Jayce Nider was set up to make a pretty decent run this weekend I believe. Unfortunately, he suffered a pretty brutal injury in his first match and was forced to injury default out of the tournament. Jayce was really starting to come on here these past couple of weeks and really had shown a lot of improvement. This is a kid who doesn’t have a lot of wrestling experience but, he makes up for it with the work he puts in. I love this kid’s attitude as he is already looking to improve for next season. We are definitely blessed to have him a part of our program. Shadyron Blanka really finished this season strong and has started to really come into his own. He has shown a tremendous amount of growth throughout this season. For him to qualify is a testament to that. Shadyron had to win two very tough, important matches this weekend that he absolutely had to have. A year ago, or even two months ago I don’t believe he would have won those matches. But this kid really has matured and he still has room to grow both physically and mentally. I’m looking forward to what he can accomplish this weekend. I believe he can wrestle with anyone in this weight class and has the potential to bring home a state medal. Gregor Burr is another kid who decided to give wrestling a try this season. really didn’t know much about him coming into this season, but I am very thankful he came out. He is a stand-up kid who has a huge heart and a tremendous work ethic. I’ve enjoyed watching him grow not only as a wrestler but as a young man these past couple of months. Gregor is going to go on and do some great things in this life. I am very proud of him and can’t say enough good things about this young man. Seth Hilt is a young man who truly has come into his own. He had an unbelievable season that saw him improve leaps and bounds from where he was a year ago. This kid has a great work ethic and I believe he is starting to take himself seriously as a wrestler and as an athlete. You don’t make the kinds of improvements that he has made this season without hard work. Seth works hard and does a lot of good things. His biggest detriment is that he still doesn’t 100% believe in himself. I believe he has come a long way this season and I look forward to him putting in the work this offseason. I believe a year from now we are talking about Seth Hilt as a 2020 state qualifier.
This upcoming weekend we will have three wrestlers competing at the 2019 3-2-1A state tournament at the Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays, Kansas. Anytime you are competing at a state tournament you know that the competition will be tough. It’s very important for these three young men to focus on one match at a time and know that anytime they step on the mat that they are to expect their opponent’s very best. I believe we have three guys that are more than capable of bringing home a state medal. We will keep pushing them to that goal and hope for the best this weekend. We hope to see a big St. Francis Indian crowd down in Hays to support these young men and watch them represent this storied program that we have here in St. Francis."
Good luck, Indians!