HAYS – Hoisington’s No. 1 ranked Joshua Ball (37-0, 182) preserved a perfect record with a state championship at 182 pounds. Ball repeated his feat at substate with a pin over Hill City's Jayce Hamel (1:49) in the championship match. Ball also pinned Hamel in last week's substate championship match.

The girls team had five girls make it to sub-state which is the equivalent of the State Tournament. All five girls placed in the top 5. Two girls Sheena Gocela placed 2nd at 101, and Emily Lovett placed 3rd at 120 lbs. That allowed them to qualify for the final 8 at State wrestling this past Friday at Salina. Both of these girls went on to place fourth at the State Tournament.

"I am extremely proud of our girls that placed at the state tournament along with the other 3 girls (Kiana Grandclair 115, Tally Wikum 138, and Lyrica Orosco 143 lbs.) that were a huge part of our success all season long, but did not qualify. All of the girls will be back next year as none of them are seniors. 

On the boy's side the team finished in 10th place at the State tournament and brought back two State Placers. Freshman Josiah Ball at 113 placed 5th, and brother Joshua finished his career by winning the State Championship at 182 by pinning his opponent from Hill City in the second period in the finals. Joshua became only the 3rd wrestler in the history of Hoisington High School to place all four years of his high school career at the State Tournament. Only brothers Brandon, and Christopher were able to accomplish such a feat. 

It was a great weekend for both our girls and boys teams. We were hoping for our boys to bring home two State Titles, but at the very top it is razor thin, and that was the case for Freshman Josiah Ball as he lost in the semifinals to the State Champion 4-3, and a heartbreaking match of Ultimate Tie Breaker in the consolation rounds the finish 5th.  Joshua left no doubt in running his record to 37-0, by pinning Sr. Jayce Hamel (Hill City) in the finals. 

"What a great way to close out your high school career! This memory will be many times gone through my mind for me as a coach. Each time the great emotional feelings that I get from it will be there as a reminder of a great wrestler and an even better kid."

Josiah Ball (29-8, 113) placed fifth after a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to Marysville's No. 5 ranked and state champion Gable Fredrickson. Ball pinned Republic County's A.J. Polansky (3:58) for fifth place.

Stafford's Tarrant Young (23-8, 132) placed fifth with a victory over Erie's Quinten Heady (1:45). Hoxie's No. 1 ranked state champion Drew Bell pinned Young (0:39) in the 132-pound semifinals. Bell pinned Effingham's Scholz for the state title.

4A LARNED – Larned’s returning state champion No. 3 ranked Samajay Alboyd (37-7, 160) battled hard, but lost 10-4 to Buhler's unbeaten state champion Sam Elliott (42-0). Alboyd was pinned by Elliott for the past two weekends in the championship round. Alboyd swept two matches Saturday to earn his third shot against Elliott at the 4A state tournament at Salina.

4A STATE 

160—1—No. 1 Sam Elliott, Buhler def. No. 3 Samajay Alboyd, Larned, 10-4; 3—No. 2 Metcalfe, Perry def. No. 4 Hoback, Burlington, 10-6; 5—No. 6 Tubbs, Colby def. No. 5 Dietrich, Mulvane 12-6; 5—SEMIS—Elliott pinned Hoback, 1:59; Alboyd def. Metcalfe, 5-2; QUARTERS—Elliott pinned Gleghorn, Paola, 15-0; Hoback def. Dietrich, 10-4; Metcalfe pinned Tubbs, 4:13; Alboyd pinned Fraser, Eudora, 3:39

3-1A STATE 

106—1—White, JL def. Weimer, Hoxie, 12-3; 3—Underhill, HC def. Kennedy, Erie, 12-6; 5—Coble, West Elk pinned Johnson, Minneapolis, 3:33

113—1—No. 5 Fredrickson, Marysville pinned No. 6 Stanton, Caney Valley, 2:03; 3—No. 3 Atkins, Hill City def. No. 1 Shepard, Hoxie, 9-4; 5—No. 2 Josiah Ball, Hoisington pinned No. 4 Polansky, Republic Co., 3:58; SEMIS—Stanton def. Shepard, 6-4; Fredrickson def. Ball, 4-3; QUARTERS--Shepard pinned Langill, NC, 5:12; Stanton def. Atkins, 12-5; Ball pinned Wikle, Sabetha, 5:25; Fredrickson def. Polansky, 7-3

132—No. 1 Bell, Hoxie pinned No. 2 Scholz, Effingham, 0:05; 3—No. 5 Hockman, Hill City def. No. 3 Rakestraw, Silver Lake, 2-0; 5-—No. 6 Tarrant Young, Stafford pinned Heady, Erie, 1:45; CONSOLATION—Hockman pinned Young, 3:32; SEMIS—Bell pinned Young, 0:39; Scholz pinned Hady, 4:47; QUARTERS—Bell pinned Hurla, Rossville, 0:33; Young def. Rakestraw, 6-4;  Scholz pinned Colburn, Stockton, 0:44; Heady def. Hockman, Hill City, 2-0

182—1—No. 1 Ball, Hoisington pinned No. 2 Hamel, Hill City, 1:49; 3—No. 3 Uehlin, Oberlin def. No. 4 Walker, Beloit, 5-1; 5—No. 5 Claibourn, Oberlin vs. No. 6 VanderVelde, SL; SEMIS—Ball pinned Uehlin, 2:39; Hamel def. Walker, 4-2; QUARTERS—Ball def. Wassenberg, Marysville, 4-0; Uehlin def. VandeVelde, 7-3; Hamel def. High, Douglass, 10-6; Walker def. Claibourn, 4-2

OTHER WEIGHTS

120—1—No. 2 Wright, Remington pinned No. 1 VanValkenburg, Council Grove, 1:36; 3—No. 5 Normandin, Plainville def. No. 3 Hughes, Eureka, 6-0; 5—Wilburn, Pleasant Ridge def. No. 4 Ochs, Hoxie, 5-4

126—No. 1 Field, Norton pinned No. 2 Bell, Hoxie, 4:48; 3—No. 4 Talkington, Republic Co. def. No. 6 Thelwell, Riley Co. 5-4; 5—No. 3 Collins, Osage City pinned Rogers, Chase County, 3:07

138—1—No. 2 Bretz, Hoxie def. No. 1 Cain, Oakley, 6-4; 3—No. 3 Allen, SL vs. No. 6 Reynolds, Douglass; 5—No. 4 Grafel, Oberlin def. Elliott, Wellsville, 14-12

145—1—No. 1 Johnson, Hoxie def. No. 3 Hurla, Rossville, 3-1; 3—No. 2 Schreiner, Kingman def. No. 3 Collins, Osage City, 7-5; 5—No. 4 Harrison, Eureka def. No. 6 Bachman, Hillsboro, 5-3

152—1—No. 2  Eck, Uniontown pinned No. 3 Escareno, Eureka, 2:55; 3—No. 1 Amrein, HC pinned Twombly, Rossville, 3:10; 5—No. 4 Urban, Norton pinned Mumpower, Wabaunsee, 2:01

160—1—No. 6 Lowe, Eureka def. No. 1 Baalman, Hoxie, 5-3; 3—No. 4 Kadel, Beloit def. No. 3 Hubert, Republic Co. 4-3; 5—Bird, Wellsville pinned No. 5 Wallin, Wabaunsee, 3:24

170—1—No. 3 Prochaska, Beloit def. No. 1 Rodriguez, SE Saline, 17-9; 3— No. 2 Kruger, SL def No. 5 Hansen, Plainville, 9-4; 5—No. 4 Pfeifer, Ellis def. Herrmann, Sabetha, 5-0

195—1—No. 1 Seabolt, Cimarron def. No. 2 Palic, Marion, 3-0; 3—No. 4 Green, Rawlins Co. def.No. 5 Baccus, Minneapolis, 14-0; 5—Temaat, Oakley def. No. 6 Gillen, SLV, 6-0

220—1—No. 2 Sproul, Norton def. No. 1 Lott, Marysville, 9-3; 3—No. 3 Beeson, Republic Co. pinned No. 6 Koch, Oakley, 3:14; 5—No. 5 Girty, Flinthills pinned No. 4 Buresh, Phillipsburg. 2:42 

285—1—No. 1 Whalen, Osage pinned No. 3 Parker, Mission Valley, 2:17; 3—No. 4 Stephens, Wellsville pinned No. 5 Watts, Humboldt, 3:56; 5—Walt, HC pinned No. 6 Baker, Hoxie, 2:55